How social media manipulation, manufactured divisions, and generations of psychological conditioning are keeping a global people from building the power they desperately need.
There comes a point when you have to stop looking at the obvious distractions and start examining the deeper reasons behind what you see happening around you. For generations, Black people across the world have struggled against systems that were designed to limit their opportunities, weaken their influence, and keep them from reaching their full potential. Yet, somewhere along the way, something else began happening that should concern every one of us. We started turning our frustrations against each other, fighting over identities, nationalities, political beliefs, and cultural differences while the larger problems remained untouched. At some point, we have to ask ourselves whether we’re becoming our own worst enemies.
Look at the conversations taking place across social media today. An African-born person living in America might be attacked by a Black American, while a Black American might be insulted by someone from the Caribbean. Someone from Jamaica might be ridiculed by someone from Ghana, and someone from Haiti might become the target of jokes and stereotypes from people who share a remarkably similar history of struggle. We have become so comfortable finding reasons to dislike one another that we’ve almost forgotten how much we have in common. The question isn’t whether we have cultural differences. Of course we do. The question is why those differences have become more important to us than our collective survival and advancement.
What makes this situation even more disturbing is that we are living in an age when information travels around the world in seconds. Social media gives us the ability to communicate, organize, educate, and build relationships across oceans. Yet, instead of using that extraordinary opportunity to strengthen ourselves, we often use it to humiliate one another, spread stereotypes, and turn individual disagreements into international conflicts. Someone posts an insulting comment, another person responds with an even uglier one, and before long, thousands of people are emotionally invested in an argument that produces absolutely nothing constructive. Meanwhile, the institutions, businesses, and economic structures that could improve our lives remain underdeveloped.
I’m not giving up on the possibility of global Black unity, but I am becoming increasingly concerned about how successfully division has taken root in our thinking. Someone benefits when we cannot recognize our shared interests. Someone benefits when we spend more time arguing about where another Black person was born than discussing what we could build together. Someone benefits when our emotional energy is constantly redirected toward each other instead of toward creating lasting institutions, financial independence, and a stronger future for our children. We have to become honest enough to admit that the present situation isn’t working in our favor.
And here’s the question I want everyone to consider. If a freedom fighter from an earlier generation, someone who believed in connecting Black people across national borders and challenging powerful institutions on an international level, stood before us today with those same ideas, would we embrace that person or attack them? Would we recognize the importance of the message, or would we immediately search for something to criticize? Would we call that person a visionary, or would we label them a traitor simply because their message challenges the divisions we’ve become accustomed to accepting? That’s a disturbing question, but it’s one we desperately need to answer.
THE ENEMY DOESN’T HAVE TO DIVIDE US IF WE DO IT OURSELVES
Let’s stop pretending that the division we see among Black people is just a collection of unrelated disagreements. Some disagreements are natural, and every community has its share of internal problems. However, there’s a difference between having disagreements and developing an entire culture around hostility toward people who share your broader history and interests. When people become more passionate about insulting one another than building something together, we’ve entered dangerous territory.
I’m particularly concerned about the role social media plays in this process. These platforms have become psychological battlegrounds where people’s emotions are constantly stimulated. Anger gets attention, insults attract reactions, and controversial statements spread rapidly. The person who understands how to provoke an audience can sometimes gain more influence than the person who has something meaningful to teach. Before you realize what’s happening, your daily information diet becomes a steady stream of reasons to distrust, dislike, and disrespect other Black people.
And the most dangerous part is that the people delivering these messages don’t always have to be outsiders. Sometimes the most effective way to weaken a community is to have members of that community repeat the very ideas that keep everyone separated. When someone who looks like you tells you that another group of Black people is inferior, dangerous, lazy, unattractive, or unworthy of your respect, you might accept that message more easily because it comes from someone you identify with. That’s the psychological trap. The messenger becomes familiar, but the message can still be destructive.
I’m not saying that every criticism of another Black person is wrong. We must be able to hold each other accountable. We must be able to discuss cultural differences, immigration, politics, economics, and personal behavior without pretending that everything is perfect. But accountability should lead somewhere constructive. If your criticism never produces a solution, if your anger never leads to organization, and if your arguments never result in something that improves the conditions of your people, what exactly are you accomplishing?
We have to recognize the difference between constructive criticism and emotional destruction. One encourages growth, while the other creates resentment. One challenges people to improve, while the other convinces them that their neighbors are the problem. The question becomes whether we’re interested in solving problems or simply finding someone to blame.
THE DIVISION THAT KEEPS US FROM BUILDING
Let’s talk about something that should be embarrassing to anyone who claims to care about Black advancement. Where are our institutions? Where are the hospitals, financial organizations, supermarkets, manufacturing facilities, distribution networks, and business communities that could give us greater control over our everyday needs?
I’m talking about the United States in particular because I spent almost four decades of my life there. I was born and raised in New York City, and I understand the American experience from the inside. I know what it means to grow up within that environment, work within its institutions, pay its bills, and navigate its expectations. I also understand that the Black American experience has its own particular history and challenges. But having a unique history doesn’t mean we should reject the opportunity to build relationships with other people who share our broader ancestry.
Look at communities that have established strong commercial identities in America. Many immigrant communities have developed neighborhoods where their businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, financial services, cultural organizations, and professional networks support one another. These communities aren’t necessarily perfect, and they certainly have internal disagreements. However, they’ve demonstrated something important: people who organize around shared economic interests can create opportunities that extend beyond individual success.
Think about the commercial districts that have become recognized cultural centers. Their businesses create employment, circulate money, provide services, and give younger generations opportunities to enter the marketplace. They don’t have to agree on every political issue to recognize the value of supporting their economic interests.
Why can’t we apply more of that thinking to our own communities?
Where is the modern equivalent of a thriving Black commercial district that connects businesses, provides essential services, supports local families, and creates opportunities for the next generation? Where are the financial institutions that can help entrepreneurs grow without constantly having to look outside their communities for support? Where are the cooperative networks that can help our people purchase property, develop businesses, and create sustainable wealth?
We have enough talent, intelligence, creativity, and purchasing power to make meaningful progress. Yet we spend enormous amounts of energy arguing about people who were born in another country but share our broader heritage. We debate accents, food, skin tones, cultural habits, and national identities while overlooking the economic possibilities sitting right in front of us.
And let’s be honest about something else. We cannot keep blaming everyone outside our community while refusing to examine our own behavior. If we want stronger businesses, we have to support businesses. If we want better financial institutions, we have to develop and support them. If we want healthier neighborhoods, we have to become involved in improving them. Complaining about the absence of something doesn’t automatically create it.
WHY CAN’T WE PRESENT A UNITED FRONT?
One of the most frustrating aspects of our division is how easily our political differences become weapons against one another. A Black Republican might be treated as an enemy by a Black Democrat, while someone with different political priorities might be dismissed without even having a serious conversation. We have allowed political labels to become more important than the practical needs of the people living in our neighborhoods.
Now, think about what could happen if we approached political power differently. Imagine a community with organized businesses, established institutions, strong professional networks, and a clear understanding of its collective needs. When election time arrives, that community can approach political candidates with specific expectations. It can discuss education, employment, infrastructure, public safety, healthcare, and economic development. It can make its priorities known and evaluate candidates according to what they actually deliver.
That’s what organized political influence looks like.
You don’t have to agree with every member of your community to understand the importance of negotiating from a position of strength. You don’t have to share someone’s political philosophy to recognize that their children need good schools, their families need access to healthcare, and their businesses need opportunities to grow.
But when we’re divided into countless competing factions, we weaken our negotiating position. Politicians can appeal to one group while ignoring another. Candidates can make promises to separate interests without addressing the larger needs of the community. Meanwhile, we continue fighting among ourselves as though our disagreements are more important than the conditions we’re trying to change.
A united front doesn’t mean everybody thinks alike. It means we understand which issues are important enough to require cooperation. We can disagree about politics and still agree that our children deserve opportunities. We can have different religious beliefs and still cooperate on economic development. We can come from different countries and still recognize the benefits of building international trade relationships.
That’s the kind of maturity that creates lasting influence.
WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA BECOMES A WEAPON AGAINST OUR OWN MINDS
The modern information environment has made it easier than ever to manipulate public emotions. A single video clip can be removed from its original context, circulated thousands of times, and used to create an impression about an entire population. Someone might show an image of a dangerous neighborhood, a violent incident, or an unusual cultural practice and then use that image to suggest that an entire country or continent is backward.
That’s not responsible observation. That’s the manipulation of perception.
I’ve seen people use isolated images and short video clips to paint an entire African nation as though every person living there walks around in danger. They might see a clip involving weapons, poverty, or political instability and immediately conclude that an entire continent is unlivable. Yet those same people might never investigate the history, economic pressures, foreign influence, political conflicts, or local conditions that helped create the situation they’re watching.
Africa has problems. Ghana has problems. The United States has problems. Every country has challenges that deserve honest discussion. I’m not interested in pretending that everything is perfect simply because I live in West Africa. But I’m also not going to accept the idea that one negative image should define millions of people.
There are beautiful cities, growing businesses, ambitious young people, expanding infrastructure projects, and serious efforts toward economic independence throughout the continent. These developments deserve attention too. We should be able to recognize progress without ignoring problems, just as we should be able to discuss problems without dismissing an entire population.
The same principle applies to the way Black people discuss each other. We have to stop allowing isolated negative experiences to become permanent judgments about entire nationalities. If one person from a particular country behaves badly, that person’s behavior shouldn’t become a reason to insult millions of people who share that birthplace.
The people who benefit from division don’t have to personally participate in every argument. Once the hostility becomes part of our everyday thinking, the work of separation becomes much easier. That’s why we must become more disciplined about what we watch, what we share, and what we allow to influence our understanding of one another.
MEMORANDUM 46 AND THE QUESTIONS WE MUST INVESTIGATE
There’s another subject that deserves serious attention. I’ve previously discussed what I refer to as Memorandum 46, a document from the late 1970s that I believe raises important questions about the relationship between Black American communities and people of African birth. The interpretation I’ve presented is that the document reflects concern about the possibility of greater unity between these populations and the challenges that such cooperation could create for established systems of influence.
I want people to examine the actual document rather than simply accepting my interpretation or dismissing it because the subject makes them uncomfortable. Read the language, investigate its origins, examine the context, and determine what it actually says. Don’t take somebody’s social media commentary as a substitute for examining original material. That’s exactly the kind of intellectual discipline we need more of.
The broader question remains important regardless of how someone interprets that particular document. What happens when people with shared interests begin building relationships across national borders? What happens when they exchange knowledge, develop businesses, establish trade relationships, and cooperate politically? What happens when they stop seeing one another as strangers and start recognizing the possibilities of working together?
Those questions deserve more attention than the endless arguments taking place online.
We should also understand that historical documents must be examined carefully. A document’s existence, its authorship, its intended audience, and the conclusions people draw from it are separate matters. If we’re going to build a movement around truth, we must be willing to investigate every claim thoroughly. Our credibility depends on it.
THE LEGACY OF GLOBAL BLACK SOLIDARITY
There was a time when the idea of Black liberation wasn’t limited to the borders of one country. There were people who understood that the struggles of African Americans, Caribbean people, and Africans on the continent were connected by a much larger history. They understood that political power, economic independence, cultural identity, and international relationships could not be examined in isolation.
That kind of thinking requires a broader vision than the one we’re often encouraged to accept today. It means recognizing that someone born in Ghana, Jamaica, Haiti, Brazil, or the United States can have a different cultural experience while still sharing important historical connections with people in other parts of the world.
Imagine bringing that perspective into today’s social media environment. Imagine someone speaking openly about the need for international cooperation, economic development, and stronger relationships between Black communities worldwide. Would the message be examined on its merits, or would people immediately begin searching for reasons to attack the messenger?
Would some people call that individual a traitor because they believe their national identity should take priority over every other connection? Would others accuse them of abandoning their cultural identity because they refuse to participate in the endless competition between different Black populations?
That’s the problem. We have become so accustomed to defending our divisions that the idea of overcoming them can appear threatening.
But a person doesn’t have to abandon their Jamaican heritage to appreciate Ghanaian culture. A Black American doesn’t have to erase their American experience to develop meaningful relationships with people from the African continent. A Ghanaian doesn’t have to surrender their national identity to recognize the importance of cooperation with people in the Caribbean.
Identity should give us roots, not chains.
OUR REPARATION MUST INCLUDE RESTORATION
I want to challenge another way of thinking that I believe has limited our progress. We have spent decades discussing reparations, historical injustice, and the need for compensation for generations of exploitation. These are serious subjects that deserve attention. However, we must also recognize that no community should place its entire future in the hands of another institution’s willingness to acknowledge its past.
We cannot afford to wait indefinitely for someone else to decide when we’re worthy of restoration. We have to begin building the structures that make our communities stronger right now.
What would happen if we invested more in our own businesses, education systems, agricultural production, transportation networks, healthcare facilities, and financial organizations? What would happen if we created stronger trade relationships between African countries and Black communities throughout the diaspora? What would happen if we stopped treating our collective purchasing power as something that should only benefit everyone except ourselves?
Our unity could become a form of restoration in action.
I’m not suggesting that building businesses automatically resolves every historical injustice. Nor am I suggesting that demands for accountability should disappear. I’m saying that economic independence and collective organization give people more choices, more leverage, and greater control over their future.
Think about the possibilities of international trade. Think about agricultural partnerships that connect food producers with consumers. Think about technology companies, manufacturing, education, shipping, and financial services. Think about the knowledge and resources that could be exchanged when people begin seeing one another as potential partners rather than competitors.
We talk about having a global presence, but where are the global business relationships that reflect that potential? We talk about African heritage, but how much are we actually doing to establish meaningful connections with the continent? We talk about Black excellence, but how much of that excellence is being converted into institutions that can serve generations yet unborn?
Our reparation must include restoration, and restoration requires work.
THE COST OF LIVING UNDER CONSTANT STRESS
There’s another dimension to this conversation that I understand on a deeply personal level. After spending nearly four decades in the United States, I eventually made the decision to relocate to Ghana. I’ve now spent more than six years living in West Africa, and the experience has given me an opportunity to examine my life from a completely different perspective.
I don’t hate America. I don’t hate the people there, and I still have love for the many people who remain connected to my life. But I have become increasingly aware of how much stress I carried while living within that environment. The constant pressure of employment, bills, responsibilities, deadlines, and the expectation that you must always be somewhere doing something can become deeply embedded in your thinking.
You might convince yourself that you’re handling everything just fine because you have learned how to function within that environment. You get up, go to work, pay your bills, take care of responsibilities, and continue moving. But sometimes you don’t realize how much tension you’ve accumulated until you finally remove yourself from the circumstances that created it.
Something interesting has happened to me since relocating. I occasionally have dreams in which I’m getting ready to go to work. In those dreams, I’m rushing because I’m late. I feel that familiar panic, that automatic alarm telling me that I have to get up, get dressed, and hurry somewhere because someone is expecting me.
Then I wake up.
For a few moments, I’m confused. I look around and realize that I’m in Ghana, in my own home, and I haven’t been employed since April 2019. There’s no time clock waiting for me, no supervisor expecting me to report, and no immediate need to rush out the door. Yet the anxiety from that old routine still appears in my dreams.
That’s how deeply certain experiences can become embedded in the mind. You can physically leave an environment without immediately removing every psychological response that developed while you were living in it.
I believe many people underestimate the effects of chronic stress. They become so accustomed to being tense that they no longer recognize tension as something unusual. They wake up worried, go to sleep worried, and spend their entire day anticipating the next problem. Even when nothing is happening, their minds remain on alert.
And when people carry that much frustration, where does some of it go? Unfortunately, it often gets directed toward the people closest to them. Families argue. Communities become hostile. People lash out at one another over small disagreements because they’re already carrying the weight of much larger problems.
This is why I believe we must look beyond the surface of our conflicts. Sometimes the hostility we see is connected to deeper frustrations, disappointments, and pressures that people have never properly addressed.
FREEDOM MUST ALSO BE A STATE OF MIND
Living in Ghana has given me the opportunity to experience a different pace of life. I enjoy the environment, the scenery, the mountains, and the ability to spend more time in my own space. Of course, Ghana has challenges, and I have no intention of pretending otherwise. Every country has its own difficulties, and living abroad requires patience, adjustment, and an understanding of local realities.
But for my purposes, this move has given me something I value tremendously: breathing room.
I’m not dealing with the same daily pressures that once consumed so much of my time and attention. I have more freedom to create content, think, reflect, and enjoy the environment around me. Even something as simple as sitting on my balcony and watching the rain come down over the mountains can provide a sense of peace that I didn’t fully appreciate before.
And that’s when I began thinking more deeply about the psychological weight that people carry.
Imagine how much stress someone might be holding after decades of working within an environment where financial survival is constantly on their mind. Imagine the emotional burden of trying to keep up with bills, maintain employment, raise children, navigate social pressures, and remain financially stable in an increasingly expensive society.
Now imagine carrying all of that frustration into your relationships with other Black people. Instead of recognizing that many of you are struggling with similar pressures, you begin attacking one another over cultural differences and personal disagreements.
That’s a tragic waste of human energy.
We should be helping one another develop more choices, more opportunities, and more ways to experience life outside of constant financial and psychological pressure. We should be discussing how to create healthier environments for our families, how to build sustainable communities, and how to give younger generations a better starting point than the one many of us inherited.
Freedom isn’t simply about where you live. It’s also about how much control you have over your time, your resources, your decisions, and your peace of mind.
STOP GIVING YOUR ENERGY TO PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO BUILD
At some point, we must stop wasting our time trying to convince people who are emotionally committed to division. You can present historical information, economic arguments, personal experiences, and practical examples, but someone who is determined to remain hostile may never consider what you’re saying.
That’s their choice.
However, you have a choice too. You can decide not to participate in every argument. You can refuse to allow an online stranger to dictate your emotional condition. You can stop entertaining conversations that produce nothing but resentment. Most importantly, you can redirect that energy toward something constructive.
If you believe in Black American advancement, what are you building? If you believe in African development, what are you contributing? If you believe in Caribbean independence and economic growth, what are you doing to support those objectives? Even if you prefer to focus exclusively on your own national community, where is your collective plan?
What businesses are being developed? What educational resources are being established? What agricultural projects are being supported? What financial institutions are being strengthened? What opportunities are being created for the children who will inherit the conditions we leave behind?
Those are the questions that deserve our attention.
I’m not interested in spending my remaining years arguing about whether someone from another country is worthy of my respect simply because their accent sounds different or their cultural habits aren’t familiar to me. I’d rather discuss how we can create something meaningful that lasts beyond our individual lifetimes.
Because when the arguments are over, the insults have disappeared, and the social media attention has moved on to another controversy, what will remain?
Hopefully, something more substantial than another collection of angry comments.
THE QUESTION WE MUST ANSWER BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
I want people to understand that I’m not asking everyone to abandon their individuality. I’m not asking people to pretend that historical differences don’t exist, and I’m certainly not asking anyone to ignore genuine problems within their communities. I’m asking whether we can become mature enough to recognize shared interests without allowing our differences to destroy every possibility of cooperation.
The world is changing, and economic power is becoming increasingly connected to international relationships, technology, resources, manufacturing, and trade. If we continue spending our time fighting among ourselves, other organized communities will continue building the institutions and networks that determine their future.
We cannot keep celebrating our potential while refusing to organize our resources. We cannot keep talking about the greatness of our ancestors while leaving future generations with fewer opportunities than they deserve. And we cannot keep blaming outside forces for every setback while ignoring the destructive behavior taking place within our own communities.
At some point, the excuses have to stop.
