The Gantt Report, by Lucius Gantt
If you’re an African American, you might feel it doesn’t matter how much you accomplish, how much you achieve, or how successful you become, there seems to always be someone that looks like you that will do anything to block your blessings.
It is not surprising when other racial and ethnic groups describe our relations with each other as “crabs in a barrel.” When a Black man or woman appears to be on the verge of making something good happen for themselves, their families, or their communities, someone always has something negative to say about it.
When people try to disqualify me from job opportunities or obtaining a business contract, they run to non-Black businesspeople and agency heads and say, “Lucius hates white people” or “Lucius is too radical”. Both descriptions are wrong and are expressed with wicked intent and motivations made, primarily because our oppressors and exploiters enjoy that kind of talk.
However, one thing they say about me is correct. Lucius cannot be controlled by devilish and deceitful enemies of the people!
The practice of Black self-hate and racial hatred was promoted during slavery days. The Willie Lynch theory of dividing Black people and turning the light-skinned slaves against the dark-skinned and the house N-words against the field N-words has endured and impacted our communities to this very day.
Our people don’t understand it is just as hard for you as it is for Oprah Winfrey to hail a cab on Wall Street in New York City and light-skinned Blacks get beaten by police in Minnesota just as much as dark-skinned Blacks get beaten and dragged by whites in Mississippi.
When Black male and female traitors run to modern-day slave masters to demean you, disparage you, and disrespect you, today’s oppressors believe it because the hateful comments match their beliefs.
When an African American says bad things about other African Americans, comments and accusations made are never verified.
When white people like Tucker Carlson make false statements or inappropriate sexual comments to and about people, they might get fired.
But when Blacks lie about other Blacks, the liar is appreciated, welcomed, and recognized as a good N-word for a few days, afterward he is treated just bad as the Black he lied about.
Think about it, slaves told slave masters about Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey, Black informants told law enforcers about Martin, Malcolm, Marcus, and The Black Panthers.
Even Hollywood depicts Black people running to the white man to snitch on Black people. You know, it was Stephen that couldn’t wait to tell wicked Calvin Candie that D’Jango knew Broomhilda!
Too many Black people that hate other Blacks are oftentimes given a pass. We know talking badly about our brothers and sisters is inappropriate, but we tend to ignore it.
One good thing about my experiences with haters is when my worse haters run to Becky and Bruce to tell them how bad I am, the white folks tell them, “We know who Lucius is and we’ve known him longer than we’ve known you!”
Stop the Black-on-Black hate. Stop the haters.
We know who taught us to hate each other!
Lucius is a contributing columnist to NNPA newspapers around the nation, and the author of “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” available on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere.