This is the first in a series of three installments taken from Chapter Seven of Extinguishing the Flames of Hell: A Journey of Spiritual Evolution by Paul Howard Nicholas.
As an avid chess player since the age of twelve, I have encountered a number of white people over the years that were genuinely surprised to discover that a black man could give them a run for their money in such a “mental” game. Their stereotypical images of blacks just didn’t include people who played chess.
And, like the brother who loses his lunch money to a white guy in one-on-one playground hoops, a lot of them waited until it was too late to take the competition seriously.
On one such occasion, after I had prevailed in two out of three close games, my opponent, a jovial, talkative, middle-aged white man offered his congratulations, and asked if I could spare a few moments. He said he’d never had much personal contact with black people, but had always wanted to know what the average “intelligent” black person really thought about their plight in America. (Apparently, in his view, beating him at chess qualified me as “intelligent.”)
While he expressed admiration for our ability to survive centuries of adversity, he was, nevertheless, curious about my views on why, after over four hundred years in this country, black people still seem to be lagging behind other ethnic groups in every category of economics and education.
I responded with the standard reasons for the slow pace of progress in black communities: the legacy of slavery, destruction of our cultural roots, lack of economic and educational opportunities, etc.
But the man countered with the contention that other groups had endured severe hardships in America, with the exception of institutionalized slavery, and managed to move up the food chain.
I stood my ground as best I could, stressing the devastating effects of slavery in a foreign land coupled with a complete elimination of self-identity. My strong point was that there are no textbook solutions for black people’s problems because no other group in history has ever been subjected to crimes of this nature on such a massive scale.
And so our conversation basically ended in a stalemate. I understood why the man would ask such questions, and he accepted my answers. But the questions lingered.
Why are we always at the bottom? Why are our test scores and incomes consistently the lowest of all American citizens? Why do most of us live in the worst neighborhoods? I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be a clearer picture of both the origins of our problems and the steps that will have to be taken to fix them.
In response to my prayers for a better understanding of the plight of my people, I discovered pearls of insight hiding in plain sight. The following is a list of historical events and forces that have played a large part in shaping the lives of African Americans:
1) Slavery and the destruction of cultural identity
2) Selective extermination
3) Economic oppression
4) Break-up of the black family
5) Insufficient transfer of assets
6) Development of a culture of mediocrity
1) Slavery and the destruction of cultural identity. While it is true that other ethnic groups have been enslaved at various points in time, the ancestors of the vast majority of African Americans arrived in this country as victims of the largest and most prolonged mass kidnapping in the history of the world. Black Americans are also unique in that we are the only group of people ever to have our cultural ties to our motherland forcefully and permanently severed. These are facts of history that cannot be altered. They are what they are. The down side of this travesty is that we lost our cultural identity. The upside, however, is that we have created a vibrant new culture of art, cuisine, and customs that has helped us become the healthiest and wealthiest group of black people on the face of the Earth.
2) Selective extermination. The main reason African American students consistently score lower than most other Americans on proficiency tests is that the gene pool of black people in America has been artificially manipulated to systemically exclude intelligence. The process of eliminating intelligent people from slave stocks began when slaveholders realized that large, strong, IQ challenged slaves were desirable assets, while smart, resourceful slaves could be a dangerous liability. The very existence of an intelligent black man or woman contradicted the whole theory of white superiority. And there was the very real possibility that a smart slave might inspire other slaves to rebel against the master or flee the plantation. The exception to this rule was the intelligent slave that could provide entertainment for the residents of the “big house” and their associates. Since access to quality entertainment was limited, these slaves were highly prized and, like successful black celebrities today, kept largely isolated from the ordinary laborers. The majority of intelligent slaves, however, from the beginning of the trans Atlantic slave trade, were effectively prevented from producing numerous offspring, more often than not by homicide. After emancipation, the practice of eliminating intelligent black men and women continued virtually unabated. The code name used by whites for a smart,
assertive black person well into the 20th century was “uppity.” Being labeled as such usually meant a violent death or a long stretch in prison. This system of gene pool manipulation, perpetrated over hundreds of years, is unique in the history of mankind. Other ethnic groups have become victims of genocide, but African Americans are the only group of human beings that have been subjected to the surgical removal of the best and brightest among them over the course of several centuries. And the situation has been made worse by the absence of equal educational opportunities for most black children. This information is not offered as an excuse for the poor performance of black Americans. It is simply a statement of biologic fact, a perfect example of cause and effect. Think of it this way: The next time you feel disheartened by consistent low test scores among black students, or embarrassed by loud, disrespectful brothers and sisters in a public setting, ask yourself what the average white American or Asian American would be like today if the brightest stars in the galaxies of their respective gene pools had been systematically snuffed out during the last four hundred years. The legacy of selective extermination is a lingering hindrance to progress for African Americans. On the plus side, we are blessed with many outstanding athletes and entertainers. The down side is that we aren’t producing enough doctors, scientists, and engineers. If we are to overcome the negative effects of losing such an important segment of our genetic heritage, then we must begin by becoming more involved in educating our children, both at home and in specialized programs designed to address the specific deficiencies of black children. And it is essential that we pray for God’s guidance, and for an abundance of gifted children.
(To be continued in the second of three segments. The next installment will cover Economic Opression and The Breakup of the Black Family.)
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Wishing you Health, Peace, Prosperity, and Love,
Paul Howard Nicholas
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