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“Is It About the People — or Their Positions?”

I’m starting to ask a question I never thought I’d say out loud:


Are some of our Black leaders more committed to their lifestyles than to lifting Black people?


It’s not a disrespectful question. It’s a necessary one.


Because when reparations get vetoed, when deals are made behind closed doors, and when the people who claim to speak for us are quiet when it matters most — we have to ask:


Is this leadership still about making Black America whole? Or is it about maintaining status, relationships, and access?


I look at the legacy of people like Coleman Young — who didn’t care about pleasing power structures, but demanded justice for the people who built Detroit. He wasn’t always polite, but he was always clear: Detroit belongs to Detroiters.


Today, too many so-called leaders operate like celebrities. They show up when the cameras are rolling, cut ribbon deals in private, and then tell the community: “We’re working on it.”


But working on it isn’t enough when people are losing homes, when schools are closing, and when the economic gap is getting wider.


Our leadership must be more than ceremonial.


It must be courageous, visionary, and accountable.


And that means:


• Standing for reparations — not just because it’s popular, but because it’s right.


• Demanding economic ownership — not just access to grants, but equity and land.


• Calling out systems of injustice — even when your friends are in those systems.


I’m not writing this to attack anyone. I’m writing this because I believe in Black leadership.


But leadership isn’t about how many dinners you’re invited to.


Leadership is about how many people you lift with you.


And right now, I see too many climbing ladders — and not enough building bridges.


So I ask again:


Is it about your title — or about our people?


Because Black America can’t afford to keep waiting while our leaders keep protecting their comfort.


This isn’t personal.


It’s generational.

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