SELF-EMPOWERMENT SHOULD LEAD TO CONSCIENTIOUS COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP

I'm pleased to announce that I've completed my sixth book entitled, "WUCUSU: A Self Empowerment Handbook." It will be available on August 9, 2024 via Amazon and wherever books are sold. This edition of "Path to Empowerment" features two excerpts from my book. I am deeply concerned that members of my village are safe, empowered, and liberated from oppression of any kind. From the age of thirteen to the present, these concerns led me to study, create, or join organizations to fight racism and social injustice and to work toward Black Self Determination.

Over the years I learned that organizations and movements are important vehicles of change. Yet movements and organizations - however huge and powerful they might be - consist of individuals. ?An organization will only be as strong, informed, and empowered as the people in it.

Therefore, when we talk about strengthening movements and organizations, we are essentially talking about raising the consciousness and capacity of the individuals populating them. Raising individual capacity includes deepening people’s knowledge base and broadening their skill sets. But the focus on skill development only helps people do better. We also must concern ourselves with helping our village members be better. As we work to transform and improve external conditions, we must do the same concerning our internal character development.

I’ve read hundreds of motivational books and viewed many motivational presentations. These materials or tools have inspired and informed me. One critique I have, however, is that too often these books and presentations focus on individual achievement and financial success. True, we must start empowerment at the individual level (with ourselves), but we do not stay there! As I see it, a person cannot truly be empowered without serving or exerting leadership in their community. In this spirit, I am personally praying and affirming that everyone who reads this book will either become an agent of community empowerment and liberation or become a more loving and effective one.

Regardless of what's going on around you or to you, raise your vibration and add some positive energy to the situation by authentically doing good for your village. Not for credit or attention, but to be useful and helpful to others. This won't just help your village; It will help you:

1. Maintain physical/mental health

2. Develop resilience

3. Attract reciprocity

4. Attract members of your Soul Tribe

5. Bring honor to your living relatives and ancestors.

How you serve and who you serve are your personal choices. For example, I primarily serve Black people through the vehicle of education. The important thing is that you serve or provide leadership in ways that align with your life mission. ?

Of equal importance is the way you serve. Not only are you as an empowered person required to serve your community, but you must also do so with competence and ethics. In 2022 I wrote a book entitled Leadership: Philosophy, Ethics, and Practice. Referring to ethical and empathetic leadership I wrote:

“We’ve all encountered argumentative, self-absorbed and merciless leaders and organizers. Such individuals can’t seem to communicate respectfully, demonstrate sincerity or respond to situations appropriately. They make people uncomfortable and manage to create and escalate conflicts. In 1990, two researchers named Peter Salavoy and John Mayer created language to describe what such individuals lack: Emotional Intelligence.”

?In that book, I outline “9 Rules of Emotional Intelligence” for leaders to model in their communities and organizations. Since then, I’ve revised these rules. It bears mentioning that leadership without emotional intelligence is “misleadership.” This dysfunctional and often toxic leadership does far more harm than good because it:

1.?????? Creates a climate of fear and intimidation among village members.

2.?????? ?Humiliates, demoralizes and traumatizes people we are trying to empower.

3.?????? Leads to egregious and unethical policies and practices within organizations that go unaddressed.

4.?????? Sends the incorrect message that leaders are bullies and dictators of the community rather than community servants.

5.?????? Destroys social or intimate relationships and makes it difficult to repair them.

?To help eliminate and in some cases, help prevent such toxic behavior I present these 9 general insights for engagement with village members.

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1.?????? Vindictiveness is unacceptable: Leaders do not hold grudges against the people they serve, nor seek to retaliate or “get people back” for any perceived violation. Such is the behavior of children or dictators.

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2.?????? Ask questions and seek to understand village members: So often we want to suggest things or advise the people we serve even though they haven’t asked for our advice. Maybe that makes us feel important or knowledgeable. But instead of positioning ourselves as experts, spend more time asking questions, actively listening and seeking to understand those we serve and guide them to develop their own answers and solutions. This approach builds trust and community capacity rather than the resentment and suspicion developed by offering unsolicited advice.

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3.?????? Hurting, demoralizing or disrespecting people is unacceptable. In whatever we do, we should not bring harm to those we serve or anyone else. When people inform us that something we’ve done is hurtful, we should not begin justifying and explaining our actions or words. We should apologize and reassure the people that they are important to us, how they feel is important, and we will not let it happen again.

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4.?????? We should leave judgments to courts and juries. It is easy and convenient to make quick and insensitive judgements about people. As leaders, we are not here to judge, but to serve, facilitate, and empower. Instead of being judgmental, we should be compassionate and empathetic.

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5.????? Dissolve your competitive spirit. Being competitive with the people we serve creates an uneasy environment. We are not here to debate, defeat, prove people wrong, or outshine anyone. We are here to help the entire village shine!

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6.?????? Be loving with village members regardless of ideological differences. Let’s use Black people as an example. Those of us in the United States share common origins and a shared historical and political experience. Nevertheless, we are not monolithic. We practice different religions, subscribe to different political ideologies, have different professions, earn different incomes, etc. These political, religious, and class differences cause intense disagreements and hostility within our village that sometimes leads to violence and division. This is unacceptable and we cannot afford to behave in this manner.

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7.????? Learn to de-escalate, forgive, and reconcile with village members. Building off the previous point, we may sometimes find ourselves in disputes with members of our community. To avoid tragic acts of violence or estrangement, we need to learn how to mediate conflicts, forgive each other, and (when possible) reunite with one another. It is unfortunate that so many of us have living children, siblings and parents that we no longer speak to. We must repair and heal such relationships when possible.

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8.????? Refuse to speak ill of or argue with a village member in public or via social media. Social media potentially reaches billions of people across the world. We do ourselves a disservice when we humiliate and disrespect each other in public or virtual public. Sensitive discussions should be private. We shouldn't say anything if we cannot say something respectful about another village member.

?9.????? When we speak with village members, we should always ask how they are doing/feeling. Sometimes the people in our village are not well. They might be hungry, getting abused, or about to do something they will regret. I think showing genuine concern might bring these matters to your attention, and you might be able to help them be well.

It always amazes me how much the public idolizes athletes, actors, musicians, comedians and other entertainment-oriented personalities. Millions of adoring fans find themselves seduced by celebrity beauty, mesmerized by their wealth, and hypnotized by their talent. But do people think about the foundation of this greatness or success? As a classroom teacher for almost three decades, I often discussed this topic with my middle and high school students, and they usually struggled to answer this question.

You and I might attribute their success and greatness to huge marketing teams that advertise and promote these icons through social media, radio, and television. To some degree, you are right; Those things partially account for an entertainer or athlete’s success. However, the foundation of their success and greatness has more to do with their activities “behind the scenes” and away from the public.

Actors must memorize their lines, recite them, and perform convincingly in movie or television scenes. Athletes must be in excellent physical shape. Their careers demand strength, flexibility, and stamina. They must know the rules of their sport and be able to effortlessly execute certain physical motions even when fatigued. Singers must memorize their song lyrics, have strong and durable voices, execute some degree of choreography, and be able to sing and dance simultaneously for long periods of time during concerts.

What is the “Secret Sauce” for these superstars? The greatest entertainers, athletes and actors, commit to doing the work and preparation it takes to fulfill the responsibilities of their professions. They have an incredible work ethic and drive, because they are not just doing a job to earn money, they are trying to master their craft. It’s safe to assume that people like Dave Chappelle, Beyonce, Jay Z, Simone Biles, Chris Brown, Viola Davis, and Terrence Crawford share this mentality, behavior and drive. It's called being “conscientious”, and it is a definite superpower and game changer.

Being conscientious comes with a bundle of impressive traits. Conscientious people are efficient, goal-oriented, attentive to details, consistent, dependable, and driven. This is not just a trait shared by superstar entertainers, athletes, and actors. Some of our most powerful and talented politicians, leaders, scholars, and artists were/are conscientious also. Anyone familiar with W.E.B. Dubois knows that his scholarship in sociology and history were impeccable. Malcolm X was a voracious reader and gifted Black Liberation theorist whose teachings helped to create and influence the Black Arts and Black Power Movements.? Dr. John Henrik Clarke and Dr. Amos Wilson were visionary and highly influential intellectuals whose teachings were literal blueprints for political empowerment.

Whether we are referencing pop culture icons, towering intellectuals, or dynamic political leaders, the greatest and most revered of them are conscientious. Their true greatness is forged behind the scenes, getting up early, and spending countless hours in libraries, music and dance studios, fitness gyms, and other spaces where they “Do the work” to be outstanding and impactful.

Empowered folks value being diligent and conscientious. If an empowered person decides to be a community leader, actor, student, athlete, martial artist or educator for example, they give their best effort. They are not satisfied with doing just enough.? They seek to master their area of expertise. “What motivates them?” you may ask. Are they misguided workaholics? Are they driven by an insatiable appetite for money? Are they the competitive types looking to outdo others in the village? No. They correctly realize that they work, study, exercise and practice not just for themselves, but for vulnerable, voiceless, and demoralized members of their village. How can they empower others if they don’t work to empower themselves?

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