Rev. Jackson and the future...

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT to my friends and supporters on my health and the future. pic.twitter.com/JkuDNpxkix

— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) November 17, 2017

Last week Rev. Jesse Jackson a longtime and prominent leader in the civil rights movement announced that he is ill with Parkinson's. In a statement he especially noted that his father had the disease and it "bested him". While Rev. Jackson plans to make some lifestyle changes, his commitment to social and economic justice won't waver. He's even pledges to bring further attention to the disease.

This was something he talked about on Thanksgiving as he served food at his Rainbow Push Coalition HQ.

 

With this in mind, my thought immediately went towards who might be able to step into the shoes of Rev. Jackson now that his time in the limelight has certainly began to wind down. I've always said it has been past time for a new generation of Black leaders to make their moves and be the face of a new generation. The leadership who came out of the civil rights movement are slowly but surely leaving us thanks to the life cycle.

Another aspect of new leadership I want to see is perhaps they shouldn't be so monolithic. Rev. Jackson and perhaps the Congressional Black Caucus are certainly monolithic in the progressive/left sense. If everything they do is about advance Black people progressivism/leftism isn't the only answer.

I would dare say that in the new generation of Black leadership I want to see our version of Donald Trump. Such a person is individualistic & independent. Such a person made quite a splash at least in the business world and ideally is an entrepreneur. They have a serious interest in making Black communities better or providing Blacks with better opportunities.

Here in Chicago, Blacks do in general live in unsafe communities where gun crime is common - not all of course but it exists in some communities. What changes these unsafe communities is a focus on economic opportunities, especially jobs for the youth to get started in their lives. Perhaps a better education so that the youth are ready for employment opportunities.

Now I don't want to pretend that my quick answers are the easy answers, but a new leadership for the Black community must include business and entrepreneurship to advance the community. If the issue is capital to start business then lets help aspiring business owners get the necessary capital to start a business. We need some new solutions to the general problems of Black America and it's time to get started. Actually it's past time!