I’ve been struggling a bit with what’s going on in my community. Nah, I lie—I’ve been struggling significantly with what’s happening in the Black community. It seems like, for generations, there has been very little action toward establishing the foundations that will help our people grow and remain successful the world over. Instead, we’re stuck in a cycle—an exhausting, never-ending loop of survival where it’s either eat or be eaten. And too many of us are still left hungry.
Why is this the case?
My take? The Elders of today aren’t leaving things in a better place. Instead, they’re leaving us with the burden of trying to fix what’s broken while we’re still fighting against the very systems that made it this way in the first place. What’s worse? Celebrity culture has replaced the power of wisdom. Going viral is celebrated more than building institutions that create wealth, protect our values, and ensure a future for generations to come. We’ve become so obsessed with being seen that we’ve forgotten the importance of building something worth seeing.
So, what now?
What now is that we need a reset. A reset on how family is being protected. A reset on how health is being maintained across all generations. A reset on how wealth is being nurtured—not just for today but for the long haul. Imagine if the village raised the child again. Imagine if we built a world where everyone mattered, where no one was left behind. A world where our priority was lifting the least among us because we understood that when one of us rises, we all rise.
That world is possible. But it starts with action. Here are three things the Black community can do to begin building our own Wakanda:
1. Reclaim the Family Unit as the Foundation of Strength
At the core of any thriving society is the family unit. The strength of the family determines the strength of the community, which determines the strength of the people. But in our modern world, family has been weakened, stripped of its influence, and left unsupported. To rebuild, we need to restore the village mentality—but this time, with intentionality and strategy.
Reclaim our future with Strong Role Models (being an Afroriginal)
I remember sitting with an incredible community builder recently and learning about their experience of another "leader" walking away from their position because they had been held accountable. To date, accountability remains one of the foundational pillars of the family, community, and society that we need to fix to have strong role models. It is important to define what a strong role model is too, because the lack there of a definition leaves more gaping holes.
In my opinion, a strong role model isn’t just someone successful—it’s someone authentic enough to share their successes and failures honestly. A person who leads with vulnerability and accountability. A person who practices what they preach. A person who genuinely works at caring for others and knows when to seek help.
A real leader isn’t afraid to admit when they’ve fallen because their goal isn’t to maintain an illusion of perfection—it’s to empower others to avoid the same mistakes. This is what our youth need to see: men and women who live with integrity, who don’t just talk about community but actively invest in it.
Strategies for Strengthening the Family & Role Models
Mentorship Circles: Establish multi-generational mentorship groups where elders actively pour into younger generations, and young adults take responsibility for mentoring those coming after them. Everyone should have both a mentor and a mentee.
Financial Literacy in Families: Teach wealth-building from childhood. Schools won’t teach us, but we can teach ourselves. Families should prioritize group investment funds, homeownership, and wealth education.
Mental & Emotional Health in Families: Therapy and counseling must be normalized. Unhealed trauma has been passed down long enough—it stops with us.
2. Establish Black-Owned Infrastructure
We are where we are because we don’t own enough of what we need. When we depend on others to provide for us, we are always at their mercy. Ownership is power. Without it, we will always be stuck begging for a seat at the table instead of building our own.
The Motivation: Generational Wealth, Not Short-Term Gains
One of the biggest mistakes made in Black business is short-term thinking. We want quick profits instead of generational sustainability. Infrastructure means thinking beyond our lifetime—it means building something that our great-grandchildren will still benefit from.
Strategies for Building Black-Owned Infrastructure
Create and Support Black-Owned Banks: Money should circulate in our own institutions. Invest in Black-owned banks and financial institutions that understand our needs and invest in our communities.
Cooperative Economics: Community investment funds where groups pool money to buy land, property, or businesses together instead of waiting for individual wealth to build.
Focus on Industry Ownership: It’s not just about having Black businesses; it’s about owning industries. We need more Black-owned manufacturers, tech firms, construction companies, and agricultural businesses.
Teach Business Sustainability: Every business should be built with succession planning in mind. Who will take over when you’re gone? Who is being trained to maintain and grow the legacy?
3. Revive the Culture of Wisdom & Legacy
Wisdom and legacy should be at the forefront of every effort we make to rebuild our culture. But here’s the hard truth: our elders have been too silent. Many of them have lived long, full lives, seen the struggles, seen the wins, seen the mistakes—and yet, too many remain silent while the next generation struggles with the same battles.
Silence is no longer acceptable. If you have knowledge, you are obligated to pass it down.
The Elders' Responsibility to Speak & Act
Documenting Their Stories: Every elder should be telling their story. Whether through books, recorded interviews, or mentorship programs, we cannot afford to let their knowledge die with them.
Creating Wisdom Circles: Community meetings where elders actively share insights on finances, ethics, relationships, and survival—not in judgment but in love and guidance.
Holding Leaders Accountable: The elders should be calling out the failures in leadership, not sitting in silence while chaos unfolds.
Strategies to Keep Wisdom & Legacy at the Forefront
Establish Community Archives & Libraries: Physical and digital repositories of Black history, culture, and success strategies so that knowledge isn’t lost.
Normalize Storytelling & Oral Tradition: Bring back family story nights, community gatherings, and elder discussions where wisdom is passed down the way it was always meant to be.
Create Leadership Training Programs: Intentional spaces where young Black leaders are mentored, trained, and prepared to take on leadership roles in business, politics, and community service.
The Afroriginal Mindset: Unlearning, Relearning, Rebuilding
A real-life Wakanda isn’t impossible. But it requires unlearning the mindsets that keep us trapped, relearning the wisdom that has been lost, and rebuilding with intentionality.
The truth is, we’ve waited long enough for change.
The question is: Are we ready to build?
Comments