Title of Course: Economics 101
Black Power Economics: The Building Blocks
Mba Mbulu, Instructor
Copyright 1998 - 2002, 2020 ASET, M. Mbulu All rights to everything on this web site are reserved.
Read the essay below. Afterwards,
try to get the best understanding you can of the following questions.
(1) What should a reasonable economic system be more concerned
about, profits or people?
(2) Why is the tree used as a symbol of Black Power Economics?
(3) Are white power economic priorities the same as Black Power
Economic priorities?
(4) If Black People seized control of a white power economic system,
would that make it a Black Power Economic system?
(5) As a result of taking this course, do you see why non-material
factors are just as critical to economic development as material
ones? Why, then, is economics always spoken of as if it were a
completely material process?
Class #15: The Tree of Priorities [Audio Version]
Black Power Economics, like all economic
systems, is based on a tree of priorities; the farther down a
tree one goes, the closer one gets to the things that matter the
most. As one nears the trunk of the tree, one finds the management
of money and wealth. Money and wealth are critical elements in
the economic totality, and can not be overemphasized. However,
their presence near the top of the tree's trunk indicate that
there are other elements even more important. We find three of
those elements near the bottom of the trunk. Near the bottom of
the trunk we find the management of energy, time and skills. How
We, Black People manage Our energy, time and skill is even more
critical to the development of Black Power Economics than how
We manage the wealth and money We possess. And then, as one descends
further still, one gets to the roots of the tree. One notices
that the secondary roots are made up of Black People's attitudes
(the second most important element), and its primary roots, the
life force of Black Power Economics, is the masses of Black People.
To be strong, to enable Us to continue producing powerful Black
roots, We have to take care of Black People. In fact, the reason
any reasonable economic system evolves is to take care of people.
We should always keep that in mind.
Unfortunately, white power economics operates on a different order
of priorities. Money and wealth are the most valued elements in
a white power economic system, and people are the least valued.
Dollars and cents, profits, eliminating those who perform the
same services or provide the same goods, limiting the options
of workers, cheapening the value of the consumer's assets, and
using the consumer's liabilities to push him/her closer to enslavement;
that is what white power economics is all about. White people
refer to it as a "rat race" and "survival of the
fittest." Black People could grab a piece of white power's
action, and say that is the key to an effective Black Power Economic
system. But a piece of white power's economic action is not the
same as a Black Power Economic system. A piece of white power's
action would simply be dark skinned people running a white power
economic system and further empowering that system. There's nothing
Black about that at all, and there's nothing about that that will
help Us develop in the way We need to develop!
Black Power Economics is as far away from dark skinned people
running a white power economic system as it can be. We need to
begin developing an independent Black Power Economic system. To
serve Our purposes, Our system will have to be something new,
something very different from what today's people are familiar
with. Economics 201 will get Us going in that direction. LET'S
GET STARTED!
END OF COURSE.