Perspectives

Caged, roped, and mistreated

By Anisah Muhammad | Last updated: Nov 12, 2014 - 8:30:49 AM

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The Black man and woman of America are like the caged lion, roped elephant and mistreated but loyal dog.

We are like the caged lion because the lion is king of the jungle but does not realize and execute his greatness. He doesn’t know the meaning of freedom. He’s given a false freedom to perform tricks in the circus for his master, but after he’s done with the trick, he’s back into the cage and is fed a treat.

We do not realize our greatness and cannot execute our greatness because we are still being controlled by our former slave masters. We do what he wants us to and what he tells us to do in order to get a pat on the back and crumbs from his table of genetically modified foods. Afterward we go back to living an unsatisfied, unfulfilled life.

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The Black man and woman of America are like the roped elephant that is trained from birth. When it is young, its master ties it to a post with a rope. It doesn’t have the power to break the rope. When it grows older in age and larger in size, the elephant will stand still with a breakable rope around its leg tied to a pole. It couldn’t break the rope in its youth, so it believes that there’s no point in trying any longer in its lifetime.

In English Lesson Number C1, it asks the question, “Why does he like the Devil?” The answer is given, “Because the Devil put fear in him when he was a little boy.” It goes on, “Why does he fear now since he is a big man?” The answer, “Because the Devil taught him to eat the wrong food.” We were given the milk of fear when we were babies, and we ate and still eat the food of fear. We are afraid to break the chains that racism, slavery, and White supremacy put in our minds. We stand in darkness because we are afraid there’s no point in advancing to the light. But, Allah (God) wants us to advance to the light! He wants us to get the light that knowledge and truth brings! Stop standing with falsehood and unrighteousness!

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The mistreated loyal dog will always come back to its owner no matter what the owner does to him. He will even die for his owner. The Black man and woman of America are like this. No matter what our former slave master have done to us and continues to do to us, we stick by his side, always willing to do whatever he wants us to do.

We fought in all of America’s wars, died in other lands so this country could have democracy and independence. We built this country from the ground up when we were transported here during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. No matter what we have done so that this country could become the Superpower it is, we are continually denied freedom and justice. Yet, we continue to do what ‘master’ pleases. Why not stop begging the White man to do that which we could do for ourselves? If we truly want to be loyal to this country, we would go for self, because in doing that, we would be improving the economy of America and providing employment opportunities.

Support Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint because that is the best and only solution to getting out of our cage, taking off these mental chains, and ultimately: ending poverty and want.

(Anisah Muhammad is a 17-year-old writer based in Montgomery, Ala. To read more of her commentaries, visit [email protected]).