Our ancestors did what they had to do to take care of themselves, their families, and one another because they knew help was not on the way from those who ruled this country. Delany was a positive example of a man who acted upon the reality of life in America for people of African descent.

Martin Delany was such a man. Born in 1812, Delany moved through several careers, including a stint as a U.S. Army Officer.

This intelligent, conscious, nationalistic Black man accomplished more in his 73 years on this earth than a dozen of us accomplish collectively. He, along with many other Black people during his time, such as William Wells-Brown, Frederick Douglass, and Maria Stewart, understood and acted upon the reality that if Black people were going to be successful in this country it would be by the work of their own hands. They knew full-well, despite the horrendous treatment they received since arriving on America’s shores and deserving reparations for their labor, that Black folks were on their own.

Our ancestors did what they had to do to take care of themselves, their families, and one another because they knew help was not on the way from those who ruled this country. Delany was a positive example of a man who acted upon the reality of life in America for people of African descent.

Despite being born a free man, Delany still understood his obligation to his people, free and enslaved. He did not consider himself so privileged that he turned his back on his less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Having attended Harvard Medical School, he did not look down his nose at Black folks who were not educated. He rallied his personal resources, both intellectual and financial, to help his people, which became his life’s work. He founded a Black newspaper, The Mystery, and later partnered with Frederick Douglass and his newspaper, The North Star, prior to studying medicine.

Delany promoted self-determination for Black Americans and advocated for a separate nation for Blacks outside the United States. His seminal work, “The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States,” is to this day a lesson in self-determination and self-reliance among Black people. Delany’s life pursuits and accomplishments were not unique. During the 1800s and early 1900s there were many other Black people whose knowledge and acumen spanned from construction to business to medicine to writing to agriculture. Why? They understood that only by the work of their own hands would they succeed.

What are the lessons for us today? What lessons in Delany’s life can we share with our children, not only during Black History Month but all year long? Independence, self-reliance, nationalist-thinking, and understanding that to whom much is given much is required, are good places to start. We should also teach our youth that no matter their station in life, no matter their resources, no matter the barriers they face, they can make it. And last but not least, we should teach them about the legacy left by their ancestors, and instill in them the fact that they are standing on the shoulders of strong determined Black people; therefore, they have an obligation that rises far above self-aggrandizement and self-absorption.

As I have said many times, all the lessons we need, all the knowledge we need to succeed in this country and in this world as it exists today, lies in the accomplishments of our ancestors, especially in the area of economic empowerment. The “struggles” we face today pale in comparison to what our people went through during their early existence in America. So let’s stop the negative behavior and get busy with a lot more positive behavior, heeding the lessons along the way.

Marcus Garvey said, “The Negro must be up and doing if he will break down the prejudice of the rest of the world. We must strike out for ourselves in the course of material achievement, and by our own effort and energy present to the world those forces by which the progress of man is judged.” Garvey also admonished, “Whatsoever you want in life you must make up your mind to do it for yourself and accomplish it for yourself, and then God will bless the effort, because He will realize that you are using your intelligence for the best.”

Now to whom are you going to listen? Marcus Garvey, Martin Delany, Ida B. Wells, Maria Stewart? Or, will you follow those who would keep you in one place, doing one thing, and never reaching your full potential? Who knows? Maybe you or your child could be the next Delany—multi-talented, multi-skilled, and determined to help Black people. If our ancestors could do it in the 1800s surely we can do even more today.

(James Clingman is a prolific writer on economic empowerment for Black people, founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Cincinnati. This commentary was distributed by NNPA.)