The two most basic and yet most powerful social/emotional characteristics that any one people or individual can possess to secure survival on this earth, is the bond of trust and love for and among one another, which would further secure their ability to advance in a world of nationalist ideas, cultures, and lifestyle. Black America, as a people amid people, must realize this power and work to develop it amongst themselves.

Too often, in relationships and or business, Blacks subconsciously tend to initially distrust one another until trust is built later: however, trust is first needed in order to express the sentiment of love afterward. If a person cannot trust another, then they will not ever fully love them. The problem in Black America is that we have come to depend on and trust wholly in the interest of white America before our own interest.

Because we have not had the opportunities to develop, advance, and gain large market shares of consumer goods and services, Black America have not completely understood how to trust anyone other than white America where it pertains to the things we come to depend on daily, nor have we taken the time to learn how to develop ourselves for social and economic sufficiency, thus we can never truly know our own potential. In addition, during times of Black development, neutralization by white mobs, conniving politicians and organizations have hindered our growth efforts.

Although, many will claim to have had bad experiences with Black businesses, i.e. poor customer service, lack of support, or quality goods, these experiences stem from a lack of market exposure and experience in handling large market share.

When Black businesses do have large percentages of the market and have established notable market share, they often rely on the practices and or guidance of larger white corporations or businesses that came before them as roles models on which to pattern themselves. This leaves little room for innovation or the ability to relate to the Black community as a community of its own aside from the greater consumer market.

Black America has needs and preferences very different from the greater society and a business or service targeted toward the needs and aspirations of the Black community could do much good in the development of that community and Blacks as a people. However, the issue of lack of trust is one they would have to deal with before they can actually capture that market. Thus it is a cycle, yet one that can be broken with care and determination, and especially with a collective effort of many Black leaders and entrepreneurs. Winning back the Black community's trust and afterward their love and respect.

In relationships, we tend to reflect on bad experiences to determine how we handle future relationships. This is common practice because experience is the best teacher, however, as we grow and develop - as individuals and as a people - we must also learn through experience that we cannot attribute certain aspects of one person to all people, but we must judge and determine a person's worth according to that person and not according to bad experiences.

Too many people are shallow enough to generalize people as a group instead of as an individual. This same concept is practiced on us as a people by white America and their images and stereotypes of Blacks. Because of these sweeping generalizations, other shallow people will view Blacks one way and one way only, which is generally negative.

We have to understand that the stereotypes attached to Blacks by others and even from ourselves, are ones developed from years of deprivation, humiliation, and racial segregation, which in turn have locked Black America into a chasm lifestyle where people do things in and out of lack of knowledge, desperation, and sometimes for survival. With chances of this sort, any people will grow lacking the basic need and ability to trust and be trusted, and to love and be loved.

We must learn to trust and love one another from a beginning level and not wholly based on experience or on habit. More people than not want the same things, which is respect, a chance to prove themselves, to love and to be loved. A lack of trust and love for one another will forever keep any people divided. If we cease to at least attempt to show trust and love, we leave our next generation devoid of both.

© May 2007 by Cartel Q