By Keith Anderson
Does the Black community need a new holiday…or, as Keith Anderson describes it, a new “day of observance”? After all, we have MLK Day, Juneteenth, KWANZAA, lesser-observed days such as Marcus Garvey Day, Haile Selassie…not to mention, Black History Month.
“The days we observe now are…’nice.’ I mean, they recognize our rich past and seek to make us feel good as an ethnic culture. But, at the end of the day, we go right back to being the most incarcerated, the poorest, the most persecuted…the most disempowered.”
The bottom line is, our present ‘holidays’ AREN’T getting the job done as far as compelling us to arise from our centuries-long sleep, come together as a people, and work to elevate our people’s status in this world of competition and strife.”
To JOLT the Black World out of its eternal slumber, Anderson proposes the adoption of a new day of observance: BLACK AWAKENING DAY…or B.A.D., a day, for Blacks only, dedicated to Black socio-economic development leading to racial autonomy. “The reason I termed it ‘observance’ instead of ‘holiday’ is because I wanted it to be celebrated only by us and also because it wouldn’t be a day off from work, like a holiday is. It would be a ‘casual’ day, but also a CRITICAL day, for us.”
“Unlike the other observances, which are, more or less, focused on the past and making us feel connected as a race, B.A.D. is dedicated to building the Black FUTURE…to WAKING US UP to the fact that we indeed live in a reprobate world of racism, inadequacy, climate change, incompetency, AND to alerting us of the critical need to take action NOW to build our own support systems of survival so that we can stand on our own feet and escape the demise that will eventually come to this burning house of a system we’re currently subjugated under…before it’s TOO LATE!
Basically, B.A.D. is about our people coming together to draft a Plan for Black Advancement, and then conducting activities at events and gatherings that raise funds for enacting that Plan.”
Anderson proposes that Black Activists become B.A.D. Local Organizers for their particular local communities and conduct events/gatherings featuring, among other things, radical speakers, uplifting performers, and Black merchants…all dedicated to furthering the cause of Black Autonomy. Most of the proceeds would go toward the Plan, with the organizers of the events keeping a portion.
B.A.D. would be observed every 3rd Saturday of July. However, many of its activities could be practiced year-round. Anderson understands the date is close to Juneteenth. “It still allows for from 26 to 32 days of separation. That’s enough of a ‘respectful distance.’ At this time, not much is going on…no school for the kids, no football/basketball to serve as a distraction, plus it’s WARM. We are a tropical people, and why should B.A.D. sacrifice its warm days just because it’s near another day of observance? For example, let’s say a concert promoter meets a music agent for the first time at a B.A.D. event and they decide then and there they want to organize an outdoor concert. They would then have more warm days with which to plan and hold that concert while it’s still warms outside.”
Anderson is especially seeking to form a “Black Youth Corp,” comprised of young activists of ages 16-up who recognize the world is not right and who want to build a brighter future for themselves and their people–while also constructing organizations capable of sustaining their livelihoods on a perpetual basis. “Besides B.A.D., there’s also BLACQUITY.net–my informal organization dedicated to Black Industrialization. LOADS of opportunity are available in these ground-floor opportunities for our people, but especially for our younger soldiers.”
BLACK AWAKENING DAY is accessible via BADay.org or BlackAwakeningDay.org. BLACQUITY.net has stock designs (“GEAR” page) members may use free of charge personally and/or commercially. It also auctions off products made by Black suppliers at starting bids of only $1 in its efforts to stimulate Black Commerce. Both organizations are informal, in developmental stages, and free to join.
“I invite all upstanding Black individuals everywhere to join either or both of these organizations. Until we develop and CONTROL INDUSTRY, we will be underdeveloped and CONTROLLED.”
Anderson, from West “by GOSH!” Virginia, is a wood craftsman, amateur writer…and, as you may have noticed, a Black Activist.
http://www.adspreadcom.ipage.com/BQTYfounder.htm
