Boycott. Boycott. BOYCOTT!

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance! I'm sure if you're a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization (BGLO) that you've heard this statement before. Better yet, if you've attended an HBCU you've also probably heard it. Yet, during this time of the 2nd Civil Rights Movement, as I like to call it, we as African American people are often missing the key theme of the statement, PROPER PLANNING! We have finally gotten to the state of being outraged and ready to fight back against the injustices that we have been dealing with for far too long, but the one thing that we lack that the previous Civil Rights Movement had are leaders to strategize and plan things out. True to form, this generation is so dependent on instant gratification that they take off to be social activists without thinking things through and doing proper research. They just want change and they want it NOW! I'm sorry, but real change isn't going to happen now, it won't happen tomorrow, or the next day. Real change is going to take a while, and in order for it to be effective we have to plan and strategize our methods of exacting change on society.

We have finally accepted that we have a voice, we have buying power, and we can use that power to be heard. But, nobody has done any research as to how to wield this power. The first thing that we do when something happens that we don't agree with is yell boycott. But who, what, when, where, and exactly for how long are we boycotting. People look at the Birmingham Bus Boycott as an example of how effective boycotting can be, but what they don't look at is the fact that what was supposed to be a one day boycott turned into a 381 day boycott. Not only did it last 381 days but it was a united front by every single Black person in Birmingham regardless of how far they had to walk to get to their destinations or how much stuff they had to carry in transit. If we really want to pick up the sword that is our buying power and use it as a tool to be not only heard but respected, then we have to do a better job at it because right now we're just waving it around in the air and not causing any real damage. We boycotted Black Friday and Cyber Monday but shopped every other day of the week. We want a show taken off of the air, but instead of boycotting the show or the station that its on we actually watch the show to boycott the companies who advertise during that time slot. Then on top of that nothing we're doing is unified. We are too busy, with our crabs in a barrel mentality, trying to find fault in ideas to support them.

In order for change to happen it has to be researched, it has to be calculated and planned, and it has to be unified. We have to be in this together and for the long haul, however long that is. We have to start supporting each other, pouring money back into our communities, rebuilding our communities, rebuilding our sense of family/community. We also have to realize that doing just one thing isn't going to work. Just boycotting, just voting, or just marching isn't going to fix the issue.  We have to do them all. Don't just vote to say that you're voting but be an informed voter. Don't just march or protest to be seen in a picture but be informed about what's going on, and not just what you read on FB or twitter. Don't just boycott because someone yelled boycott but research and find the way that is going to be most effective. Most importantly do ALL that you can to help the cause if you're truly down for it and want to see change.