Opinion
The Kumbaya Effect
By Kevin Taylor
There comes a time when one ought to look into aiding their own people. With so much going on in the world today – and especially in the United States where African Americans do not seem to have found a place yet – it might behoove one to think of what his or her people are going through and work to solve their problems.
If you have not posed this question to yourself, you may suffer from an acute case of “anti-Kumbayaism”. Yes, I said it! And I said it with a straight face.
What does the Kumbaya Effect mean?
In explaining this, one can glean a meaning of “Kumbayaism”. There is a general application of this term: But in our case, the Kumbaya effect is specifically about the denigration of our culture, history and economy while boosting the social networks of other cultures and ethnicities.
The Kumbaya Effect is not necessarily an old phenomenon. Between 1950 and 1970 – during the folk revival and sit-ins of the Civil Rights movement – it was an anthem to reflect love and peace in the face of oppressive laws that begged for reform.
Then, while many African Americans were fighting oppressive laws and conditions imposed on them, one stood out: In his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sought to bring African Americans into the fold – the legendary speech itself becoming a catalyst for the Kumbaya Effect.
Rev. King is, undoubtedly, the most celebrated civil rights leader in the Western Hemisphere. His dream is given credence because a biracial man – who identifies himself as African American – resides in the White House today. “Look how far we have come!”
While its intentions were noble, the Dream had a major flaw: It did not and does not work. The base motivator of any race or cultural group is to adapt, evolve, survive and/or dominate at the expense of another. Whether intentional or unintentional, this is the general end result. This inherent way of thinking was and is the backbone of slavery.
As a sign of the times, then as it is now, in order for one to fit into any society that is dominated legally, economically and socially by another race or culture, certain compromises are generally made to operate inside of it. However, the ruling classes have to accept those compromises. When this did not happen, the powerless had to mimic the powerful or revolt against ill treatment.
An analysis of what the Kumbaya Effect was meant to rectify shows that it has not necessarily done its job yet!
What makes the Kumbaya Effect more damaging is the fact that in an effort to assimilate, we have ended up decimating our communities. The clearest example is how leaders in the Caribbean and Africa – reminiscent of those tribal chiefs and leaders who sold their own people into slavery, have made, and continue to make poor economic and social decisions and adjustments to their country platforms, atop lopsided deals with other richer nations. In the process, these leaders boost richer economies abroad and leave their own communities light years behind other communities and races.
What does this say about us as a people or a race? Does it really matter that we are screwing our own people over? Do we really even care about our next-door neighbor or our village over our own selfish interests or of those that come to influence us? And that, right there, is the problem. We care all about the wrong things not the most important one: each other.
Of course this is an ‘if the shoe fits’ type of article.’ If you are working to help black people in bettering their lives on important fronts without ignoring current struggles for egoism, greed and cultural erosion, you are truly Kumbaya free. But for those who work within these confines, there are, unfortunately, part and parcel of the collective group of the numerous elephants in the global room.
Being Anti-Kumbaya does not mean you ought to hate other people or other races. Simply, it is about knowing how to work, socialize and fraternize with your people first before you attempt a wholehearted embrace of everyone else.
Dr. Christian Head, the only African American professor with 30 years of tenure within the hallowed halls of the UCLA Head and Neck Surgery Department will probably testify to this sentiment after his students and colleagues depicted him as a gorilla being sodomized by his white boss.
President Barack Obama is definitely rethinking his overall message and strategy after continuous effrontery in Congress [a Congressman yelling out ‘You Lie’ while he addressed a joint House of Congress], the media [some calling him a ‘dick’ or others saying he hates white people] and of course, even recently on his own compound when a white journalist [a recent immigrant from Ireland] interrupted his prepared remarks and attempted to debate him in the Rose Garden. Additionally, the debacle around Trayvon Martin and the past riots in Los Angeles are aspects to consider here.
So as a black person do not just sit there and take things as they are anymore.
This article is not to ask anyone to be militant. This is about Kumbaya – and so there are overtones of peace. However, be vigilant and mindful to enhance your own community and your people by making the changes that have long-term social, cultural and economic benefits over time. Or don’t do any of this if you believe ignorance is bliss. Either way, it is a highly self defeating strategy and could even be said to be unintelligent.
My name is Kevin Taylor, and I am Kumbaya Free.
Kevin Taylor is an intellectual and social commentator. He lives and works in Toronto, Canada.