systems |
Neo Genesis
Black Wall Street 2.0 began as a partnership between 2 black men and fathers who simply wanted to see a better world for the next generation. We focused on solutions instead of protests, but we had to balance the multiple impacts of history with current realities. We understood that those who do not know or understand the past are doomed to repeat it. So we focused on Black Wall Street and the spirit of that most successful black community in Tulsa. We were inspired by their story and relished in the knowledge of what we could still do today if we simply worked together. And so we, Brett and Jonathan, set out on a mission to do what we could do to promote economic solutions.
The legacies of both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, leaders in both Black Christianity and Islam, began to converge before their assassinations. Malcolm, as well as the Black Panthers, had always spoken about self-reliance and economic power. Without these, the dominant society would not have the same motivation to accept and therefore treat the African Descendants of Slavery the same. And through this website, I hope to teach this audience that “Perception is Power”. Another point I will work to prove, being equally valid, is that “Racism is Intellectual Warfare” and when verbal communication fails (“The pen”) the sword tends to follow.
And this is why Malcolm and King were assassinated. If they were able to join hands, join movements, join communities, join intellectual weaponry, under the same ideal… “Economic Justice”... It would potentially be too powerful to stop. And for the same reasons that Rome crucified a man who was positioned to be the next “King” of Israel, while Israel was already in rebellion against the Empire, MLK was yet another “King” assassinated before he could “Unite The Tribes”.
And just as Cyber warfare happens under the radar of the general consciousness of society, this war is designed to continue to be fought under the general consciousness of society. This is a lesson I’m still learning and teaching myself.
The threat to the empire is snuffed out, in ruthless precision, by attacking the head and roots. We, that is the early formation of BWS2.0, thought we could play some role in bringing people together. We even came up with an overall strategy and plan to create an economic engine. And in that strategy, we saw the need and opportunity to work with Pan Africans to create a Pipeline between Africa and the African Diaspora that included products and services.
There are 2 major puzzle pieces necessary to create an Economic Engine. You need Supply & Demand. One simply doesn’t work without the other. Even if there is a demand for “black products”, and we dreamed of creating a “Black Amazon” there simply weren’t enough products that we could find to support an entire mall. Daunted, but without this, we didn’t want to compete against what others, like Tag Team Marketing, are doing as reinventing the wheel was against our ideal of bringing people together. Instead, we focused on simply supporting the Buy Black Movement and there is a lot of work that still needs to be done there to help increase the demand.
On the supply side, greater demand would require more manufacturing. To fulfill orders we could then encourage the creation of manufacturing facilities in Africa to compete with Chinese facilities. This could create jobs in Africa in places where the cost of living is much lower. And then to link African production to demand in the diaspora we could then invest in transportation services and delivery services. This way, as products are moving, we’re gaining from it more and more as we invest, instead of losing from it. If this Pipeline could be established on the supply side and if Group Economics could be applied on the demand side, it would create a host of jobs on all sides that are independent in such a way that wouldn’t require African Americans to depend as much upon initiatives meant to pressure private companies into hiring minorities. It’s not about giving up on the fight for inclusion and diversification. It’s about establishing an economic base of our own while doing so. This way, if the left hand isn’t enough, the right hand can help out.
BWS2.0 identified the Black Hair Industry as the industry we needed to focus on. This is the industry that has the most potential. Brett led the way in making inroads and partnerships while I (Jonathan) focused on developing an appropriate strategy. And the idea was simple. We needed to use technology to help move the point of sale for products to the salons and barbershops where the black consumer base was already being served. This would reduce the dependency on Asian products sold in beauty supply stores across the United States, targeting this vacuum in our community that has a prime potential for generating billions of dollars in revenue. By giving that money away we’re investing in our own not-so-hostile takeover. And to be targeted in this way, by another “race”, is simply a part of “Economic Warfare” that has become systemic. As such we determined that we would never be able to now compete on the same previously established field of battle. Meaning, that instead of trying to play catch up with black-owned beauty supply stores, we had to move the point of sale to the territory we already owned: black-owned salons and barbershops. Because this situation and strategy both remain true I am encouraging anyone who owns or knows the owner of a black-owned salon or barbershop to sign onto the strategic plan that we developed which will be available on this website.
To make much of what we wanted and hoped to do possible, it requires funding. We wanted to operate with minimal overhead while continuing to help BOBs (Black-Owned Businesses). We positioned ourselves as consultants in this effort. And we were just getting started when we suffered a major setback.
We were approached by a man going by the name DeVon. This man had a partner but who was also able to gain other followers to lend credibility to himself and what he could do as he played the role of an angel investor. This took the shape of what he called “The Kemetic Pipeline” which tried but failed to acquire BWS2.0 under the umbrella of “Black Wall Street International”. What would have made it “International” was the work we were aiming to accomplish with our Pan-African partners; to engage with Africa on the supply side. However, something didn’t smell right to me and so in my skepticism, I choose to pull back and wait and see if any of our partners were receiving any funding out of this “investor”. But all I heard instead were people who couldn’t get through the process. So we had to sever our relationship with DeVon and Charisse and as we did so and even before, DeVon was increasingly behaving erratically like things weren’t progressing fast enough because what he wanted us to do was use our collective influence to provide him with “members” that he could leverage for his own gain. But, again, we weren’t going to participate in that if it was a scam. And some of this erratic behavior involved things he personally claimed to me to be of a “covert ops” nature; like I was dealing with a secret agent of sorts. This was designed to make us fear him. I was even told I was under surveillance. But, “I ain't no punk” and I continued to dig and although I couldn’t find anything incriminating on him, I did discover his partner was involved in a cultish scam.
This relationship, for the short time it lasted, tainted us in some way and I felt tainted by it. It was discouraging and I was extremely discouraged. I felt like we had the ball in our hands, we had the momentum, but right when we were trying to shoot, we were getting checked and blocked by our own people. So it’s important to understand that when people use the term “agents” it shouldn’t be taken lightly and it shouldn’t be restricted to government agents or “coons” (black people who are anti-black). Agents can be anyone who is incorporated with but whose agenda runs contrary to the needs and greater good of the corporate unit. Agents will respond to anyone who is conscious and anyone trying to wake other people up to rebel against the system. And those who now have the ball, who are more actively on the front lines, as we were, need to be aware of agents in all forms and colors.
We were weakened enough by this that other personal matters were able to end our partnership. After that, it simply never felt right to continue without my partner. I still miss who we were and what we were able to accomplish together. Brett was a great partner and friend. BWS2.0 simply isn’t the same without him. And so, like Yoda had to retreat into the swampy wilderness of Dagobah, I too retreated and am only now re-emerging, in a sense, as a voice from the wilderness; reaching out to a new generation.
Now, I hope to build upon the strategies and tactics I learned between then and now and present them as systems, programs and tools for those on and behind the front lines, whether you’re engaged in debate (intellectual combat) or whether you’re wanting to build or get involved with a team of builders, my purpose now is to stand with but more importantly behind you, because we need both.