The theory of the LEADERs Network sounds good, and to see 13 African-American ministers and pastors come together is exciting. The West Side of Chicago needs as many groups, organizations, and partnerships as we can muster. However, there is something called “Too Late.” The Institution of Ministerial Leadership has failed, and the public trust in ministry no longer remains the driving force it once was. Pastors and ministers are no longer regarded in high esteem, because most of them live lavishly off the backs of poor church members while these same church members pray that the street terrorists do not kill them or their children.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought against slumlords in Chicago on the West Side. Chicago has two of the most powerful African-Americans in the nation (Rev. Jesse L. Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan). Yet neither of them have any real interest concerning the West Side of Chicago. The South Side of Chicago has the Chicago Urban League, Rainbow PUSH, Nation of Islam, WVON 1690 AM, Bud Billiken Parade and Job Corps to name a few. When was the last time you saw Rev. Jesse L. Jackson or Minister Louis Farrakhan on the West Side of Chicago promoting change on a consistent basis?
The sadness of it all is that there are millionaires on the West Side-millionaire companies and developers. These guys build condos and big box stores in the ghetto, while at the same time refusing to give a dime to poor, disenfranchised residents or set up scholarship programs.
The truth is our religious leaders, fraternities and sororities have failed us horribly. Why don’t the Masons come out of their lodges and speak knowledge and wisdom to our young men? Why don’t the Black Greeks take our young men and women under their wings? We claim the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”, but the truth is that no one cares about the children, and our so-called “village” is filled with lawless, senseless thugs, murderers and rapists. The truth is we are afraid to admit that the future of the African-American community is lost. We have a generation of Dry Bones who celebrate thugism and misogyny.
Look closely at the actions of the religious leaders and politicians-they live in good communities, most of their children attend private schools, they drive luxury vehicles, they happen to know that the inner city of Chicago is doomed, and so they made provision for their families and moved out of the ghetto. There is a game being played and this game is called MPP acronym for Money, Prestige, and Power.
My observation is that the LEADERs Network is a group of guys who are only out for their own interests. It is also a bought network that is nothing more than a puppet front controlled by the black elite of Chicago’s South Side. The irony is that the LEADERs Network will last for about six months to a year, until someone gets greedy for the limelight and money, or until someone gets out of line and rebels against the black elite of Chicago’s South Side, leading to frustration and the ultimate demise of the network.
