Are Black Men Afraid of Power? (Part 2)

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When we think of power, the animal kingdom is filled with images.  There are lions, thoroughbred horses and elephants.  When it comes to athletes, you have Lawrence Taylor, Mike Tyson and Jim Brown.  When it comes to market domination, you have names like John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan.  Those men are still called titans and owned, controlled and shaped entire industries.  Today you might think of Elon Musk, Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs. 

In the black community, you may think of people like Frederick Douglas, Malcolm X, Reginald Lewis and Earl Graves, Sr. Without question, these men were titans.  They exerted their power and influence to fulfill their mission.  More importantly, they did so in times racial difficulty.  Like white titans, these men were pioneers.  They paved a road for other black men follow. 

However, while they passed on generational money, it does not appear they set up the same generational wealth, power and influence in a way their white counterparts did.

It also appears black men have not sought to own industries in the way Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gates and Jobs have.  Much of today’s black wealth is tied up in entertainment.  An unpopular statement is that even religion has become entertainment.