The “Black Lives Matter” movement has been steamrolling in momentum with each passing day and gaining support from the black community and a wide range of other communities and nationalities. This scenario has initiated the birth of several Black Associations in America, partnering with other global communities to transform this isolated movement into one that continues to have a far-reaching impact.
The Need for Black Associations
The Blacks in America have, for various reasons, become segregated, not just in a physical location but also in opinion. This has led to the community’s inability to present a united front, especially when it concerns their overall improvement. Some gains have been made, especially with the turn of the century, attributable to race-conscious educational and employment policies. Physicians, engineers, professors, and attorneys all saw an influx from the Black community, due in part to the nation’s professional schools changing their intake procedure to accommodate the African-American community whose finances and educational qualifications undoubtedly were not as strong as their White counterparts. However, professionals make up a small portion of the broader Black middle class. Thus, the trickle-down effect was not as pronounced and impactful. This has led to several gaps and disconnects being formed between the various sections of the black community, leading to their scattered and, at times, opposing opinions.
This makes the need for Black representative organizations more pronounced than ever before to glue together the levels of the Black community on the basis of love, concern, heritage, roots, and mutual respect. These Black Associations bridge the gap between economic class and lifestyle and give the divided Black community a chance to really connect with each other and reach out to struggling members of their community, as evidenced by the 30 per cent of Black families still in poverty.
Current Black Associations in America
Blacks United is one such community that has continued to provide a platform as well as a shelter for the sometimes divided and isolated Black community to connect with each other and be collective in their voice and opinion. The slogan of the organization has always been Blacks First:
- Understanding and building trust between the Black community.
- Presenting a united front at all times as a community.
- Resolving various issues that creates a divide in the community—Stereotypes, lack of education, and crippling laziness
- Connect with the underprivileged members of the community to enable a collective improvement in every sense, ushering in a new era of change.
There are several other Black Associations that work independently and along with Blacks United to work together for the collective advancement of the Black Community:
National Advancement for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP):
The goal of the NAACP has been to ensure equality of rights— political, educational, social, and economic—of all persons and eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.
The Executive Leadership Council
The Executive Leadership Council is an independent, non-profit organization formed by 19 African-American corporate executives. It is dedicated to the mission of providing the African-American executives of Fortune 500 companies with a network and leadership forum that adds perspective and focus for the advancement of excellence in Business, Economic, and Public policies for the Black Community, their companies and the community as a whole.
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The centre aims to enhance the socio-economic status of the Black Community and other minorities, broaden their participation in the political and public policy arenas and improve intergroup communications and relations across lines—racial and ethnic—to strengthen the nation’s pluralistic society.
These are but a few of the Black Associations actively working for the community, and the effects are being increasingly seen in the world today. Therefore, at Blacks United, we ask for your trust in helping us work for the Black Community. Join us as we seek to ignite change in our society and stand as one community and one people.
