Blackonomics…Power Talk III

(GEORGE CURRY MEDIA)—Veteran radio talk show host Carl Nelson will present his third Power Talk event June 17-19 at Union Temple Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. The event has featured the likes of Tony Browder, Ashra Kwesi, the late Frances Cress-Welsing, Pastor Willie Wilson, Claud Anderson, and Patricia Newton, among many others. The speakers are called “Power Talkers” and rightly so because they are most knowledgeable in their particular fields of endeavor. They are unapologetically Black, and they impart their wisdom to a Black audience in an effort to create what I will call, “Power Doers.”
But no matter who is doing the talking, if there is no subsequent follow through, quite frankly, what’s the point?  Do we talk merely so that Black people can have more information, or is it merely to repeat the information we already have?  Or, is information just a “booster shot,” a reinforcement of sorts to keep us from being so discouraged that we give up on ourselves? If we do not respond appropriately to what we hear, specifically by executing strategies to eliminate some of the problems we discuss at these kinds of events, then we have relegated ourselves to mere cheerleaders for those who share their information with us. We do that so well (“Ase!” “Amen!” “That’s right!” “Teach!” “Tell it!”), but then we leave our haven of knowledge, go back into the real world, and do absolutely nothing except wait for Power Talk Four.
Our events should have legacies that we can celebrate and share when we meet again. We should have victories as a result of thousands of us coming together at an event, especially at a Power Talk event that showcases some of our top brothers and sisters. They are not the run-of-the-mill, milquetoast, talking-head Blacks who earn a great living discussing mundane issues and offering meaningless solutions to Black problems. Not only should we hear their words; we should act upon them.