Richard Nixon once said, "The American Revolution is an unfinished enterprise. Each generation must do its part to carry on the work." The Zeitgeist-The Spirit of The Time-is calling this generation of creative and talented Americanized African Freedom Fighters to continue the work of their ancestral Freedom Fighters. Today’s Freedom Fighter is faced with the challenge of actualizing “True Freedom” within the Americanized African community. “True Freedom” goes far beyond the limits of social and political freedoms as its goal is to bring about a true understanding of the systemic processes in which one lives and then utilizing that knowledge to effectively manipulate the system’s social, educational, economic, and political institutions for the betterment of one’s community, people, and society at-large.

All throughout the history of the African brought to and born in America, Freedom Fighters have been forced to overcome what seems like a never-ending struggle for human security and political stability. Even so, there is little doubt, today, that our ancestral Freedom Fighters were successful in their struggle to change/eliminate inhumane social conditions and to transform America’s political conscientious. In fact, today’s Americanized African community collectively represents the most socially mobile and politically endowed generation of Africans to ever transcend the shackles of American bondage. This struggle, however, continues as there is still a strong element of social and political resistance that seeks to limit the freedom of Americanized Africans. More importantly, there’s an even greater need for a concerted effort to fight the psychological bondage and lack of economic self-empowerment that devastate Americanized African communities and severely limit the ability of all Americanized Africans to truly enjoy the benefits from our social and political freedoms.

Samuel Johnson once wrote, "The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." The Americanized African’s struggle to break the chains of psychological bondage represents a crucial step in the Freedom Fighters’ struggle for "True Freedom." This is a struggle of biblical proportions because for over four hundred years the Africans brought to and born in America have had to endure a physical, social, and psychological process of inhumane and negative acculturation that is unmatched in the history of mankind. Within the Americanized African community the chains of psychological bondage consist of economic exploitation, hostility, self-hatred, greed, intergenerational family and community discord, substance abuse, violence, social and academic paucities, and small mindedness. On a daily basis, these forces of inhumane and negative acculturation have hindered Americanized Africans from coming together and effectively utilizing available resources to create the type of powerful community-based social, educational, political, and economic self-empowering institutions that are needed to rid our communities of some very long-standing debilitating conditions.

Economic self-empowerment is the second most crucial step in the process of bringing about “True Freedom” for all Americanized Africans. Therefore, today’s Freedom Fighters must also come to battle with an agenda that outlines, advocates, and facilitates the implementation and management of a national economic self-empowerment strategy within the Americanized African community. This national process of economic self-empowerment must promote a detailed strategic plan for taking control of community-based financial resources and institutions. The plan must also lead the way for providing a linkage to the vast network of highly capable Americanized Africans who can establish and manage a national economic systemic course of action that effectively develops community-based opportunities, financial institutions, and entrepreneurial prospects that capitalize on the vast amount of economic wealth within the Americanized African community. The basis of this economic self-empowerment plan centers upon the premise that when well trained, qualified, and experienced community servants have direct operating control over community-based economic resources and institutions the quality of life in the areas of family hood, social/community awareness, education, health, housing, and politics are greatly enhanced. In addition, a critical element of this plan is a systemic structure that puts forth a national effort to promote the retooling and training of community members and leaders on matters regarding economic and community development as well as community-based business affairs.

The next frontier for Americanized African Freedom Fighters is "True Freedom" for all Americanized African communities. I find it most fitting to claim this struggle as today’s Americanized African Freedom Fighters’ Kairos, their moment of truth; as it represents a time for them to come forward and collectively help improve the quality of life for others. Jimmy Carter describes the significance of this calling when he said, “Each generation…. has to face circumstances not of its own choosing, but by which its character is measured and its spirit tested.” There is absolutely no doubt that the road to “True Freedom” leads through the battle grounds of psychological freedom and economic self-empowerment and will therefore surely test the character and spirit of today’s Americanized African Freedom Fighters. The struggle for “True Freedom” will prove to be a worthy opponent as it will have to go far beyond the limits of social and political freedoms to achieve its goal; which for the first time will bring about a true understanding of the systemic processes in which Americanized Africans live and then help them to utilize that knowledge to effectively manipulate the system’s social, educational, economic, and political institutions for the betterment of the Americanized African community, people, and society at-large.

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