Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters

Amefika D. Geuka

Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters Legal Offensives Fund

(BBOTW-LOF)

March 31, 2021

As this is written there is an all-out ‘blitz’ going on with the goal as stated by Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci, to ‘get the Covid-19 vaccine into the arm of every human being on the planet!’’ Aside from the contested issue of whether or not the ‘vaccines’ in question are safe for injection into the human body, or ‘effective’ in ‘treating’ the virus for which they were created after they have been injected, the global full-court-press being employed to vaccinate every one of the estimated 7.8 billion human beings on Earth is a testimony to the limitless ambition of the Caucasian species. I know of no other race of people who would have the audacity to presume they have the right or ability to determine what is best for every human being on Earth! In his “Philosophy and Opinions” Marcus Garvey noted that ambition is a good thing for humans to have, and people who profess to be ‘Christians’ proudly proclaim that their ambition is to be “…more and more like Jesus,” that is to say more God-like as in good rather than bad; that would be human ambition in a good sense. He points out however, that the white man seeks to be  divinely ambitious’ as in toBE God!! To replace God in the scheme of things. As the prophet Richard Pryor would say: “That’s some ambition fo’ yo’ ass!”

For purposes of this paper, I want the reader to compare the foregoing description of the scale and scope of the white man’s ambition, to the barely measurable ambition ascribable to the black race. Even people who are black themselves doubt the ability of blacks to accomplish anything of note, scale or value unless it is at the behest and under direction of white people. Marcus Garvey also addressed this issue by pointing out that “There is nothing common to man that man cannot do.” I have interpreted that to mean that the only proof we need that human beings can accomplish a thing, is that some  human beings have done it already! The white man is in the process of demonstrating that it is possible toat minimum get an exceedingly large number and/or percentage of the entire human population of the globe to do a particular thing. So, in the spirit of there being nothing common to man that man cannot do, I hereby put forth the following proposal, and make a personal pledge in direct relation to it. What the white man is in the process of doing with his vaccines relative to the entire Earth’s human population, and to whatever extent he will succeed in that endeavor, I seek to match in my effort to get my book “Building bridges Over Troubled Waters” into the homes of every one of the estimated 1.5 billion humans of African descent spread around the globe! Unlike the questionable effectiveness or efficacy of the experimental Covid-19 vaccines, there is no question that the contents of my book would be safe and effective for black people throughout the African Diaspora if and when they are internalized into the hearts and minds of our people! For the ‘doubting Thomases and Thomasinas’ I remind them of the adage taught us by our elders that “ nothing beats a failure but a try!” And I am not afraid to try!! My objective here is to make Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters The Number One Best Selling Book throughout the Black World; and in the process help Sankofa Radio WSYP 95.1 FM become The Number One broadcast media streaming to people of African descent! Is that bold enough for y’all?

Proceeds From Book Sales and What I Would Do With Them

(I thought you’d never ask!)

By way of example, my book retails for $21.95. Of that amount my pre-tax share is approximately $6.00 more or less. When book sales reach one million copies my pre-tax revenue would therefore be approximately $6 million. If the IRS satisfies itself to take no more than 40% of that amount ($2.4 million), my after-tax gross income would be about $3.6 million. I hereby pledge in writing that in the foregoing scenario I would donate $1 million to establish the “Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters Legal Offensives Fund  (BBOTW-LOF).” ‘What is that’ you may ask? First and foremost, please note that the fund would be for “offensive” applications in the legal arena on behalf of the black collective. Typically, such legal funds are used for defensive or after-the-fact purposes in reaction to harm having already been done to us. The BBOTW-LOF would be designed and used as a proactive mechanism. It would have the critically important effect of our not continuing to expect qualified, trained, experienced legal professionals to provide their services on a pro-bono basis. Lawyers undergo the rigors of education and training to be attorneys so they can earn a decent living at their craft! It is neither realistic nor fair to expect them to give away what they have to sell! My proposed fund would give us the best of both important components of the legal battle-front: 1) Competent legal representation; and 2) Ability to go on the offensive and become proactive rather than remain reactive. That way we could choose our fights and the strategies and tactics used to win them. Once the fund has been established with my initial seed donation, other conscious and conscientious Blacks with means may well see fit to follow my example and match or exceed my contribution. And of course, rank-and-file black folks who recognize the potential of such a fund for their own lives may see fit to contribute to it as their respective means would allow. There is every reason why such a fund could readily grow to exceed $50 million given the number of black multi-millionaires and billionaires we boast among our Race these days!

I have yet another project of critical importance to black people collectively which I would pledge to seed-fund with proceeds from a second million sales of the book, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. 

I would ask Brothers Anthony Muhammad and Samuel Burnham to Co-Chair a “Task  Force for Justice in America” should we succeed in establishing the BBOTW-LOF. That entity would reach out to conscientiously conscious Black lawyers and law enforcement officials, and invite them to become part of this initiative. The task force could include representatives of organizations such as the National Council of Black Lawyers (NCBL), the International Association of Black Lawyers (IABL), the National Coalition of Law Enforcement Officials for Justice, Reform, and Accountability (NCLEO), and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLEE) to name a few that I am personally aware of. In addition, individual racially-conscious Black lawyers such as Alton Maddox, Nkechi Taifa, and Malik Shabazz come to mind.

In conclusion, my friend and colleague ‘Jim’ Clingman has often written and commented about the lack of trust extant among black people in general, and advocates of black self-determination and self-reliance in particular. This proposal and my pledge are my humble attempt to help bridge the gap between the rank-and-file of our people and those of us who purport to battle in their best interests. I am not asking anyone to give me anything or do me any favors; rather I am challenging the black collective to invest $21.95 in my first book and its contents, and in so doing, invest in their own uplift, advancement, and a more self-assured better life, lives not dependent on the pity or gratuity of others outside of our own ranks.

The “ball is now in y’all’s court!”