Let's Take It To The Next Level - 21 Day Nguzo Saba Challenge

Rediscovery of The Melaninated Circle

By Mz. Traci

(Pictures are taken from the internet and are not personal property of Mz. Traci)

To buy and barter within your circle is to build your circle. This strengthens your circle. You begin to create an unbreakable circle that will allow you and those within your circle to not seek help or guidance outside your circle, that may cause destruction of the circle.

The Melaninated Circle is a community of brown to black pigment skinned cultured people. Originating from the melanin definition meaning a dark brown to black pigment occurring in the hair, skin, and iris of the eye in people. Creating a circle of people in a given culture that will build a unity of people.

This is necessary to get the black community back to the basics of depending on ourselves and not others. This is needed to uplift and build us stronger as a people. Many of our ancestors were forced to America. Once they were here they were brutally mistreated. We then transitioned from one phase to another trying to gain our independence. Independence to be freed from those that control our every fate. In my opinion we have lost that.

My mother’s mother died when my mother was at pre-school age. It was her grandmother that showed her what family is. From my mother and her sisters I have myself learned about this unity, from being a part of this close knit family. One of the most important things that I remember my mother telling me about my great grandmother was that if one person in the family needed anything and another person in the family had multiples then she made sure that no one was without. I reflect this on the buy and barter algorithm. With this system she created a strength within her family that carries on to those that have never personally met her. This is a prime example of building strength in a circle. Should we lean on and barter and buy with others outside of us a leak will occur that will weaken us. This is why returning back to depending on ourselves and not others is necessary and overdue.

Where this Melaninated Circle exist is within all black communities. It is a circle that can be connected with those blacks who are in conjunction with gaining our strength back and passing it to our children.  The time is now. There is no need to wait any longer because we are already behind. How we begin is buying black. Supporting our own people who are selling products and services.

I am learning more about things like there are 38 Black owned banks and credit unions not too long ago there were only 21. The ones that I found name from, “Watch the Yard” (https://watchtheyard.com/life/black-owned-banks/ ), and they are…

1. Omega Psi Phi Credit Union – Lawrenceville, Georgia
2. Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union – Washington, DC
3. One United Bank – Los Angeles, California
4. FAMU Federal Credit Union – Tallahassee, Florida
5. Credit Union of Atlanta – Atlanta, Georgia
6. North Milwaukee State Bank – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
7. Seaway Bank – Chicago, Illinois
8. The Harbor Bank- Baltimore, Maryland
9. Liberty Bank – New Orleans, Louisiana
10. United Bank of Philadelphia – Philadelphia, Penn
11. Alamerica Bank – Birmingham, Alabama
12. Broadway Federal Bank – Los Angeles, California
13. Carver State Bank – Savannah, Georgia
14. Capital City Bank – Atlanta, Georgia
15. Citizens Trust Bank – Atlanta, Georgia
16. City National Bank – Newark, New Jersey
17. Commonwealth National Bank – Mobile, Alabama
18. Industrial Bank – Washington D.C.
19. First Tuskegee Bank – Tuskegee, Alabama
20. Mechanics & Farmers Bank – Durham, North Carolina
21. First Independence Bank – Detroit, Michigan
22. First State Bank – Danville, Virginia
23. Illinois Service Federal – Chicago, Illinois
24. Unity National Bank – Houston, Texas
25. Carver Federal Savings Bank – New York, New York
26. OneUnited Bank – Miami, Florida
27. OneUnited Bank – Boston, Massachusetts
28. Tri-State Bank – Memphis, Tennessee
29. Citizens Bank – Nashville, Tennessee
30. South Carolina Community Bank – Columbia, South Carolina
31. Columbia Savings and Loan – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
32. Liberty Bank – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
33. Liberty Bank – Kansas City, Missouri   
34. Citizen Trust Bank – Birmingham, Alabama
35. Liberty Bank – Chicago, Illinois
36. Liberty Bank – Jackson, Mississippi
37. Toledo Urban Credit Union – Toledo, Ohio
38. Hill District Credit Union – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Melanated Circle is the circle that was established by those whose shoulders we stand upon. Strengthening what they were forced to have (as far as only allowed to mingle amongst themselves) between them, is necessary.  Getting the black community back to the basics of depending on ourselves and not others is a priority. The black community needs to uplifted and empowered. We all we got!!!

                                                                                                        

~Mz. Traci