The thoughts have been hitting me hard lately, and I realized I need to get back to blogging on a daily basis. Of course, I’m always doing too much, but I wanted to dedicate some time each day to writing. My idea was to align my blogs with the principles of the Nguzo Saba—so, for example, today being Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), I could write something that connects to that concept. Over time, this content could be compiled into something greater.
And speaking of something greater, my family and I are gearing up for a trip to Ghana. That means I’ll be documenting our journey—shoutout to Ms. Sasha, who just got her passport! She’s officially stepping into the world as an international young lady of mystery and leisure.
Our trip will take us from Columbus to New York, where we’ll spend a few hours exploring the city before catching a flight to Nairobi, Kenya. We’ll have a long layover there, which gives us time to step out and explore a bit before continuing to Ghana. I’ll be keeping you all updated with pictures, blogs, and videos, so you can be part of the journey—and maybe even join us next time!
The Power of Collective Effort
But today’s blog isn’t about the trip—it’s about an idea I can’t shake: the power of collective effort. There’s an African proverb that says, “If everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot.” That wisdom rings especially true when we look at the economic structures we live under today.
The wealthy have mastered the art of making others carry the heaviest loads. In our capitalist system, the burden is often placed on those who have the least. We’re told that the rich deserve to be rich because they “worked for it,” but in reality, there’s a difference between being rich and being wealthy.
- Wealthy people have money that makes money for them. Their investments, businesses, and assets generate income even while they sleep. They don’t have to work daily to maintain their lifestyle because their wealth is structured to sustain itself.
- Rich people, on the other hand, still have to work for their money. They might make a lot—$250K, $500K, or even more per year—but if they stop working, the money stops flowing. Their lifestyle is dependent on their continued labor.
The wealthy have figured out how to make money off of money, while the rest of us are out here grinding just to survive. Worse, the system is set up to ensure that the poor and working class carry most of the financial weight—higher taxes, lower wages, predatory lending, and economic policies that keep them in a cycle of struggle.
The Predator and the Prey
This structure isn’t new. It’s a pattern we’ve seen throughout history. The arrival of European colonizers in Africa, the Americas, and beyond followed the same blueprint: they were welcomed in peace, and they responded with exploitation and violence.
It reminds me of an old story about a frozen snake. A person finds the snake nearly dead from the cold and, out of kindness, picks it up and warms it in their bosom. Once the snake is revived, it bites the very person who saved it. The person, shocked and betrayed, asks why. The snake simply replies, “What did you expect? I’m a snake.”
Time and time again, history has shown us that predatory systems don’t change their nature. The wealthy, like the snake, will continue to extract from the poor as long as they are allowed to. But what if we flipped the script?
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| This is not what we want or need |
The Power of a Unified Community
This is where the African proverb comes back in: if we all do a little, no one has to do a lot.
Imagine a world where everyone contributed their fair share—where the burden wasn’t placed on the most vulnerable while the wealthiest took advantage. This applies not just to taxes but to community building as well.
Think about the organizations, movements, and groups you’re part of. If each person contributed even a little—time, resources, effort—no single person would have to carry the entire weight. But too often, we leave the heavy lifting to just a few, and then wonder why our organizations and communities struggle.
It’s time to shift our thinking. Stop glorifying the rich who contribute nothing while expecting struggling people to do everything. We need to create spaces where everyone plays their part, whether that’s financially, physically, or through knowledge and skill-sharing.
This is how we build strong communities. This is how we take control of our own destinies. This is how we break the cycle of exploitation.
Because when everyone does a little, no one has to do a lot.
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