A whole movement centered on making the impossible possible was represented by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Black people in many parts of the nation were denied the right to vote for around ten years during the first ten years of MLK’s public leadership position. However, MLK persisted until the Voting Rights Act was approved because he thought it was feasible.
Black folks are asking a very pertinent question as they navigate 2025 and the intimidating prospects of a Trump government that many see as anti-Black.
If we band together, what can be achieved for Black people in 2025 and beyond?
Here are the opinions expressed by Houstonians.
Learning
In general, I am upbeat about the situation and advancement of Black people. But our people’s widespread and systematic disenfranchisement has turned into a more nefarious covert scheme of economic and educational isolation. In order to close generational gaps and make success a commonality rather than the hit-or-miss situation we presently face, Black people must band together, become committed, and work tirelessly to improve the education of our children. (Roderick Garner, Justice of the Peace, Fort Bend)
Community
I believe that in 2025 and the following four years, all of our Black civic and faith-based organizations should take stock of their beliefs and values. We should also decide where to draw the line between aligning with other groups and maintaining and prioritizing the Black community. (District F, Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas)
Business and Economics
We can overcome our financial obstacles in small company, education, and resources if we band together. We invest the least in ourselves and in outside investments to draw from in times of need, but we spend more (money) than any other nationality. This is our chance to invest our funds in-house and have the power to request the kind of service we are entitled to. (Entrepreneurial Teeba Rose)
It may sound corny, but when we collaborate, everything is possible. In other words, we can grow companies together. Those who follow us can be mentored by us. Together, we can figure out how to love, support, and develop healthier communities. Instead of gatekeeping, the power of support allows people to be and do more. (Media Consultant Vanessa Wade)
Religion
We must be prepared to put aside our differences in religion and concentrate on the values that bring us favor with God if we are to grow spiritually as a group. Regardless of our religious beliefs, we need to figure out how to pray together. Purchasing Black should be viewed as a spiritual activity rather than just a business decision. Together, we need to learn how to speed. We need to develop compassion and generosity toward the poorest Black families. We receive the heavenly energy necessary to progress socially, politically, economically, culturally, and educationally when we help one another grow spiritually. Black people need to reconnect with their heritage. We belong to God’s people. (Activist Deric Muhammad)
Politics
In my opinion, Black people have a fantastic chance to reassess ourselves in 2025. We have led the charge in forming alliances with various organizations over the past few decades. The 2024 election demonstrated that we are no longer interested in forming coalitions and that other people no longer wish to join us. Since we are not a monolith, I believe we can utilize this as a chance to concentrate on forming coalitions within our own group.
Our Black labor community, Black military veteran community, Black disability community, and faith-based communities should all be under control. And when it comes to economic policy and education at all levels, we ought to take a cue from the Democratic Party. It is imperative that we begin crafting a new message for ourselves and a strategy that directly advances and protects Black Americans. (District F, Houston City Councilmember Tiffany Thomas)
Culture
If we are united in purpose and action, we can undoubtedly achieve a renewed commitment to fostering and enhancing our dynamic and vibrant culture in 2025. (Activist Regina Gardner-Morgan)
In general
Together, we can restore the resilient and selfless Black community that has helped us go this far. Returning to our origins will help us better magnify our collective voices so that they are heard from City Hall to Washington, DC, and will also ensure that future generations do not lose their identity. (Lawyer Brandon Cofield)
Our freedom has always been a group affair, a collective effort. Our current mission is to live according to the Haitian national motto, L union fait la force, which means “Unity makes strength.” Our ability to function as mycelium, connecting one another to resources, exchanging information, and breaking down the remnants of dead and dying ideologies, customs, ways of being, and beliefs into nutrients that support the emergence and growth of new worlds, communities, and ways of being and relating is what will determine our ability to survive.
No one or any group of us must be left behind or positioned at the bottom; we are all free to dream and achieve our aspirations in a beautiful synergy. We must dream our most delicious dreams of prospering together as a group, just as much as the opposite is conceivable. This is not only boldness; it is a requirement for all those who value freedom. The time has come for us to use this collective creative power. As the Liberation Coach, Candice D. Meza
Anything. As an entrepreneur, Marcus Davis
