Thread by @mrhick01

Okay, here we go. Thread!

I'm observing an emerging narrative. There's truth in it,
but not the whole story.

A narrative, that states, the movement and progress
that reparations have made come from the political
education of the founders, Yvette Carnell & Antonio
Moore. (1/x)

This is a fact. Ms. Carnell & Mr. Moore have provided
invaluable political education that galvanized many
thousands of us into political action. (2/x)

The number of groups that represent the contemporary
reparations movement can look to the brilliant education
from the founders of ADOS as their starting point. (3/x)

Pivoting from the truth to the problematic, is where the
language goes to dark and sinister as the no-longer
ADOS groups & organizations are accused of "parroting"
and "co-opting" the message of the founders to what
they refer to as a "theft of labor." (4/x)

It can be allowed that hundreds, thousands of hours of
reading, research & thinking went into understanding of
the racial (& what we now understand as the "lineage*)
wealth gap & what it means for Blk American
descendants of slavery in these times. (5/x)

It can be allowed that a lot of blood. sweat. tears. &
pride went into that research and building up a body of
work through publishing articles & political education &
engaging on social media platforms to build & transmit
that message. (6/x)

That message, however, for it to be given life &
purpose & function, has to be heard by human beings,
then given form, substance, and *applied action by
human beings* to be given useful relevance as a
political work product. (7/x)

Given current lamentations about what ADOS, as
movement & organization, could have been if "folks
had chosen to collaborate, volunteer, & support us" is
an…astoundingly *incredible* thing to say, in the
dictionary definition of the word. (8/x)

Most of those "folks" did collaborate, volunteer, &
support the ADOS movement!

That support stopped when & as there emerged
irreconcilable differences & disagreement over
leadership style as well as tactical decision-making.
(9/x)

Currently constituted, the ADOS AF asserts a top-
down leadership structure in their current form.

There was also severe, irreconcilable disagreement
between ADOS & the Blk Am groups that make up the
Contemporary Reparationist Movement (CRM-2) on
what "support" means. (10/x)

When the individuals that make up the new CRM-2
groups did not meet that standard of "support" in
ADOS' eyes, they either left the organization, or were
exiled & outcast by ADOS as unnecessary. Useless.
(11/x)

Here's where mistakes were made (Actually, there's
many of them, but here's where I center on one).
The ability to motivate & educate is a critical facet of
leadership. However! It's only just one facet. (12/x)

As I said earlier, the political education is invaluable,
and people were motivated to act upon the dire
circumstances that #Freedmen (or
ADOS/FBA/B1/your acronym of choice) face in this
country.

How can we sit still knowing this truth? (13/x)

A fundamental problem emerges when a one-person
or two-person show emerges as a leadership model.
Especially if those one, or two people dismiss and/or
devalue the opinions of those who are motivated to
engage in the work. (14/x)

Political education is critical.

However, collaborative organizing matters. Creating
political education. Educating the motivated to
educate on the local level. Determining the local
issues that matter & must be engaged. (15/x)

Authoritarian, or even Transactional, methods of
leadership are less effective in this political space.
(16/x)

Strict leadership can lead to worker/supporter
rebellion. It can kill worker innovation & creativity.
Group input is dramatically reduced. AND, you're going
to have turnover.

ADOS has. (17/x)

That turnover is *not* the product of a new generation
of grifters that want to parasite off of our people's
suffering. That is untrue.

Beyond it being disrespectful on its face, insults aside,
it's a wrong take for the people's current movement &
action. (18/x)

As I've said in a previous Tweet, acknowledgment, in
this case, of "credit" for reparations political
education, will fall far short of praise... (19/x)

...when those lack the emotional intelligence and/or
willingness & basic human empathy to treat others,
especially former comrades, with the same basic
respect that you wish to be treated. (20/x)

It provides a piece of circumstantial evidence that this
political work & these relationships are purely
transactional, as if the people motivated to move in
this CRM-2 space are only as valuable as what can be
done for the leaders. (21/x)

We observed it. We are the direct burden-bearers of it.

We are also witnesses of the real-life retcon(s) &
alternative facts that have narrated a new ADOS
history that um…diverges, from things that happened
in the real world and real life. (22/x)

We do remember what Yvette taught early-on in her
political education:

"Framing is everything."

Thing is, facts matter too. Empathy. Respect. (23/x)

Back to the new narrative. That narrative is a
lamentation that the ADOS AF could be so much
farther along if everybody could have just gotten along
& if we could have played better together, but insidious
grifters w/their own agendas didn't want that to
happen.

Please! (24/x)

Let's be clear: the ADOS AF is a 501(c)(4) organization
that have a fundamental right to operate themselves
the way(s) that they see fit. They can reserve the right
to course-correct as they need & see fit in areas where
they must for the sake of their effectiveness. (25/x)

Long. Thread.

It's To Be Determined whether this new organizational narrative is really believed or if this is political kayfabe.

The problem is, there's a whole bunch of otherwise good folk that want to see our people get justice believing it. (26/x)

I've just come back from hearing Yvette Carnell speak at @SCKY_1879 West Louisville Forum. She covered the issues that most of us in this #reparations space have studied, analyzed, taken to our hearts & taken to the streets. (27/x)

There was a lot of guidance provided in the answers, as well as the non-answers, in the Q & A session afterward.

Some of you may have seen the WLF livestream. Contrast that to the YouTube clips over the last few weeks. Interesting stuff. (28/x)

Is it kayfabe for the audience, or is it sound #reparations-focused organizational policy? I'll leave that up to your own decisions.

Leadership is more than education, it's also the development of & with the people engaged w/you in the Good Fight. (29/x)

Just as one might be brilliant in one or two facets, that doesn't provide the evidence that the others are being handled.

However! Again, the ADOS AF is running themselves, their way. And that's fine. (30/x)

It's also fine, and must be accepted whether others like it or not, that other assemblies, organizations & groups have the right to run themselves the way that they see fit...*and they will.* (31/x)

A lot of time has been wasted slandering the good names of brothers & sisters working in this space to do #reparations work. #WorkAvoidance

Rhetoric about co-optation, parroting, and even theft (!?!) are beyond the pale. Stop disrespecting your fellow people! (32/x)

This is my educated, trained opinion. A number of folk are going to feel a way about it, I'm sure I'll have a new batch of unfollows or blocks. Meh.

Whatever side you've chosen, be about the business for extracting #reparations for our group. Playtime's been over. (33/end)