No one rising to the highest heights in life by their own individual merits. It is always a team effort that encompasses the rise to individual or group greatness. You even hear tell of people making the statement that they and they alone pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. The illegitimacy of the statement provided by a person who feels that he or she alone is responsible for the success they have experienced in life.

Most prominently heard are white who says the secret of their success if they had the individual willpower to overcome all the odds to manufacture personal success is simply a falsehood. In every aspect of life, we depend on others to support our dreams and aspirations. In many ways, the collective growth of minorities in this nation is even more surprising because legitimately many are born into a situation where they don't even have boots.

So, on this particular Tuesday evening, I illuminate the words of Thurgood Marshall when he said quite emphatically that you owe your success to the support of others. We as a race of black people who were degraded, denied and ignored by the institutions and government of this nation must depend on each other. If we lift each up maybe just maybe each one of us in our communities will have the bootstraps to reach the highest pinnacles of success. Just keep reaching.

This past Friday in America's home, The White House, a sacred symbol of this nation's democracy, a home built with blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice of an enslaved people. The current president, Donald J. Trump addressed a group of 300 young black American citizens whose ancestors over the past 400 years were maligned, ignored, terrorized, stomped on, murdered, yet through all that abuse this nation heaped upon them. Our ancestors never receive the credit due to them for the massive contributions of building this nation. No United States President has ever stood before an audience and said what Trump told this group on Friday. Trump who seemingly would be the last person to make such a pronouncement told these young black men and women that their ancestors built this nation.

More specifically Trump said the following:

“African Americans built this nation,” the president said to applause. “You built this nation. You know, you’re just starting to get real credit for that, okay? I don’t know if you know that. You’re just starting to get — you built the nation. We all built it. But you were such a massive part of it — bigger than you were given credit for, but through generations of blood, sweat, and tears and — you deserve a government that defends your interests, protects your families and cares for our own citizens first.”

No Democratic President including Obama, Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Kennedy, Truman, Roosevelt, and Wilson had made such a pronouncement giving due credit to the millions upon millions of our black ancestors who delivered service without reward in building this nation. No Republican President including both Bushes, Reagan, Nixon, Taft, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland has ever stood before an audience and made such a pronouncement. It took the President least likely to make such a statement that honored the sacrifice that our ancestors endured in building this nation.

Did Donald J. Trump just open a door that every one of the preceding presidents before him refused to open? That door of course if the door to economic reparations for the children of our maligned ancestors. Did Donald J. Trump's statement taken in context announce to the majority of white citizens of this nation what they have refused to comprehend for over 4 centuries. That the United States of America wouldn't have ever reached the pinnacles of wealth without the sacrifices endured by our black ancestors while they built this nation without any true acknowledgment by the majority race of our ancestor's contributions. "African Americans built this nation" those five words could change the path of reparations for children of our black ancestors.

Why because no matter how maligned Donald J. Trump is right now he is still the President of the United States. That certainly carries some weight. The only President who stood before an audience and made a statement that powerful was Lyndon Johnson who stood before Congress and demanded that the Civil Rights Bill be passed in 1964. Yet even Johnson never acknowledged the fact that African Americans built this nation. Was Trump playing to the audience on Friday? Quite possibly. Was Trump attempting to divert attention away from his current impeachment troubles? Most likely. Is Trump simply off his rocker and made a statement that every United States President knows but is sworn to never publically acknowledge? Well, that must be taken into careful consideration. However, no matter the reason the door to reparation acknowledgment has been opened by a sitting President.

Never before in the history of this nation has these words be uttered; African Americans built this nation, by a President of this nation. For it to come from the lips of Donald Trump is damningly amazing. What do our black communities do about it? Do we ignore this opening or do we force those Democratic party leaders to dissuade us into believing Trump's crazy? I don't know but Donald J. Trump said it and we need to act on it quickly.

The Wildcats just scored a touchdown in the 3rd Quarter. So it is going to be a difficult time in Daytona Beach this afternoon.

Morgan State University 6
Bethune Cookman 24

It looks like next week is the time for Coach Wheatley and the Morgan Bears to get its first victory against the Delaware State Hornets. Howard University's Bison football seemingly ended when All MEAC Quarterback Caylin Newton announced that he was learning the MECCA to pursue a championship title elsewhere. Newton entered the transfer portal and is redshirting this season.

This afternoon on Harvard's Historic Yard, The Crimson Red of Harvard University smacked the Howard Bisons 62-17. The North Carolina A&T Aggies crushed the Norfolk State Spartans in Norfolk 52-19. The Florida A&M Rattlers beat the Eagles of North Carolina Central 28-17.

This season it looks like a season that will come down to the victors in the showdown between the Aggies and the Wildcats on November 16, 2019, South Carolina Bulldogs and the Wildcats on October 26, 2019, and the Aggies versus the Bulldogs on November 2, 2019. The best the Morgan Bears can wish for are victories against the Spartans, Hornets and the Bisons because it looks like the Aggies and the Bulldogs have simply too much firepower this season for the Morgan Bears.

However, Coach Wheatley is building something special at Morgan. While the other assistant coach hired from Michigan Wolverines staff Ron Prince has a gathering storm approaching. It seems that Morgan lucked out by waiting out the hiring process because Coach Wheatly doesn't have those storm clouds on the horizon at Morgan State University.