Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher

The Covenant:
A plan for progress

Thoughtful African Americans have begun to ask the question, “Where do we go from here?” There was a belief some time ago that the successful conclusion of the campaign for civil rights would automatically propel blacks to a state of equality. But now, almost 42 years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there are many blacks for whom the American Dream is still a nightmare.

Across the nation, there is a racial disparity in health for blacks. Black students are generally not performing as well as whites. The unemployment rate for black males in some major cities is as high as 50 percent. And almost 44 percent of those incarcerated are African Americans.

However, the picture is not entirely gloomy. The earned income of African Americans rose from $127.1 billion in 1980 to over $700 billion now. In the past 25 years there has been a phenomenal growth of the black middle class. Nonetheless, the poverty rate for blacks has been holding steady at 24.4 percent compared to 8.2 percent for whites.

Tavis Smiley recognized that “… there is a distinct difference between liberation and freedom. We’ve been liberated … but one could argue that black folk and true freedom are like strangers who have yet to meet.” When he convened the annual State of the Black Union Symposium in Atlanta last year, the conversation shifted from talking about blacks’ “pain” to talking about a “plan.”

Less than one year later, that plan has emerged as “The Covenant with Black America.” It is set forth in the book “The Covenant,” which immediately upon publication rose to prominence on The New York Times Best Seller List. The quick acceptance of The Covenant indicates that there is a new mood in black America. More blacks are becoming aware that future progress will depend on their own effort rather than the largesse of whites.

The Covenant covers ten subjects: health, education, equal justice, police policy, housing, political power, rural affairs, economic empowerment, environmental justice and technological literacy. Each section presents the problem as well as strategies for improving the situation. Most sections also provide a reading list for those who wish to study the subject in greater depth.

Despite the thoroughness of its research, The Covenant is by no means an academic tome. Rather, it is a call to action. That is why Tavis Smiley has launched The Covenant Tour to bring the word to churches, universities and convention centers across the country. OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest black-owned and managed bank and the only black Internet bank, has answered the Covenant call to action by sponsoring the tour.

Kevin Cohee, the chairman and CEO of OneUnited Bank, understands that in order to implement the strategies set forth in The Covenant, African Americans will have to develop political clout and a pool of wealth to finance these goals. It is the objective of OneUnited Bank to encourage African Americans everywhere to open Internet savings accounts at OneUnited to provide a pool of capital to finance black progress.

After years of so much disappointment, there is a tendency for many African Americans to be cynical about the future. However, The Covenant offers a plan that should inspire optimism. Through the good offices of Tavis Smiley, blacks now have a plan for progress that depends for its success only on the efforts of a united black community.

It is time to give hope and black unity a chance.