Guest commentary
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., holds a news conference regarding the Supreme Court Voting Rights decision on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
By George R. Burrell
Preamble
Is the life-threatening heat and storms that disrupted America 250, recurring national floods, airplane accidents and the ICE “wild west God” telling those of us afflicted with comfort and deferring responsibility to protect our self-interest and summer holidays on Martha’s Vineyard to “Get off your butts?”
Love the saying “When they go low, we go high,” but Trump’s continually going low and is winning, putting Blacks and Black businesses in harm’s way. The Democrats’ substantive response to this and racism, white male supremacy and white silence is weak.
At this make-or-break intersection, Philadelphia’s ascending political power, which we all believed was the lynchpin to unfettered access to the American Dream, must deliver or expand the team. From my perspective, facts call for a co-ed, intergenerational public private sector team operating with Black specific intent and sense of emergency. Trump’s threat demands all hands-on deck. Today, what grade would Black history professors give Philadelphia’s Black leaders — an A? B? C? D? or F?
Juneteenth wisdom from Nikole Hannah-Jones
If motivation is required, heed the words of warning Nikole Hannah –Jones shared during her Independence Mall speech: “We come from a people who were not protected by a single law in this country, who did not have, as the Supreme Court said in Plessy v. Ferguson, any rights that a white man shall respect, and yet we are all the product of a struggle that gave us rights nobody in our lineage ever had in the history of our country since 1916. How dare we lose it. So, every one of us better figure out what that thing is that you have the power to do, and don’t wait until it’s too late, until the suffering makes it unbearable.” Black outcomes and futures are on us.
Take the reins
Black leaders, whose thinking parallels advocacy are referenced, not for ego, but information and motivation. In Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s book, “Crooked Places Made Straight: “President Johnson told MLK he could not pass voting rights legislation, because his power was exhausted passing civil rights legislation. MLK told his team, the president said he had exhausted power passing civil rights legislation, so we got to go down South to replenish the president’s power. Getting and exercising power is what we’ve got to do in this moral moment. It’s not about the people in power, but the power in the people.” — TEAM!
Revs. Warnock and Freddie Haynes both advocate and preach, but Black freedom requires partners, including churches, delivering life changing outcomes at scale. Philadelphia’s elected power has intentionally benched private sector power while poverty, education and Black quality of life demographics prove them wrong.
Reminders
• African American Chamber of Commerce [AACC] member CEOs routinely default on recurring education, and inclusive growth promises with no Black imposed consequences. Until we leverage white behavior and decision making, Blacks will continue running in place.
• A Black mayor, as well as a council president and council majority, operate in silos and competition, despite a Black state of emergency and the Trump power equation. A public education bloodletting, regardless of who’s right, does not reflect partnership.
• CEOs of Black leadership organizations, businesses and institutions have serious daily responsibilities, but equally critical Black community at large leadership responsibilities. Your constituents win only if the Black community at large wins.
• Asking whether Blacks are speaking truth to power and negotiating in rooms where whites control a majority of votes, thus outcomes, more a white asset than liability? The possibility makes a TEAM imperative.
• Governor Josh Shapiro winning is a priority. However, Black leaders must know his Black specific agenda and outcomes. Campaign priorities become governing priorities.
Ready – set – go?
Racism, white male supremacy and greed are re-empowered American core values. The “land of the free and the home of the brave” remains fictional, while Blacks compete on dirt roads with potholes, chasing speed boats in canoes.
“America is in deep trouble with no certainty the country survives. Only Blacks will determine what happens next for Blacks,” Princeton professor Eddie Glaude said.
“Jesus told disciples they only win by sticking together,” Warnock said.
At Philadelphia’s historical intersections, change agents — primarily private sector leaders — have met the moment: Leon Sullivan, Sadie Alexander, Cecil Moore, Leon Higginbotham, Emma Chappelle, Connie Clayton. As we ride their fading waves, more is required than honoring their memories and protecting history. No Black individual — regardless of education, economics or address — is safe in Trump’s world. Would you jump from a boat, during a rising tide, to save drowning brothers and sisters? Go — or no go?
Republican racism, Black response and Black culture
Trump is the next generation — not founder — of Republican racism. The Heritage Foundation, Tea Party and FOX media laid the foundation. Trump’s version designates Blacks as servants and uninvited guests, not citizens who made America the most powerful and once the most respected country in the world. Failing to aggressively reject and confront Trump’s reality puts Blacks and Black businesses on isolated islands, while Trump laughs, enriches his family and flips the finger.
Philadelphia’s Black community in 2026 will go forward, backward, or run in place. Going forward demands leveraging white behavior, decision making and competitive access to the mainstream economy, where the overwhelming majority of life changing individual and business opportunities are created and funded in America. Without forcing the door open, Blacks remain captive and brokering white permission.
Warnock has said that “operating in counterproductive silos is a nonstarter; prayer must be followed by walking with specific purpose; and biblical teachings require going beyond personal salvation to accepting proactive responsibility, uplifting individuals and community.”
Too many embrace the “amen corner” on Sunday, but have selective memory, self-interest and protecting or achieving power control from Monday through Saturday. But priorities need structure.
Professor Glaude affirms, though not as a singular priority, that, “Black history and culture must be protected and preserved.”
For example, watching Jamaican and African athletes and fans wearing their culture and history as badges of honor at the Penn Relays is cathartic.
Jews, not white in the 1930s, became white in less than a century without their culture or history being disturbed. The American Jewish Committee keeps them connected to culture, history and Israel. America knows how to be selectively inclusive.
What could/should have been
If the AACC, over a decade ago, had held CEOs accountable for zip code and inclusive growth promises, Black procurement and employment would mirror that of white women — businesses would have power to negotiate with self-interested prime contractors, and more than prophylactic corporate citizenship and sponsorships would have been invested in public education, Black quality of life and business growth.
The AACC’s CEO has said that “the organizations that will matter in years ahead are the ones willing to ask an uncomfortable question: are we designed to accommodate the people we say we want to serve? Are we willing to do the work until the answer is “yes?””
Today, “no” members hold all cards with no pressure or consequences. “Yes” requires member accountability for internal and external inclusive growth outcomes. Black board members and staff must be internal advocates and periodic disrupters.
The power of white wealth
Increasing dollar turnover in the Black community, growing neighborhood and larger businesses are key to a strong internal economy, but elevating overall quality of life and crating generational wealth requires competitive access to the mainstream white economy.
For instance, Jews, when not considered white, built a strong internal economy, anchored by law firms. Despite the firms and strong dollar turnover, they insightfully concluded the lifetime security required access to the mainstream white economy. They leveraged access, and the rest is history.
America 100, 250 and beyond
Photo/Shutterstock
“white America is destitute of political memory.”
–Frederick Douglass
Consider what Frederick Douglass observed about July 4, “white America is destitute of political memory.”
W.E.B. DuBois observed: “white leaders celebrated the superiority of white people, affirming the country and promise belonged to white America.”
Professor Glaude in 2026 calls centennial and semi-quincentennial celebrations “double consciousness,” segregating based on color, intentionally disremembering Black history and America’s dependence on it.”
Americans have legitimate differences on July 4 and race. Free will enables finding compromising “solid rocks” that reject racism. God, however, does not intervene when racists put stakes in the ground and faithful pray, but with no walking or assuming responsibilities. After Sunday tithes, contributions, prayers and sermons, responsibility exists to help those working overtime, multiple jobs and living unpredictable futures with children attending failing schools. More often than not, Blacks intentionally pass.
Where we stand in 2026
Trump racism, white male supremacy and the cementing of Jim Crow have taken center stage as 24/7 priorities. Trump and his legion, despite incompetence, corruption and nepotism, are confident. Black voter withdrawal, which preceded Trump’s attacks on voting rights, strengthens that confidence. Although Democrats have a self-interested responsibility, defeating Trump’s momentum and racist agenda requires organized Black leadership not blinking, and a TEAM that operates with Black specific intent, long term stamina and no retreat.
Black power has never won without an organized team, and the Civil Rights Movement demonstrated the deliverables. The voting rights legislation Trump and Republicans are attacking is part of their plan to restore Jim Crow. Leaving the legislation unprotected for 60 years created a political liability and learning opportunity.
Self-evaluation for leadership
How long have you been a leader? What were Black demographics when you started? Have they changed, A-B-C-D-F-? After 50 years of great, good and bad days, Black demographics are painful and periodically depressing. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder can see Democratic and Black leader dysfunction have put Black futures at risk. Community stakeholders, led by Sam Staten Jr. and Ryan Boyer, are positioned to organize a TEAM. Saturday Morning Group, populated by deep pockets, subject matter experts and political influencers could be a powerful partner.
Black leaders willing to exercise POWER as immovable forces are in demand. The late Bill Gray, my first client out of law school, once the most powerful Black man in America, told me that Black elected officials are responsible to constituents, but also the Black community and Black owned businesses. Speaking at his funeral, it was stressed he exercised power with purpose, and was never intimidated. Nelson Mandela told me, “But for the Congressman exercising power and taking an unnecessary political risk to stare down President Reagan, I would have spent more years in prison.”
Listening is imperative
Black Democrats every election cycle are screaming “listen;” potential voters who could have nominated Senator Sharif Street or elected Senator Bob Casey and Hillary Clinton. Chairman Bob Brady, along with elected and private sector Black leaders, should convene community leaders at round tables, share a Black specific strategy, listen, host follow ups, give and take and engage progressives. Dogging them is a self-inflicted Republican pro bona asset.
Women, men, generations
I recently rewatched “Hidden Figures,” “Six Triple Eight,” “Harriet,” and “Rustin,” and read Blondell Reynolds Brown’s “Walking A Tightrope Backward in High Heels.”
Cropped image from flyer
Knowing Blondell’s Council leadership, male egos struggled with tightropes, high heels and backwards. The movies — and recalling conversations with JoAnn Bell, Marian Tasco, Gussie Clark, and recently, Linda Miller — affirmed my disrespect of Black women’s selfless leadership, rationalized by Black man “Tonto,” must protect Black women.
Meetings where Black women are excluded or symbolically represented, but still assigned mission critical responsibilities, must become history. To the guilty men reading this memo — wake up, be secure. The Trump war demands our best co-ed, inter-generational TEAM on the field participating in planning and decision making.
My youthful ego, ambition, confidence, arrogance and disrespect for elders was corralled by Bill Gray, Wilson Goode and Connie Clayton.
They taught me seniors were strategic assets, who provided advice based on success, failure, experience and skill, not guess work, instinct or arrogance.
Though we operate in a technology-driven world, our community is best served when generations operate with respect as a TEAM and LISTEN!
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.