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PSYCHOPATHIC

RACIAL.
PERSONALITY
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2022 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation

https://archive.org/details/psychopathicraciO000wrig
THE PSYCHOPATHIC
RACIAL PERSONALITY
and other essays
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The Psychopathic
Racial Personality
and other essays

by Bobby E. Wright

Third World Press


Chicago
Copyright © 1984 by Easter Wright

All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in


retrieval systems, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including
mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without
prior written permission of the publisher.

Fourth printing 1990

ISBN: 0-88378-071-2

Manfactured in the United States of America

Third World Press


7524 S. Cottage Grove Avenue
Chicago, IL 60619
(312) 651-0700 Rs

Cover illustration — SERIF, Ltd.


Cover design — Gina Minor
PACBIGE OF CONTENTS

Publisher’s Forward
URES TEEAC ohETL
01)1eee alee ee ste a vii

Introduction
Bas COR aN Girnt We ee inn. hey, geht aS ek es oe Oe x

The Psychopathic Racial Personality...................1

Black Suicide: Lynching By Any Other Name


Pe VCRin eg ea les shes ere ee cide ed ee) aa 3 Awe 16

A Psychological Theory of Educating


ciet site UCI ee i ie ee tah a ie Se a 23

The Black Child: A Destiny In Jeopardy ............... 32


Forward vil

Publisher's Forward:

Bobby Wright:
Genius In Honest Search

How does one measure greatness?


There are few Black men or women today in the
“right” place, or position, asking the penetrating ques-
tions and demanding answers and corrective actions to
the racial situation in the United States and the world.
Generally, Black people are viewed as pitiful pawns in
an international game of control and manipulation, and
our world-wide misuse is an accepted by-product of
business as usual.
The loss of Dr. Bobby E. Wright is magnified a
hundred-fold because he was the constant swimmer,
the energized professional, the concerned and loving
family man, the Garveyite race man; always a step or
two ahead of accepted theories masquerading as insight
and knowledge. Dr. Wright was a man who had fought
to get to the “right” place in order to ask the “right”
questions, and demand and force the “right” actions.
It is true that we do not recognize greatness
among us. Our measurements of importance are gen-
erally faulty and speak mainly to the superficialities of
life, e.g., where one lives, the type of clothing one
wears, the car one drives, to the number of bodyguards
that one employs to carry bags and open and close
doors. Dr. Wright cut through dishonesty with a
passion. He, as a clinical psychologist, understood the
mind of an enslaved people. He knew the mental state
of a people caught in a world stolen and remade for
Europeans. His view was that the high African stan-
dards that gave the world civilization were now con-
fusing or non-existant. Dr. Wright was a visionary with
Vill Bobby E. Wright

standards, values, integrity and convictions. In essence,


he was a man who valued African traditions and cul-
ture:
He died in the prime of his thinking. He was
involved in honest search. His presence was a stabiliz-
ing force for a people who had recently become anchored
to video machines and sightlessness. He understood the
power of ideas, and was constantly cutting through
nonsense and mediocrity. His concern was for the
widening distance between the haves and have-nots,
the job-givers and job-seekers.
Bobby's love was conditional and selective. He had
been burned often by the call of “Blackness” and
“Brotherhood.” His work, more than most in his
profession, is a telling indictment of white world
supremacy and within his multi-dimensional approach
he recognized and gave us a way of dealing with this
evil. However, Bobby could not talk as fast as he was
thinking, even though he often tried. It seemed that his
mind was always rushing, going jet-like from idea to
idea, leaving most people on the bus of.a wasted
western culture. He was fire and energy, thoroughly
original, possessor of a monumental mind in a sea of
lobotomized small thinkers.
He focused and unsettled us. In his short life, he
seldom spoke of his own future. He knew of a death
worse than personal physical passing, that of a people
unaware of their own promise. Dr. Wright was a thorn
in the brain of Black men and women posing as leaders.
In many of them, he diagnosed a deep personal dishonor
that disqualified them for their trusted positions. His
last words were a warning to his friends and associates,
“Watch the leadership, especially those proclaiming >
their God-given answer to the problems of Black peo-
ple.”
Forward

He was a fighter within the eye of the volcano,


a listener in the midst of the hurricane,
a lover unafraid of giving tears or laughter,
a scientist seeking bright and moving moments,
a deliverer of truth within the truth,
a tree displaying roots and beauty,
a good and honest man,
carrying wisdom,
carrying future.

It is an honor to publish him.

Haki R. Madhubuti
Editor and Publisher
x Bobby E. Wright

Introduction

Dr. Bobby E. Wright was a “Black” psychologist,


so labeled not just because he was both Black and a
psychologist, but because he used his education, train-
ing, intellectual knowledge and skills always in the
best interest of Black people. He had a philosophy of
commitment, accountability and service to the Black
Community. Indeed, his life was one of love and dedi-
cation to the liberation and race vindication of all
people of African descent. To this end, he wrote, lec-
tured and taught as an active participant in the Black
liberation struggle.
Dr. Wright was born in one of the-oldest all-Black
communities in the United States—Hobson City,
Alabama. He attended both elementary and high school
there. His grandfather was one of the founders of
Hobson City. These events, undoubtedly, contributed
to his positive self-image and race consciousness.
His professional career was outstanding: He was a
truant officer, a teacher, college educator, school psy-
chologist, mental health administrator, clinical psy-
chologist, researcher, consultant, author and computer
expert. He was known locally, nationally and inter-
nationally for his technical skills as well as his com-
mitment to the progress of Black people. He believed in
the sanctity of the Black family, and his dedication to
his wife and son was exemplary.
At the time of this death in 1982, Dr. Wright was
Director of the Garfield Park Comprehensive Com-
munity Mental Health Center in Chicago. Under hf& ~
leadership, this mental health center, which now bears
his name, became the largest totally Black controlled,
Introduction xl

free standing mental health center in the United States.


Long live the spirit, memory and inspiration of
Bobby E. Wright.
Easter O. Wright
XI Bobby E. Wright

a
The Psychopathic
Racial Personality

In a bullfight, there comes a time when after being


brutalized while making innumerable charges at the
movement of a cape, the bull finally turns and faces his
adversary with the only movement being his heaving
bloody sides. It is believed that for the first time he
really sees the matador, and this final confrontation is
known as “the moment of truth.” For the bull this
moment comes too late. The experience of Black people
all over the world presents an analogous situation. For
hundreds of vears they have been charging at the
banners that are held by the European (White) mata-
dors. Those banners have been represented by concepts
such as democracy, capitalism, marxism, religion and
education. And they remained constant as long as
Blacks were assets. However, with technology and
worldwide industrialization on the rampage resulting in
a further exploitation of Africa's resources which in
turn produces an increase in Africa's ( Blacks’) national
consciousness, Blacks are now a threat and a liability
to the White race and the banner held by the matador
represents only one concept— genocide. As a conse-
quence, the major research that White scientists are
involved with today is genocidal in nature, e.g., nuclear
warfare, population control, medication control, genetic
engineering, psychosurgery, electrical stimulation of
the brain and the highly complex science of behavorial
technology. Therefore, it is indeed Blacks’ moment of
truth and it is time for them to look at the matador.
Me Bobby E. Wright

This presentation is based upon a very simple


premise; namely, that in their relationship with the
Black race, Europeans (Whites) are psychopaths and
their behavior reflects an underlying biologically
transmitted proclivity with roots deep in their evolu-
tionary history. The psychopath is an individual who is
constantly in conflict with other persons or groups. He
is unable to experience guilt, is completely selfish and
callous and has a total disregard for the rights of
others. This premise is supported by overwhelming
scientific evidence. (See references 1-6) There is a
scientific dictum which states that “everything that
exists, exists in some amount and if it exists, it can be
measured. ©
One of the best methods that can be used to
measure the psychopathic traits of the White race is by
observing and analyzing their universal overt behaviors
and attitudes toward Blacks. However, in doing that,
since Blacks have been enslaved and colonized by
Whites, a very subtle psychological problem is posed
that every Black should be aware of, i.e., merely having
intellectual insight about Whites does not inSure that
there will be a corresponding change in Blacks’ behavior
and attitude toward them, even when there is a threat
involved or particularly when there is a threat involved.
For example, everywhere one finds Whites and Blacks
in close proximity to each other, the Whites are in
control, whether it is Chicago or Zimbabwe. Yet, Blacks
rarely question this extraordinary universal pheno-
menon which defies every known statistical law of
probability. In fact, Blacks denounce those who simply
raise this question with admonitions such as “we should
not be racists and treat them as they have treated us.
In reply to the latter, Whites are not going to stand for
Blacks to treat them as they have treated Blacks so
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 3

that requires no discussion. However, the subject of


Black racism should be discussed. A functional defini-
tion of racism could be “the oppression and exploitation
of people because of their race.” Using this definition, it
is very clear that at this point in time Blacks cannot be
racists because of their lack of power to oppress
anybody; White, Indians, Chinese, etc.
Black intellectual enlightenment does not always
lead to genuine insight and it can be very damaging to
the intellect as reflected by the behavior and attitudes
of many eminent Black scientists. For example. Dr.
Kenneth B. Clark has spent his life making a fortune
out of studying the victims of White oppression — his
own people—and now speaks of the “irrelevancy of
color.’ Dr. Alvin Poussaint, who seems to be Johnson
Publishing Company's psychiatrist in residence, ignores
the wide-spread genocidal programs directed against
Blacks and writes such trivia as “the Difference Between
Sex and Love,” “Blacks and Jews—An Appeal for
Unity” and “Why Blacks Kill Blacks.”
Blacks kill Blacks because they have never been
trained to kill Whites, therefore, it is outside their
experience. Historically, the European system has
encouraged the killing of Blacks and since Blacks have
been led to believe that they are part of the psychopath’s
system, they simply follow the practice. Dr. James
Comer is another Black psychiatrist whom the psycho-
paths have so overwhelmed that he has moved, as his
book suggests, Beyond Black and White.? Cobbs and
Grier follow this tradition of Blacks studying them-
selves rather than their oppressors by concluding in
Black Rage that Whites make Blacks so mad that they
kill themselves.!” Black scientists generally rationalize
their investigations as proving to White scientists that
Blacks can be “scientifically objective.” On the subject
4 Bobby E. Wright

of objectivity in.science, this author takes the position


of Dr. Jacob Carruthers in his brilliant essay on “Science
and Oppression. Brother Carruthers states that
“science is not objective nor is it neutral.”!® A Black
scientist who moves outside the psychopath’s “ap-
proved course of study” takes thé chance on being
labelled “unscientific, emotional, biased,” etc. Addi-
tionally, funds are only available to Black scientists
who support the approved course of study, which is
themselves. Many very competent Black students who
are naive about “White scientific inquiry” are flunked
out of schools because of their insistence of studying
the etiology of Black problems—the_ psycho-
paths—rather than the effect. Black students must be
taught that White educational institutions are the
matador’s cape that protects him from Black scientific
inquiry which would expose an unthinkable depth of
psychopathology.
In order to understand the psychopathic person-
ality, one must differentiate between three classifi-
cations; the neurotic, the psychotic, and the psycho-
path. It must be remembered that these definitions of
psychopathology are the ones that have been esta-
blished and adhered to by the World Health Organiza-
tion's International Classification of Diseases. The
contributions of Black people in determining these
classifications are almost nonexistent. Generally, the
neurotic is a person who suffers a great deal over
problems that are handled fairly routinely by a well
adjusted personality. The major problem for neurotics
is their inordinate amount of anxiety. However, in
contrast to the psychotic, the neurotic has very good
reality contact. The psychotic, in addition to being out’ —
of touch with reality, has severe malfunctioning and
many times has to be hospitalized for long periods of
The Psychopathic Racial Personality or

time. This leaves the psychopath.


Scientists agree that without classification, there
is no science. For the disciplines of psychology and
medicine, it is not necessary for labels and diagnoses to
have concrete reality, i.c.. they can be retained if they
are useful in understanding and treating disease. For
example, the majority of patients that are admitted or
committed to mental hospitals in this country are
diagnosed as being schizophrenics, although there is
not general agreement among psychiatrists and psy-
chologists on the definition of schizophrenia. However.
even though it is not required, this presentation does
have “concrete reality,” namely, Europeans’ behavior
and attitudes toward Blacks. Behavioral scientists
generally agree that the outstanding characteristics of
the psychopathic personality are the almost complete
absence of ethical or moral development and an almost
total disregard for appropriate patterns of behavior.
This characteristic has led to a misunderstanding of the
psychopath, i.e., a belief that they do not know the
difference between right and wrong. It is untrue—psy-
chopaths simply ignore the concept. By ignoring this
trait in the White race (the lack of ethical and moral
development) Blacks have made and are still making a
tragic mistake in basing the worldwide Black liberation
movement on moral suasion. It is pathological for
Blacks to keep attempting to use moral suasion on a
people who have no morality where race is the variable.
Because of their lack of ethical or moral develop-
ment there is no conflict between the Whites’ religion
and racial oppression. The White race had historically
oppressed, exploited, and killed Black people. all in the
name of their God Jesus Christ and with the sanction of
their churches. For example, it is generally overlooked
that the Ku Klux Klan is primarily a religious organ-
6 Bobby E. Wright

zation and Blacks should never forget the Pope blessing


the Italian planes and pilots on their way to bombing
Isthiopian men. women, and children who only had
spears to defend themselves. This behavior is not
surprising since Whites use the scriptures to justify
their treatment of Blacks, namely, the book of Genesis
whereby Noah placed a curse on his son, Ham, forever
dooming all of his descendants to be the servants of the
servants of God. Naturally, Whites interpreted Blacks
as being the descendents of Ham and themselves as
being the servants of God. If one follows that interpre-
tation, an interesting question can be asked: “If Ham
was Black and Noah was his father, then one must
assume, since Whites deny that Blacks and Whites
sprang from the same source (a position, incidentally,
that this writer agrees with) that Noah was Black and
since Noah was Black and only allowed animals on the
Ark...” Now we know from an impeccable source how
\W hikesere here.
Unlike other extreme pathological syndromes, only
a very small percent of psychopaths are committed to
mental hospitals with another small percent “ending up
in penal institutions. The majority of psychopaths
function in society very well. They are generally average
or above average in intelligence and have engaging
personalities. In addition, they are usually very impres-
sive and competent with no feelings of insecurities,
anxicties or any other manifestations or psychoneuro-
ses. They appear to be very honest and humane but
really have no concern or commitment except to their
own selfish interests. Psychopaths will consistently
make commitments that they have no intentions of
keeping and show great indignation and anger when
their integrity is questioned. Blacks in the United
States learned this lesson very well.during the “civil
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 7

rights” confrontation of the 60s. The White sheriffs and


judges showed their greatest hostility when Blacks
began to quote the law to them. This behavior can
clearly be seen in the White's attitude toward “Black
liberation.” White “liberals” give lip service to Black
liberation but still articulate the “Blacks are going to
fast,’ while the others think Blacks have too much
already.
The psychopath is usually sexually inadequate
with a very limited capacity to form close interpersonal
relationships. The European’s sexual inadequacy psy-
chologically explains why there is a constant projection
toward Blecks as being super sexual beings and as
having no sexual inhibitions. Yet, it is the Europeans
who “streak,” “mate swap,” participate in orgies, etc.
All of their sexual behavior is a desperate attempt on
their part to achieve meaningful relationships which
constantly, due to their psychopathic make-up eludes
them. White's sexual dysfunction has produced tragic
consequences in the Black community. They have
attempted to achieve sexual gratification by such
methods as raping Black women with the rationale
being that Black women were oversexed and invited
their attention. Black men were castrated with the
explanation being that their “animal passions” had to
be contained, and one White doctor, Frank Lydston of
Chicago, in 1893 proposed that castration would
conserve the energy of the Black community. The
sustained sexual atrocities committed against the Black
race by the White race has no parallel in history and
there is no scientific explanation except under the
rubric of psychopathology.
Psychopaths’ inability to accept blame and inabil-
ity to learn from previous experience can be easily
proven. They never accept blame for Blacks’ environ-
8 Bobby E. Wright

mental conditions which are clearly the result of White


oppression. On the contrary, Blacks are held responsible
for the deterioration of their communities even though
all of the property is White controlled. In addition,
municipal services are withdrawn from Black commu-
nities and most of these communities have been “used-
up” before Blacks are allowed to move into them.
In the fields of mental health and drug abuse,
Whites are at their psychopathic best. The United
States government's position on drug users is that
addicts are cured when they cease anti-social behavior,
regardless of how long they have to be “maintained” on
methadone or other drugs. Drs. Jerome Jaffe and
Edward Senay, the czars of the U.S. Drug Abuse
Program, with the assistance and protection of Black
addicts and “ex-addicts,” have created one of the most
destructive programs in the Black community, namely,
the “methadone maintenance” program. The United
States government is the largest supplier of drugs to
addicts in the Black community. Senay takes the
position that Black addicts should not_ be given
“placebos”* or just plain orange juice. This writer takes
the position that if “sexually frustrated” suburban
White housewives can be given “sugar pills” rather
than real drugs, why can't Black addicts be given
orange juice without the methadone since they cannot
tell the difference? Senay states that giving Black
addicts pure orange juice without the methadone is
“unethical.” Therefore, it can be deduced that doctors
such as Senay believe that it is an “honorable” act to
give Blacks drugs. Community mental health centers
are in such disarray that space does not permit_an
adequate discussion. They are underfunded and there>
fore understaffed with the usual staffing pattern
consisting of all White professionals and all Black

* A relatively neutral substance given in the place of medication


more for the patient’s psychological than physical needs. Although
the patient might believe he is receiving medication, he is not.
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 9

lowly-paid non-professionals. Additionally. almost


every existing center uses the “medical model,” i.e., the
belief that the major problem is the Black person
without any regard to his circumstances or environ-
ment. Furthermore, the center and government agencies
are heavily influenced by the American Medical Asso-
ciation which is one of the most overt racist and
probably the most powerful organization in the United
States. A very vicious funding game is played with
Black mental health centers in which the U.S. Govern-
ment supplies funds with the stipulation being that the
Black community must find “matching funds.” Needless
to say, there are usually no matching funds for Black
mental health programs, therefore, the federal funds
revert back to the U.S. Government.
Psychopaths also reject constituted authority and
discipline. The presence of this trait in the White race
has grave implications for Blacks who seek legal
solutions to their problems. This especially applies to
the Blacks in the United States who are the world’s
only legally created group, namely, through the 13th,
14th, and 15th amendments which can be repealed at any
moment by the Congress or declared unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court. As long as this condition exists
Black people in the United States will always be legally
five minutes away from slavery. For Blacks in the
United States to place their destiny in the hands of
Supreme Court Justices is an extreme form of psycho-
logical blindness and a pathological rejection of history.
The Supreme Court of the United States has always
used the prevailing White political climate as the
criterion in dealing with questions of race. For example.
as a result of that “infamous” 1954 school desegragation
decision, Blacks have lost an estimated 35,000 teaching
and administrative positions in the South. Former
10 Bobby E. Wright

Black principals of Black schools are now janitors in


integrated schools and the same thing is going to
happen to Black teachers in the North. Eventually, the
Supreme Court is going to find the 1954 decision
“unconstitutional” but by that time Whites will have
taken over all Black schools including the Black coll-
eges.
The psychopathic behavior of Supreme Court.
Justices is consistent with that of other White profes-
sionals, e.g., lawyers, doctors, judges, and politicians..
They consistently take advantage of Blacks without
any guilt, anxiety, or threat to their self-esteem. For
example, in the Black community, White doctors are
the largest group of “drug pushers.” They prescribe
unneeded and dangerous drugs along with performing
unnecessary operations. White scientists use Blacks in
very destructive studies, e.g., the Tuskegee experiment
where Black men were denied treatment for syphilis
and there is some evidence that many could have been
deliberately infected.
The role that White scientists have played in
Black oppression should not be surprising to Blacks for
they have been the planners of Black oppression and as
a rule never ask “why” but only “how.” This behavior of
White scholars, e.g., Jensen and Schockley, are classic
examples of intelligence in the service of racist insti-
tutions, or psychopathic behavior. Jensen and Schock-
ley are simply following the psychopathic tradition of
Hegel, Carlyle, Galton, ete., that has continued for
hundreds of years. History is replete with examples of
White scientists justifying the “inferiority” of the Black
race. There was the eminent Dr. Samuel Cartwright of
Louisiana who diagnosed Blacks who ran away from
slave owners as having a disease of the mind.!! Dr.
Robert Bean of Johns Hopkins University in 1906
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 1]

proposed that Blacks had smaller brains than Whites


and since “brain efficiency” depended on the number
and position of nerve cells and fibers in the brain,
Blacks had less capacity for development than Whites.!2
Dr. Carl Jung, one of the White giants of psychology
stated that White Americans’ sexual inadequacy was
due to their having to live together with a barbaric race
(Blacks). The Whites’ use of scientific justification for
racial oppression can be found in even the most
inadequate library. What makes White scientists such
as Schockley and Jensen so dangerous to the Black
community today is that not only do they present so-
called “scientific proof” of the Black threat but they
also offer solutions, and with the present level of
technology available to them, should not be taken
lightly. However, it is self-defeating and useless for
Black scientists to debate on the question of race with
White scientists such as Schockley and Jensen using
the mass media. White scientists simply want exposure
of their ideas. Additionally, it is pathological for a
Black to discuss the question of whether Blacks should
exist or not with Whites. For all other people, simply
raising a question about their existence is tantamount
to a declaration of war.
This then is the psychopathic personality of the
matador. The one constant in this ever changing world
is the behavior of the White race in their relationships
with Blacks. This is a very challenging problem and the
inevitable question is “what should Blacks do?” One
dilemma that is posed for Black people is the consistent
appeal that is made for liberation by them through
channels created for them by the psychopaths, namely,
democracy and communism (marxism). A cursory
examination of both systems immediately points out
the futility of Blacks giving them any more consi-
12 Bobby E. Wright

deration. Blacks must accept the reality that for the


White race, democracy and racial oppression are not
conflicting ideals. The fact that Blacks have been
enslaved for over 350 years by a democratic form of
government should be evidence enough. Furthermore,
a democratic government presupposes an inherent
equality of races, therefore, it does not provide methods
of liberation for those who are not equal. Communism
can be dismissed as an alternative with even less
discussion. For it to be viable requires cooperation of
the masses of the White race and, with that being the
primary condition, needs no further consideration.
However, since Blacks have finally rejected democracy
as an alternative by attempting to burn down its
bastion, the United States, there are signs that it is
now time for the marxists (communist) to try to contain
them. They have enlisted some formidable Black allies,
e.g., throughout Africa, the Black heads -of state have
rejected race as a criterion for struggle. The Black
leaders go to great lengths to deny our struggle is
racial, yet, the only truly independent natians on the
African continent are those headed by the White inva-
ders.
One of the greatest tragedies is the relationship.
between Blacks and the Arabs. For Blacks to accept
the Arabs as anything but White invaders is a patho-
logical denial of reality. In the oil crisis, the slave
traders from the North (Arabs) treated Black Africa
worse than they treated some European nations which
is consistent behavior for White psychopaths. No White
nation in the world encourages Black immigration but
there is a great effort throughout the world to “intes..
grate’ Africa.
Again, the question of what to do. There is no
evidence that the Black and White races can live in
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 13

close proximity to each other in peace, without Whites


attempting to oppress and exterminate the Blacks. In
fact, there is overwhelming evidence that even White
ethnic groups cannot live together, e.g., Irish and
English, Greeks and Turks, Arabs and Jews, etc.
Behavorial scientists generally agree that there is no
known cure for the psychopath. In fact, it is a widely
held belief that the only successful treatment for the
psychopath is incarceration, radical psycho-surgery. or
death. Therefore, this writer is forced to conclude that
since Blacks are at war with psychopaths, violence is
the only way. Brother Lerone Bennett proposed in his
brilliant essay entitled “Time. Space and Revolution.”
that “it is hard to tell time by revolutionary clocks.”'4
A paraphrase of that statement would be that it is hard
to tell directions by a revolutionary compass. Being
unfamiliar with the terrain and the instrument has
disoriented Blacks with the result being various inade-
quate and dangerous behavorial patterns. Some have
become catatonic and do not move at all but wait for
divine intervention; others place their faith and energies
in charismatic guides who are just as lost as they and
Blacks seem to ignore Brother Bennett's depressingly
truthful warning that “history does not forgive those
who lose their way.” Still others fantasize that Blacks
have reached their destination and attempt to act
accordingly —as free men; some perservere and pursue
old beaten paths that invariably lead back to the
starting point. But there are others whose minds have
moved past the psychopath’s imposed boundaries and
they have begun to blaze new paths toward Blacks’
rendezvous with destiny. So it was with Chaka in the
1700’s, Dessalines in the 1800’s, Martin R. Delany in
1852, Henry Turner in 1880, Marcus Garvey in the
1920's, Malcolm X and H. Rap Brown in the 1960's and
4 Bobby E. Wright

Chancellor Wiliams in the 1970's. The answer to Blacks’


problems can be found in the works and lives of those
Black heroes mentioned above, for they all looked at
the matador or psychopath for what he was and is and
moved against him. :
A Luta Continua—Lisima Tush inde Mbilshaka
(The struggle must continue—and we will conquer
without a doubt).

References

1. Delany, Martin R., The Condition, Elevation, Emigra-


tion, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United
States, 1852, New York: Arno Press and the New York
Times, 1968.

two DuBois, W.E. Burghardt, The Suppression of the


African Slave Trade to the United States of America,
New York: Schocken Books, 1896.

3. Fanon, Frantz, The Wretched of the Earth, New York:


Grove Press, Inc., 1963.

4. Garvey, Amy, Philosophy and Opinions of Marcie. ~


Garvey, London: Frank Cass and Co., Ltd., 1967.
The Psychopathic Racial Personality 15

Williams, Chancellor, The Destruction of Black Civili-


zation, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.,
19th,

Welsing, Frances Cress, The Cress Theory of Color


Confrontation and Racism (White Supremacy), Frances
Cress Welsing, M.D., Howard University College of
Medicine, Washington, D.C., 20001, 1970.

“A Conversation with Kenneth B. Clark,” Psychology


Today, June, 1968, Vol. 2, No. 1.

Poussaint, Alvin, Ebony Magazine, Chicago: July, 1972


and July, 1974.

Comer, James P., Beyond Black and White, New York:


Quadrayle Books, Inc., 1972.

10. Grier, W.H. and Cobb, P.M., Black Rage, Basic Books,
Inc., New York, 1968.

es Stampp, K.M., The Peculiar Institution: Slavery In


The Ante-Bellum South, New York: Knopf, 1956.

i Bean, R.B., “Some Racial Peculiarities of the Negro


Brain,” American Journal of Anatomy, 5:353-415, 1906.

13. Jung, C.G., Contributions to Analytical Psychology,


New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1928.

14. Bennett, Lerone, Jr., The Challenge of Blackness,


Chicago: Johnson Publishing Co., 1972.

15. Carruthers, J.H., Science and Oppression, Chicago:


Northeastern Illinois University Center for Inner-City
Studies, 1972.
16

Black Suicide:
Lynching By Any Other Name
Is Still Lynching

One of the most difficult tasks of a Black scholar is


to analyze the influence of racism on Black behavior
and attitudes, and, at the same time, escape the almost
irresistable protective barrier of Western scholarship,
namely “the analysis of the victim.” There is no question
that this “analysis of the victim” methodology (which
involves seeing the victim as the cause of his own
problems) has been a major “scientific” development of
White scientists because it effectively leads away from
the cause of Blacks’ condition which is White pathology.
One result is the position taken by some that the Black
masses should not be informed of our truly weak
position for fear of immobilizing them (a condition
which already exists), while others deny that Whites
have any power over Blacks at all. The confusion is
caused by the powerful, but subtle White Concept of
“free will,” namely, that people always have choices,
therefore, they can be held responsible for their beha-
vior.
It should be stated that the author is fully aware of
the danger in exposing the human personality to
threatening emotional stimuli which threatens its
existence. However, there comes a time when the risk of
exposure is insignificant when compared to the altey-
native, and to paraphrase a mental health truth—‘“‘the
greatest pathology in the world is for people to believe
in something just because they wish it to be so.”
Black Suicide ile

In the not too distant past, suicide in the Black


community was virtually non-existent. Im fact, in
considering all possibilities of life and death, suicide for
Blacks was not an option. Further, all the traditional
reasons that have been projected as enhancing the
suicide dynamic did not manifest themselves in the
Black community. On the contrary, the conditions that
produced the feelings of helplessness, hopelessness,
powerlessness, etc., which create havoc for European
people, seemed to have strengthened the resolve of
Blacks who considered them as being part of our des-
tiny.
Therefore, suffering for Blacks was and is a way of
life, not death. It was out of this cultural imperative
that the “Blues” developed (and is now being stolen)
and revealed the incomparable “Soul of Black Folks.”
It should be noted that centuries before Whites
“discovered” existentialism, Blacks had accepted (unfor-
tunately) that “to live is to suffer and the ultimate test
is the meaning a people find in that suffering which
dictates the way they live and die.”
Given this historical reality, the question must be
raised as to how could a people, who in the worst of
times endured, now allegedly reflect one of the highest
suicide rates in the United States? In view of that
question, it is generally assumed by Black and White
scientists alike that traditional research analysis can be
applied to the allegedly Black suicide phenomena in
order to understand its dynamic. However, as this
author and colleagues have warned time and time
again, the most serious error a Black scientist can make
is to utilize European definitions and analysis in
attempting to understand and explain Black pheno-
mena. There is no denying the fact that “they who have
the power to define, rule.”
18 Bobby E. Wright

To remove.any element of doubt, I am proposing


that what is termed Black suicide is really deliberate
race murder which is being committed by Whites in the
United States. Whites in the United States have
achieved their “specified environment” as postulated
by Watson and Skinner. Therefore, they must be héld
accountable for the behavior of its inhabitants. There is
little disagreement among behavorial scientists who
attest to the fact that situations can be contrived in a
manner which will influence people to engage in self-
destructive behavior. Further, once it is determined
that such a condition caused the behavior, the focus of
attention shifts from the victim to the perpetrator,
except where Blacks are involved.
Political brainwashing is a violation of the Geneva
Convention rules governing the treatment of prisoners
of war; and there is little doubt that a psychotherapist
would be charged with a criminal act if it were
determined that a patient, even one who had consented,
had been encouraged to commit a self-destructive act
which led to injury and death. Yet, the treatment of
Blacks in the United States is unparalleled in history,
and they are subjected to far more serious psychological
attacks than those permitted with prisoners of war. To
deliberately prevent a people from developing life-
sustaining options and to promote conditions of self-
destruction is an act of genocide. Therefore, Black
suicide is a method of genocide which is being promoted
and controlled worldwide by the White race. Conse-
quently, there is no such phenomena as. Black suicide” »
when suicide is defined as the willful and deliberate act
of taking one’s own life.
By this time, the reader should be aware that I am’ of
using a non-traditional approach in examining * Black
suicide,” and it is based on a very simple premise: that
Black Suicide 19

Black suicide is a political dynamic. For political


reasons, Blacks are being programmed for self-destruc-
tion and “Black suicide” is one of the results. Lynching
by any other name is still lynching. The method that
has been developed and is now being implemented
cannot be found in any of the literature or in any
research data, but it is one of the greatest discoveries of
psychology. The author has classified this process as
“mentacide,” (Wright, 1976) which is defined as the
deliberate and systematic destruction of a group's minds
with the ultimate objective being the extirpation of the
group.” For example, the acceptance by Blacks of the
concept of “free will” absolves Whites of any respon-
sibility for their victims’ condition. In fact, Whites
have developed an effective defense mechanism, namely,
“the guilt of the victim.” It is so effective that their
victims accept their plight as being “God's will.”
It should be noted that “mentacide” is a worldwide
phenomena which is being implemented against the
entire Black race. Therefore, Blacks in Africa will begin
to manifest the behavior of Blacks in the United States.
It’s also clear that there is a direct correlation between
the level of White involvement and control of Black
institutions and Black self-destruction.
This analysis should not be surprising to anyone
who has studied European history and is familiar with
their objective of world domination: and due to the
rising level of consciousness and Black nationalism
which threaten that process, mentacide was developed.
Approximately, fifty-five years ago, a White Professor
of psychology at the University of Chicago proclaimed
to the world this prophesy: “Give me a dozen healthy
infants, well-informed, and my own specified world to
bring them up in, and I'll guarantee to take any one at
random and train him to become any type of specialist
20 Bobby E. Wright

I might select —doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant, chief,


and yes, beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents,
penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and the race
of his ancestors (Watson, 1924).”
The popularly called “behavior modification” is a
highly complex “science” which is underrated and
generally ignored by Black behavioral scientists. Yet,
any Black with a cursory knowledge of B.F. Skinner's
“experimental analysis of behavior” should recognize
its potential danger to our community, where every
situation is under the control of the White race. It also
clearly defines the Black Community as still being
enslaved and the prophesy of B.F. Skinner in Beyond
Freedom and Dignity is now a reality (Skinner, 1971).
Skinner articulated that it is possible to “delude” people
into believing that they have the essence of life—
freedom and dignity —and still control them.
It should be clear that there cannot be an analysis
of “Black suicide” using traditional White techniques
because to do so would assume an inherent equality
between Blacks and Whites. It ignores the prevention
of opportunity, options, and control by Blacks over their
own destiny. In fact, a critical analysis of even White
suicide would raise serious questions concerning the
validity of Durkheim's (the penultimate, White “God”
of suicide theory) basic premise that the suicide rate for
any given social-area population varies inversely with
the “stability and durability” of social relationships
within population (Durkheim, 1951). For example, the
death of a U.S. soldier who threw himself on a grenade,
would be classified as an ‘altruistic’ suicide by
Durkheim, and the soldier considered a person who has
lost his personal identity as a result of the group's
authority becoming dominant, and he sacrificed his life
for the group. Yet the U.S. Army does not treat
Black Suicide Di

or identify a soldier who commits such an act as a


suicide. On the contrary, he is considered a hero and
given the highest honors. However, a kamikaze Japa-
nese pilot who crashes his plane into an American ship
is considered “crazy” and “suicidal.” Further, scientists
then propose and receive research grants with the
stated purpose of attempting to understand the “Asian”
mind.
In view of this discussion, it should be very clear
that the problem of so-called Black suicide cannot be
resolved at this time. To believe otherwise presupposes
a sense of direction and level of power that does not
exist in the Black community. There is no intent to
imply that our situation is hopeless since a solution is
readily available: the creation of an African world-view
through the development of a Black Social Theory. A
social theory determines the destiny of a people by
establishing objectives and guidelines for their exis-
tence. It defines their relationship with other living
things, it defines values and rituals, methods of child-
rearing and education, etc. The ultimate achievement
of a Black Social Theory would be the reintegration of a
worldwide Black culture.
Example after example can be cited about how
Blacks have attempted to resolve problems through a
variety of efforts only to end up in a weaker position.
For example, the aftermath of the 1960's or our present
condition proves the importance of a Black Social
Theory. Blacks in the 1960's were divided along White
social theoretical lines only to end up with the same
pre-60’s choices, namely, White capitalism or White
Marxism. Without a Black Social Theory, we will
continue to stumble through history. It is time for us to
heed that profound African proverb, that, “If you don't
know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
yy) Bobby E. Wright

Black Social Theory will not only tell us where we are


going, but will also explain what to expect once we
achieve our goal. It will not be self-destructive!
A Luta continua—a vitoria e certa (The struggle
will continue and victory is certain.)
23

A Psychological Theory
of Educating the Black
Child
In presenting these views on educating the Black
child, I apologize profusely for using the words “I” and >
“my” throughout. However, I am not aware of many
Brothers and Sisters who have studied the undeniable
importance of “perceptual development” and “modality
predilection” which my research shows is sine qua non
for future conceptual ability. Therefore, I have to
assume responsibility for any misunderstanding that
may result from this article even though I understand
that this seeming expression of “rugged individualism”
on my part violates one of the basic tenets of African
life. While few Blacks, to my knowledge, have published
extensively on this subject, such is not the case for
White scientists. Two of them who gave some cursory
attention to this area contributed significantly to the
development of sophisticated methods of creating,
implementing, and maintaining racist programs, edu-
cational and psychological, for use against Black people.
Those two scientists were Francis Galton and Alfred
Binet. Galton, a nephew of Darwin, presented the
scientific rationale for racism and “Social Darwinism”
through his theories of “nature” and “nuture” or more
commonly known as the racial implications of “heredity”
and “environment.” Binet, a French psychologist, was
the father of intelligence testing whose work, even
before he died in 1911, had been proved to be irrefutably
biased in favor of social class and education experience
and these were comparisons between White children;
24 Bobby E. Wright

Blacks were not even involved in his work. Dr. Joseph


Wepman, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psy-
chology and Surgery, at the University of Chicago, has
probably done the most significant amount of work in
this area at the University of Chicago Hospital's Speech
and Language Research Laboratory, which he headed
and where I did my graduate work (Wright, 1972).
Today, the education of Black Children is one of
the most volatile issues in the United States — political-
ly, socially, and economically. One of the most positive
dynamics of the Black Liberation Movement has been
Black independent school development. All over the
United States, at an exhilarating rate, Black parents
are removing their children from the debilitating
‘“mentaciding” (from the term “mentacide” which I
define as “the deliberate and systematic destruction of
a person or group's mind’) public schools and placing
them in Black nationalistic oriented educational insti-
tutions. The demand by Black parents for alternatives
to the White controlled public and private schools far
exceeds the ability of present Black independent
institutional accommodation. The following hypotheses
are suggested for consideration by those Black educa-
tors and parents who are involved in the educational
process with the Black child. These hypotheses are
based on extensive clinical investigation and research
by the author for a period of over ten (10) years.
It is my contention that Black independent schools
are facing the same complex problem that has plagued
Western civilization, even without its Black problem,
namely, there is little understanding of how children
learn, therefore, there is a lack of knowledge of how
they should be taught. ~_*
In developing and implementing educational pro-
grams for the Black child, the research indicates the
Educating the Black Child tb <t

need to understand perceptual development and func-


tioning in order to maximize the child’s learning ability.
There is no question that too much attention has been
given to the conception level of learning, the final
stage, and too little attention given to the early level,
the perceptual level.
The crucial role of early perceptual development in
establishing the foundation for increasingly complex
structure is well established and many problems in
learning are caused because educators, psychologists,
etc., have generally attempted to interpret the child’s
actions and reactions in terms of “adult-psychology” or
in terms of “normative stages of development.” It is
often ignored by those who follow the above theories,
that the child’s actions and reactions are severely
restricted because of his infinitely fewer experiences
and diminished mental apparatus for processing these
experiences. This means there are quantitative and
qualitative differences between the child and the adult.
Each new experience is not an independent entity but
becomes part of an integrated whole of the child's
experience. In the “normative states of development”
theory, a child who does not perform at some arbitrary
level at a certain age is viewed as an undeveloped child.
This child is then given a “negative level” at a very
early age which sometimes determines his future life,
educationally and vocationally. Educators have always
articulated the need for understanding individual
differences which exist in children and have then created
programs for the group. Teachers also accept the fact
that there are differences between children and then
attempt to teach them as if they were all alike. Needless
to say, almost every educational program in existence
fails to reach a certain percentage or, more correctly,
fails to teach a certain percentage of children.
265 Bobby E. Wright

It is generally understood and accepted that


sensory and neural defects adversely affect the learning
ability and test performances of children. For example,
if a child has an undetected hearing loss, his speech
might be affected, and if he is exposed to verbal
teaching, his learning, especially reading, will also be
severely affected. School systems generally understand
this and usually require hearing and sight examinations.
However, once it is determined that no pathology
exists, the child is expected to learn, especially if the
“intelligence level” is “normal” or above. Therefore, any
child who has “normal intelligence” and no identifiable
sensory pathology, who does not learn, especially in the
area of reading, is usually labeled as having a learning
disability. My research and understanding of Black
child development raises a very serious question
concerning the validity of the “learning disability”
category and documents conclusively that teachers of
preschool and elementary aged children should give
more initial attention to perceptual development rather
than to subjects such as reading, arithmetic, science,
ele
Although it is taken for granted, many teachers
cannot teach effectively because they have 1) no idea
how children learn and 2) no concept of how the brain
works. One of Wepman’s (1953, 1967) greatest contri-
butions is his hypothetical models and concepts of
independent perceptual modalities. His model stresses
two features of the structural bases underlying the
learning act:
First, it emphasizes the unique modality bound
nature of all sensory input signals and all ~~
motor output patterns. Second, it elaborates
the hierarchical yet interrelated nature of the
Educating the Black Child 27

maturation and development of the neural


system. In this regard, it parallels what is
known of the physiological maturation of the
central nervous system. In the present con-
text, the word “maturation” is used to describe
the establishment of the neurological compo-
nents necessary for sensory transmission of
signals within the nervous system. The term
“development” is reserved for the functional
adaptation of an established neural pathway
(1967, p. C-4).
There are three relatively distinct stages of intel-
lectual development —the reflexive, the perceptual, and
the conceptual. At the first, or reflexive stage, the
infant makes use of his rapidly changing sensory
capacities as they develop and mature, in an uncon-
scious reactive manner. The second, or perceptual stage,
is more closely identifiable with the act of adaptation as
the child establishes his ability to discriminate and
contrast. He also develops the ability to act on his
discriminative perception in an effective manner at this
level. The perceptual level also develops and matures
without conscious awareness. Once the perceptual level
has matured and developed, the child approaches
consciously the third and final state—the conceptual
level. At this level, the child develops the ability to
receive and integrate abstract stimuli with comprehen-
sion from a variety of modalities, associate the input
with previous learning and express appropriate output
signals.
The need to understand perceptual development
and its effect on subjects such as reading can be clearly
demonstrated in examining the process of reading a
word such as “Imani.” In order for a person to read the
word, he must first be able to discriminate between the
28 Bobby FE. Wright

letters, e.g., “‘m" from ‘“n”. He then must be able to


sequence properly, i.e., place “I” before “m”, “a” before
‘n"', etc. Then there must be the ability to retain letters
or words within the brain while the rest is being
processed. The final step is the ability to recall the
entire word from the brain. Any impairment which
prohibits the above four functions will severely affect
learning ability.
The attempt by schools to teach children to read
before their sensory systems are capable of handling
the required skills only leads to frustration for the
children and may contribute to the development of
negative attitudes toward learning. Furthermore, it
legitimizes the undeserved labeling of children as being
dyslexic, having learning disabilities, etc.
One of the major focuses of my research has been
to determine whether each child has an individual
predilection for a specific modality in academic learning.
The research suggest that modality predilection influ-
ences perceptual development in a very dramatic way
and even if all of the traditional strategies_are imple-
mented, it is still possible for children to have problems
in perceptual development and learning—if modality
predilection is not taken into account. It is not enough
just to determine the perceptual level of a child; it is
also very important to determine his modality prefer-
ence. Knowing the child's predilection is necessary in
order that a perceptual training program can be
designed which utilizes the preferred modality. For
example, there is a clear contract between strongly
auditory and strongly visual-minded child. An auditory
child would generally speak much earlier with great.
facility than a visual-minded child. He would adapt to
sound patterns at a very young age and enter school
speaking in a highly intelligible manner. This, of course,
Educating the Black Child 29

assumes that the auditory child had good models to


imitate, but even if he doesn’t, we are assuming, in this
case, that both children are from the same environment
and the superior speech pattern for the auditory child
would still exist. Additionally, since intelligible speech
by children is desired and rewarded by this society, the
auditory child would receive other benefits which would
contribute to his self-esteem. Conversely, the strongly
visual-minded child might learn to speak at the same
age as the auditory child, but his speech will be less
developed and therefore less intelligible. However, the
visual child would be expected to handle a reading task
more readily and easily than the auditory child, all
other things being equal.
This research suggests that pre-schools as well as
regular schools should begin investigating the use of
curricula that concentrate on perceptual development
with the training being directed toward the child's
preferred modality, i.e., children who learn best through
the visual pathway should be taught using a basically
visual curriculum, until both inferior modalities develop
adequately through maturation. It is believed that the
present method of exposing all children to the same
curriculum at the whim of the school, e.g., one year's
“phonics” and in the next year “look-say,” is very
destructive for many children. Garfield Park Compre-
hensive Community Mental Health Center is currently
investigating methods and techniques for assessing the
above discussed dynamic as it relates to Black children
and, in the process, contributes toward the enhancement
of Black independent education. It should be stated
here that in the context of doing my research over the
past ten years, naturalistic methods for identifying and
assessing a child’s modality preference have been
developed. Yet more work needs to be done in this area.
30) Bobby E. Wright

It should also be noted that all standard methods of


assessing modality preference need revision and refine-
ment. My research in this area is available to any Black
institution, upon request and at no charge.
One of the most serious problems and one that is
germane only to Black people and our independent
institutions is our inability to support and reinforce the
ideals, goals, and objectives of the institutions. The
White race is not faced with this problem since it has
long recognized that institutions protect and sustain
the appropriate direction for the destiny of its people.
Parenthetically, this is one of the reasons that this
country, since its inception (including the Civil War),
has never been anywhere close to a social revolution. In
order for a revolution to occur, institutions must be in
conflict—not people. On the question of race, even
during the Civil War, Northern and Southern White
institutions were in harmony on the question of Black
Liberation. For those who want to argue the point,
Blacks are still enslaved today for the very simple
reason that all of our life-sustaining institutions are
controlled by Europeans and that is slavery, not oppres-
sion,
It seems as if Black independent educators have
taken the position that they can present ideas and
modes of appropriate behavior for the Black child and
parents to inculcate which are inconsistent with Euro-
pean institutional ideas and yet provide no methods of
reinforcing their ideas other than faith. Usually, this
faith is placed in charismatic leaders and many of them
act as if Europeans and their institutions do not even
exist. So once again, even after the lessons of t
1960's, educators in Black independent schools are
ignoring the fact that the White race has institutions
and we have charismatic leaders. It should be made
Educating the Black Child hl

clear that when I speak of institutions, the discussion is


not about buildings or of anything of a material nature,
but more concerned with consistent patterns of behavior
and conditional thought processes. Blacks who are
serious about controlling their own destiny must
address this problem, for the charismatic, clannish,
cultist behavior of present-day Black independent
institutions and Black leaders will not lead to its
resolution. Developing Black institutions such as
Garfield Park Comprehensive Community Mental
Health Center have the responsibility to undertake this
challenge.

References

Wepman, J.M. “A Conceptual Model for the Process


Involved in Recovery from Aplesia,” Journal of Speech
Hearing Disorders, 1953, p.18.

Wepman, J.M. “The Modality Concept—Including a


Statement of the Perceptual and Conceptual Levels of
Learning.” The International Reading Association, 12th
Annual Convention, Seattle, Washington, 1967.

Wright, B.E. “An Investigation of Perceptual Modality


Preference in Black Lower Class Children by the use of
Naturalistic and Standardized Methods.”’ Unpublished,
doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago, 1972.
The Black Child:
A Destiny In Jeopardy

One of the most widely shared tragic beliefs held


by Blacks throughout the world is that white-controlled
educational institutions—regardless of whether they
are élementary schools or universities — will educate our
children. That faith continues to prevail in spite of the
overwhelming evidence which refutes the belief. Blacks
continue to ignore an irrefutable truth, namely, that in
a racist social system, all institutions will reflect, protect
and sustain values that are consistent with racism.
This should not be considered surprising or profound,
since all institutions serve to perpetuate the social
theory of the group which created them. Therefore, in
any social system established by whites, the institutions
will reflect racism and even white established institu-
tions in Black “controlled” countries will continue to
protect the welfare of whites even after the whites
obstensibly leave. A present example is Zimbabwe,
where Blacks accepted a constitution which gave a 4%
white minority control of the judicial, military and
economic institutions in return for their agreeing to
stay in the country. They also accepted as a leader of
the whites, the former prime minister of the country,
Ian Smith, an individual that is responsible for tens of
thousands of Blacks’ deaths and indescribable Black
suffering. Further, even the indigenous liberation forces,
the Patriotic Front, accepted the condition that Britain
a white country, could write the constitution for
Zimbabwe. The behavior of Brother Mugabe of the
Destiny In Jeopardy 33

Patriotic Front, an admitted Marxist and Brother


Muzorewu, the collaborationist and Christian minister,
reinforces the concept that white institutions always
prepare Blacks to protect white interests regardless of
their political ideology. This is consistent with the
theory of Neely Fuller as stated in the Cress Theory of
Color Confrontation (1970):

Fuller goes further to develop the concept


that racism is not merely a pattern of indivi-
dual and/or institutional practice but is indeed
a universally operating “system” of white
Supremacy rule and domination which the
effective majority of the world’s white people
participate. He discounts as invalid theories
which state that the evolution of economic
systems has necessitated or produced this
state of affairs. Instead, he turns such theories
upside-down by suggesting that various eco-
nomic systems such as capitalism, commu-
nism, and socialism have been devised, used
and refined in the effort to achieve the primary
goal of white domination. In other words, the
goal of the system of white supremacy is not
for anything other than the establishment,
maintenance, expansion and refinement of
world domination by members of the group
which classifies itself as the white race.
The writer realizes that the question is being asked
at this time by many readers, what does the above
discussion have to do with “educating the Black child,”
and the answer is “EVERYTHING.”
It is an undeniable reality that education is a
political dynamic and for a people who have no social
theory, reading, writing and. arithmetic should_be much
3A Bobby FE. Wright

less important. than what is written and read. Therefore,


in order to liberate the minds of Black children, a Black
social theory must be developed. There is an Afrikan
proverb which warns the traveler of life that “if you
don't know where you are going, then any road will get
you there,” i.e., since you don’t know where you are
going, just take any road, what does it matter?— Blacks
throughout the world are doing just that. A social
theory determines the destiny of a people by estab-
lishing guidelines of life, e.g., it defines their relationship
with other living things, it defines values and rituals,
methods of education, how enemies are to be dealt with,
etc. The ultimate achievement of a Black Social Theory
would be the recreation of Black culture. The eminent
Black scientist, Dr. Cheika Anta Diop, succinctly placed
culture in its proper perspective by stating the follow-
ing:
I consider culture as a rampart which protects
a people, a collectivity. Culture must, above
all, play a protective role: It must ensure the
cohesion of the group. Following thisNine of
thinking, the vital functions of a body of
African human sciences is to develop this
sense of collective belonging through a rein-
forcement of culture. This can be done by
developing the linguistic factors, by re-estab-
lishing the historical consciousness of African
and Black people so as to arrive at a common
feeling of belonging to the same cultural and
historical past. Once this is attained, it will
become difficult to “divide and rule” and to
oppose African communities one against the ~ss,
other (Diop, 1976).
Destiny In Jeopardy 35

A Black child can be educated only after Blacks


develop a “philosophy of education” which must be
contained in a Black social theory. There is no alter-
native to this dictum and even Black independent
schools will fail to reach their full potential. It should
be clear that Black independent schools can exist by
themselves but will be limited in what they can
accomplish as long as there is an absence of other Black
institutions, e.g., economic, military, religious, etc.
Further, neither can exist in a vacuum, i.e., their values
and purposes must be consistent with the ideals that
are contained in a social theory.
One of the most valid methods of evaluating the
condition or status of a people is to examine the process
of their child-rearing practices. The Black child today,
whether in the U.S.A., Africa, South America, etc.,
stands as a tragic example of a powerless, directionless
people. Throughout the animal kingdom there is
generally an inviolate law which dictates that the young
are to be protected at all costs. Yet, in the Black
communities, not only are children not protected but in
too many cases are offered as sacrificial lambs to a
devouring enemy. Therefore, one continues to witness
the sorry spectacle of Black parents delivering their
children to an overt and covert hostile white enemy
with the pathological demand that they educate them.
There is very little understanding of this type of mass
human behavior which can explain this phenomena
except “mentacide”, a concept developed by the author
that is defined as “the deliberate and systematic
destruction of a group’s mind with the ultimate purpose
being the extirpation of that group.” The concept of
mentacide has been extensively researched and is now
in preparation for publication.
In the U.S.A., Blacks operate under another
36 Bobby E. Wright

dangerous mentacidal assumption, namely, that there


is value in an integrated educational environment,
thereby accepting the fatal implication that “education
is objective and neutral.” Blacks persist in this behavior
in spite of the fact that there is no significant evidence
which shows positive educational achievement in such
settings as opposed to “segregated educational exper-
iences.” In Chicago, Illinois, the Black leadership is
demanding that a school system comprised of a ratio of
80% children of color vis-a-via 20% white children be
integrated at all costs. Further, they proclaim a victory
when the Black Administrator of the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW) refused federal
funds to the Chicago Board of Education and refers the
case to the Department of Justice. Black leaders and
parents are so obsessed with the concept of “the closer
we get to whites, the whiter we will get” syndrome that
they are willing to pay any price, including the
destruction of our children’s minds, in order to achieve
that objective. They totally ignore the fact that since
1954, we have completely lost all control, regardless of
how minimal, over our children’s education. In the
south, under the gise of integration, thousands of Black
teachers and administrators of formerly all-Black
schools were replaced with whites and are now unem-
ployed. In Chicago, the Black leadership accepted a
plan whereby the teaching and administrative force
would remain at 65% white and 35% “other”. In other
words, throughout this nation, when Blacks speak of
integration of schools, they do not show any concern
over who teaches their children. In fact, Blacks take the
general position of, “we don’t care what color th
teachers are as long as they are qualified.” Yet, if Black
parents were asked, what are the qualifications for
teaching, they could not tell you. However, there is still
Destiny In Jeopardy Ba

a more tragic consequence and that is the behavior and


attitude of most Black educators who even as they
observe and experience their own personal economic
destruction and the destruction of the minds of their
children, still exhort the virtues of “integrated edu-
cation.” The eminent Black historian and intellectual
giant, Dr. Chancellor Williams in his incomparable
book, “The Destruction of Black Civilization— Great
Issues of a Race from 4,500 B.C. to 2,000 A.D.”, did a
devastating analysis of the Black educator by stating:
Those Negroes who are so frantically fighting
to escape from the African race by way of
“integration” and amalgamation will continue
to meet everlasting and universal opposition
from the whites. The Negro drive to be with
whites in every situation is equalled by the
white determination to prevent it. Yet, the
whites must truly feel a sense of pride in
seeing this Negro leadership so clearly vali-
dating their own beliefs in white superiority.
Their pretended “Quality Education” objective
actually collapses under the wheels of busing
for “racial balance”. They are proclaiming to
all the world that, regardless of general
desegregation; in any all-Black or predom-
inantly Black population, the Blacks them-
selves are utterly incapable of achieving or
maintaining high standards of excellence in
education or, indeed anything else. Here we
have, within the race, the intolerable situation
of an anti-Black group proclaiming the race's
inherent inferiority more effectively than the
whites ever could—precisely because this
group is regarded as “Black” (1974).
ON Bobby E. Wright

The writer does not mean to infer that whites are


oranipotent—on the contrary—history tells us that
they will be had. However, it will not be done by Blacks
engaging in mythology, denial, escapism, etc., but only
by our actively and consciously participating in the
destruction of racism which means the destruction of
white civilization. We must accept the indisputable fact
that “racism” and “western civilization” are synony-
mous events and as the song says, “you can't have one
without the other.”
We must be about the business of liberating the
minds of Black children but in order for that to occur,
the minds of all Blacks who interact with them, must
also be liberated. There is no other way. It is relatively
easy to educate Black children, even about their
Africanity, but it is extremely difficult to reinforce the
education. Therefore, even sitting in the same class-
room, white children will be “educated” and Black
children will be “trained” and one result will be that the
white child will be taught to rule and the Black child
trained to be ruled. The writer defines “training” as
teaching a group what to think rather than how to
think —by making them dependent rather than assist-
ing in developing skills which could be used for
independent activity—by rewarding behavior that
operates against their own group’s interest — by promo-
ting individual rather than group achievement—by
instilling negative self-concepts and low self-esteem,
etc. The opposite of the above mentacidal process
(training) is education in which the learning process
becomes a liberating force.
A final word about the Black Independent Schools
is that they are important not only for how they teach
but for what is taught. Their purpose of instilling
within Black Children an ‘“Afrikan Worldview” is the
Destiny In Jeopardy 39

most important activity those children will ever exper-


ience. Black parents whose children are not in indepen-
dent schools should at a minimum expose them to a
well-structured supplemental Black educational pro-
gram. It should be clear to us now that some of the
most dangerous Blacks in the world are many of those
Brothers and Sisters who finished graduate school
“with honors” and yet operate against the interest of
Blacks because of their Eurocentric Orientation. The
writer does not mean to imply that Blacks should not
attempt to achieve high levels of “training” in white
institutions but should be aware that it is not “educa-
tion” they are receiving. Further there is no attempt
here to glamorize the “street mentality” that is so
prevalent in the Black community today and is creating
widespread destruction. One of the most prevailing
mentacidal myths in the Black community is that
“street sense” is positive. What is really being inferred
is that whites do not control the streets in the Black
community nor the behavior of Blacks on those streets.
It is untrue, whites have more control, or at least as
much control, over Brothers and Sisters in the streets
as well as those in universities. “Street sense” generally
prepares Blacks to deal with one another in very
destructive ways and then the whites wipe-out the
“winner.” All one has to do to verify this reality is to
examine the population of prisons, drug programs,
funeral homes, etc. Yet, Black children in increasingly
large numbers are having to choose between two white
institutions, namely, the public schools and the public
streets — Both will lead to destruction.
It is clear that the solution of our problem is the
development of a Black social theory which will lead to
the salvation of our children’s minds. We must accept
the fact that all activities are political and whether they
10 Bobby E. Wright

operate for or- against our interests will be determined


by our developing the ability to realistically assess and
control the dynamic relationship between us and our
enemies.
A “Black Social Theory” will lead us out of the
whiteness of Eurocentric madness and into the Black-
ness of Afrikan salvation.
A Luta Continua—Lasima Tushinde Mbilishaka
(the struggle will continue and we will conquer without
a doubt).
October, 1979
Chicago, Illinois

References

1. Diop, C.A.D., BBB Interviews Dr. Cheika Anta Diop,


Black Books Bulletin, Institute of Positive Education,
Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 30-37, winter, 1976, Chicago, Illinois.

2. Welsing, F.C.. The Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation


and Racism (White Supremacy), 1970, Washington,
De

3. Wilhams, C., The Destruction of Black Civilization,


1974, Third World Press, Chicago, Illinois.
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Black Studies/Psychology/Sociology

THE PSYCHOPATHIC RACIAL


PERSONALITY
and other essays by Bobby E. Wright

The critique of Black acceptance of white definitions and expos-


ing of the falseness of the definitions themselves is essentially a
reaction of negation. Such negation leaves a void which if not filled
will absolutely depress the masses of Black people. Therefore,
Bobby Wright forcefully emphasized the need for the development
of a truly Black social theory. This is a very difficult assignment and
cannot be accomplished by those brainwashed Black intellectuals
who are awestruck by European theory and theorists....A few of our
bold ancestors lead the way toward the necessary type of thinking.
Such thoughts are the foundation for a black social theory to
which Bobby was a significant contributor. Bobby Wright’s concepts
of the psychopathic racial personality and mentacide were major
contributions to such a theory.
Dr. Jacob H. Carruthers

Mir: 1(olmexel ni
(elele]
(ColamCom Uul-Molarele)inemsy-r-lreamolmelsailaliteliceelale
ideas that speak directly to the African-American exper;
Haki R.

‘THIRD WORLD PRESS


ISBN: 0-88378-071-2
$5.95

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