Divide, Distract, Defeat: How False Narratives Undermine Black Power

In every generation, Black communities have birthed visionary individuals and organizations committed to liberation, self-determination, and economic empowerment. These entities often rise with authenticity, free from external control and beholden only to the people they serve. Yet, time and time again, as soon as real progress is on the horizon, a familiar tactic appears: the smear campaign.

Whether through whispers in barbershops, side-eyes on social media, or headline hit jobs, many of our strongest leaders and organizations find themselves under attack — not by the powers that be, but by the very people they aim to uplift. These attacks are rarely spontaneous. They are carefully crafted narratives designed to distract, divide, and destroy.

Let’s be clear: every movement needs accountability. But what we often see isn’t accountability — it’s character assassination. It's gossip dressed up as concern. And more often than not, these narratives don’t originate from our communities. They are planted by those who fear what true Black independence looks like.

Instead of interrogating the source, we amplify the noise. We repost. We retweet. We talk behind closed doors. And while we’re busy fighting each other, our neighborhoods are being bought up, our businesses are being replaced, and our children are being programmed to believe that we are our own worst enemy.

We once owned the corner stores, the beauty shops, the real estate agencies, and the small banks. Now those same blocks are lined with businesses owned by people who don't live there, don't hire from there, and don't invest there — but who profit every day from what was once ours. That loss didn’t happen solely through economic pressure. It happened because we stopped protecting our own.

Here’s the truth: we don’t have to always agree. Healthy disagreement is necessary for growth. But tearing each other down in public, especially without facts or dialogue, doesn’t help us — it helps those who benefit from our division. It helps the same systems that rely on Black dysfunction for profit. It helps gentrifiers, speculators, and corporations quietly take everything while we’re distracted by infighting.

It’s time to reject the role of unpaid agent in the campaign to dismantle our own progress. If you’re slinging mud at those doing the work — especially without stepping up yourself — you are the sellout. You are the tool. And history will not remember you kindly.

We must mature into a place where we can coexist even with different approaches, where we discuss strategy and not slander, and where we protect Black institutions from baseless attacks. When someone steps up to lead, let’s ask questions, offer help, and hold honest conversations. Let’s stop letting lies take root while the truth is still putting on its shoes.

The future of our communities depends on our ability to unify, not perfectly, but purposefully. The next generation is watching. And if we’re not careful, they’ll inherit a legacy of division — not because of our enemies, but because we mistook them for each other.

Let’s be the generation that finally sees through the tactic. Let’s build — not burn — what we’ve been waiting for.

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