When We Attack Our Own: How Silence, Smear, and Sellouts Harm Us All
There’s a dangerous pattern repeating itself in our communities—one that’s been rehearsed, reinforced, and re-deployed every time a Black leader steps up and does what too many are afraid to do: lead loudly.
And the most devastating part?
Sometimes the sharpest stones thrown at Black leadership come from Black hands.
The Blueprint to Divide and Conquer — Still in Use
We don’t need to look far to find the tactics. They’ve been around since our ancestors were forced into the hulls of ships, stripped of names, families, and dignity. And the strategy didn’t end at emancipation—it evolved.
Today, media narratives, misinformation campaigns, and coordinated digital attacks are the new whips and chains. And as Onyx Impact confirms in its 2024 Black Online Disinformation Landscape report, this is not random.
“Black leaders are being discredited through online falsehoods designed to erode public trust and suppress political power.” — Onyx Impact
Disinformation isn’t just about lies. It’s about isolating and weakening the credibility of anyone who dares to challenge the system. And we have seen this script before.
From King to Clickbait
In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?:
“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not… the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate... more devoted to order than to justice.”
Dr. King was spied on, denounced, demonized, and dismissed as “too radical” by the same media outlets and elected officials that today’s critics often rush to quote. His truth made people uncomfortable. And many of his harshest critics looked like him.
So let’s be clear: when a Black leader is bold, unapologetic, and assertive, their passion will always be framed as aggression. But when you publicly repeat those frames—when you align with systems that have never celebrated us—you’re not holding anyone accountable. You’re playing your part in their playbook.
When We Attack Our Own, We All Lose
Color of Change put it plainly:
“Attacks on Black leadership are often rooted in systemic efforts to fracture community trust and limit collective power.”
This isn’t about one disagreement or policy decision. This is about how we deal with disagreement.
If you truly care about accountability, you reach out. You offer correction, counsel, or collaboration. You pick up the phone, not the pitchfork.
But if you’re running for office and your first instinct is to perform your outrage publicly, parroting the very media that ignores our progress and preys on our pain—you’re not helping. You’re auditioning.
And the role is "Token for Hire."
First They Came…
Let us remember the chilling words of Pastor Martin Niemöller, whose haunting poem has transcended decades as a warning of what happens when we stay silent… or worse, when we cheer the takedown of our own:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Now imagine this in our context:
First they came for the Black men in leadership—
And we helped.
Then they came for the women.
Then the youth.
Then the elders.
Until we had no leaders left—only overseers.
If You Really Want Change, Build It
If someone genuinely believes a Black leader has fallen short, the solution is not to feed them to the wolves. The solution is to support them in leading better.
Offer solutions, not soundbites.
Make time, not shade.
Show up, don’t just speak out.
MediaJustice reminds us that we must "build a just and participatory media and technology system that strengthens movements for racial justice."
You can’t build anything when you’re busy tearing down your own. Especially not for applause from people who never wanted us to build anything in the first place.
The Real Power Is Ours
In places like Cleveland, where real work is happening—where leaders have delivered millions in development, housing, jobs, and safety, often without cameras—our job is to protect that work, not punch holes in it.
Because the truth is: You don’t need to agree with every move someone makes to honor the movement they’re part of.
The next time someone shows up parroting media narratives, smirking with soundbites, or weaponizing discomfort against one of our own, ask them:
“Whose approval are you really seeking?”
Because when we allow our own to attack our own, we are setting fire to our own house—and wondering why we’re homeless.
Black Vanguard Media stands unapologetically for the integrity, protection, and restoration of Black leadership—especially the kind that doesn’t bend to whiteness, but answers to the people.
If you’re serious about helping us rise, build with us. Don’t break us.