We are in the last months of the 20th century and with the dawn of the 21st century, we will enter the next millennium. The past one thousand years have been, in virtually every respect, a momentous period in human history. However, changes in technological, bio-genetic/medical, and informational sciences are expected to be so vast in the next century that economic, cultural and social structures will be radically transformed. The simple, but poignant question that will challenge us profoundly in the future is "what will be the consequences of such changes for people and society?" Change does not inevitably, mean 'better', or 'good' for all people equally. A critically important subsection of the larger question is what will be the role of Black people in the anticipated changes? Will we be passive on-lookers or active agents of our particular interests and therefore take command of our own destiny? Can we avoid in the next millennium, what our fate has been during the past thousand years? Are we poised, effectively, on the brink of the new millennium to engage the emerging forces in order to change the course of social relations that have been dominant for the greater part of the past six hundred years?

There is an ancient proverb that says, "It is very difficult to predict, particularly about the future." As true as this may be in terms of specific prediction; we can nonetheless make reasonable assessments about the probability of the kind of future we are likely to inherit. In this instance, in order to see sufficiently forward, it is necessary to look adequately backward to review history.

Dr. W.E.B DuBois, undoubtedly, one of the great scholars of the 20th century predicted accurately, "The problem of the twentieth century will be the problem of the color line." He could not have been more correct! But, he could have just as well applied his analysis to the new millennium. The "color problem" has its roots deep in the history of the current millennium. For several millenniums, Africa, Asia, and the region presently referred to as the Middle-East and the surrounding environs, were the center of the world. It was there, in Africa to be precise, that human history began, and progressed to its highest forms. The foundations of medical and physical sciences, logical reasoning and mathematics, ethical philosophy and religion, art and engineering, astronomy and ocean circumnavigation, systematic agriculture-plant cultivation and animal husbandry for human nutrition were developed in Africa. Dr. John Henrik Clarke has pointed out that at the time African societies emerged, there was no Europe. I know this is hard on the imagination, but Europe had not yet joined civilization. When Europe was born, Africa, particularly Nubia, Egypt and Ethiopia, already had enjoyed 10,000 years of history. However, with the rise of the bellicose Roman Empire, the world entered the most dangerous period, known to humankind up to that point, that would reverse much of the social order of the world. It is important for us to understand how African people, who were among the first in the world, were reduced to the bottom of the world order (humankind). Those societies that were among the most advanced were shattered and their people became among the least developed. This dramatic turn of events was, in large measure, due to European expansion and imperialism that resulted in the enslavement and colonization of two thirds of the world’s people, their land and resources. These actions were predicated upon the invented fiction of race.

To Europeans the conquest of the earth meant taking away from other people, who for the most part, did not look like them. The massive appropriation of wealth and labor from other people is the basis for modern racism and the world (racial) order of the global economy. Europeans are positioned at the height of, and in command of the world order; Africans/Black people in Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas are at the base of the world order. Therefore, the global system is a racial system. Right now, I can imagine some readers are thinking, but what does this history have to do with us, at this time, here in America, as we approach the next millennium? The patterns of structural organization, and socio-economic and political forces from this system will carry-over and influence the course of the next millennium. The social order of the United States derives from this history and reflects the institutionalized patterns of racial hierarchy, dominance, and inequality.

From the beginning of their forced movement to Europe and the Americas, African people initiated and sustained a movement of resistance to racial oppression and unyielding opposition to racism in its myriad of forms. Moreover, Black people have led the struggle to expand the concepts of freedom and justice, equality and fundamental human rights in the political culture of this country; thereby creating a richer texture to the meaning and challenges of democracy. No other people are identified more with making 'democracy' real and more inclusive than are Black people. From its inception, the founding of the United States predicated a fundamental contradiction. The English colonists argued, and fought, with the British monarchy for their liberty, while at the same time, they began a systematic process of massive genocide against the first nations (American Indians) of this continent, and introduced slavery based on racial (color) identity. It is critically important to understand this historical framework to understand the present and the future. America has never acknowledged this basic hypocrisy that compromises its moral and political values. Denial about race and history characterizes American culture. The greatest human accomplishment of this millennium has been the tenacious efforts, and indomitable will and self-determination of the enslaved Africans to assure their survival, and the eventual emancipation of their descendants. At every important stage of history Africans/Black people fought for their freedom.

Consequently, the successful African-American liberation (i.e. Civil Rights) movements afford young African Americans unprecedented opportunities. Black men and women are pursuing professions in science, law, business, arts and entertainment, in both the public and private sectors, that were unavailable to their parents and grandparents. There are opportunities for wealth and power, but there are also serious social consequences for our community. The new generation of African-American professionals are almost exclusively employed at white owned or controlled corporations, law firms, medical institutions, universities, newspapers, etc. With their new opportunities, they are able to move out of the cities or to recently 'integrated' areas. At their jobs, they confront the reality of being a very small minority in a situation where the power and decision-making are dominated by white males. Their children are most often among very few Black students at school. These situations pose new racial experiences which have significant implications for cultural socialization and racial identity. Moreover, Black students are neglecting traditional fields as teachers, morticians, and African-American businesses in insurance, savings and loan banks and newspaper publication. These sociological changes are transforming the social structure of African-American communities. In previous generations doctors, lawyers, educators, artists, and musicians lived in close proximity to factory laborers, maids, truck drivers, clerks, secretaries and postal workers in the same community attending the same schools, churches, restaurants, night clubs and recreational sites. This produced shared social values, integrated families, and common cultural experiences. If the social dichotomies of the present continue, African-American communities will become more fractured at a time when we need to consolidate our political and economic resources.

The opportunities available to the new Black middle class are based on skills and knowledge, requiring college and graduate education. However, the precise technological changes that are revolutionizing production and the workplace in conjunction with downsizing the labor force, and outsourcing jobs are progressively eliminating well paying industrial employment. These patterns are particularly harmful to Black working-class families who are enduring high rates of unemployment, poverty and life without health care or retirement benefits. The economic infrastructure of the inner-cities is deteriorating. Middle-class African Americans contend with the racial limitations of the glass-ceilings. Black workers confront widespread racial discrimination in employment, in skilled trades and craft unions. All African Americans are threatened by police brutality and racism in the criminal justice systems. Urban public schools are overwhelmingly Black and Latino, poor and underachieving. African Americans are disproportionately represented, by factors of two or three times greater than the national average, in the leading categories of the most chronic and deadly diseases. A recent American Medical Association study revealed that physicians and hospitals are less likely to provide Black patients with the most advanced technology and medication in treatment for cancers and cardiac diseases. Income and wealth disparity are the bases of race and economic inequality in the United States. The conditions are severe enough for sociologists and economists to refer to persistent poverty and a permanent Black underclass as systemic. Moreover, we have the anomalous situation whereby entertainers and athletes are the most popular and wealthy African-American public figures. Unfortunately, contemporary athletes and entertainers are conspicuously apolitical, never speaking out against racism or in support of social justice, which is a blatant departure from the tradition of socially-responsible public figures such as: Paul Robeson, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Tommy Smith, John Carlos, and Muhammad Ali, among others. Apparently, these patterns will transform into the next millennium.

African Americans will be severely challenged in the new millennium to produce effective bases of wealth and power capable of supporting Black social institutions; and advancing their political interests and a social agenda to uplift the whole group. Ironically the limited success of the Civil Rights Movement and desegregation are being used as evidence against further support and enforcement of civil rights polices. The conservative movement in American politics is blatantly undermining liberal public policy intended to reform race relations and afford a modicum of racial/social equality. There are significant, growing signs that the body politic is becoming more conservative on strategic economic and social issues. At stake is the very heart of the public discourse on racism and social policy. Legions of conservative politicians, media commentators, journalists, university professors, intellectuals, as well as middle-class and working-class whites alike proclaim that racism has virtually disappeared as a significant factor within the economy and the political order. A highly well-financed conservative campaign has shifted the political debate on race relations to aggressive opposition to liberal social policy. Black people and civil rights organizations have been put on the defensive.

Conservative social critics foster "the illusion that equality between the races has been achieved, and that the activism characteristic of the previous generation's freedom struggle is no longer relevant to contemporary realities." Conservative activists target affirmative action policies as no longer necessary. Moreover, they accuse affirmative action programs of reverse discrimination against whites. This is a false discourse, because racial inequality continues in all aspects of American social life. For instance, the National Bar Association pointed out recently the evidence supports the complaints of racial discrimination by Supreme Court justices in hiring their own law clerks. Those who benefit materially from institutionalized racism are resistant to change, thereby seeking to maintain the status quo of the post-civil rights era, preserve the legacy of 'white skin privilege' and dominance of the majority group. The false discourse on race must be vigorously challenged.

The critical task ahead for the African American community is to inspire a new cadre of socially conscious, progressive leaders who appreciate their political heritage of resistance to racism and white supremacy. We will have to compete for the heart and minds of the current generation, who do not have personal experience with the struggle to abolish segregation. Young African Americans must be encouraged to recognize that the movement for social equality and economic justice is far from complete. A new political discourse must be established in the community to develop a systematic Black Agenda for strategic empowerment for the next millennium. African Americans will have to reinvigorate their social vision of a just and equitable society. This mission is the responsibility mostly of the new Black petite bourgeoisie, principally because they benefit most, and gain much, as a result of the risk and sacrifices made by those who participated directly in the dangerous freedom movement. Young African-American professionals must be willing to return to the source to resurrect their ancestral memories in order to rejuvenate their cultural identity and political integrity. In solidarity with their working- class brothers and sisters, they must stand unequivocally and advocate without hesitation for the principles of freedom, equality and human rights. Together, we need to build a strong Black organizational foundation for our community to face the challenges into the coming millennium.