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By no means am I underestimating white power or it's destructive impact. And we know how large numbers of whites can be galvanized by racist appeals, But the monolithic notion of white unity is a fallacy. Talking and thinking about whites as a unified group ignores whites' self-perception as individuals. It also fails to take class and gender inequality into consideration. More importantly, it disempowers black people fighting for positive social change by focusing on some kind of unattainable " black unity" to counter racism and economic injustice. Because white people are so numerous and relatively well off in most ways as a group compared to black people it's easy to think they are constantly motivated by some sense of racial consciousness. Of course, discrimination against us makes it seem that way. But whites think of themselves as individuals first and foremost. They come together only to the extent that certain individuals see mutual benefit in doing so. They compete and they conflict in all kinds of ways and whiteness is never a consideration unless or until black people come along. However not all whites are racist, nor have they ever supported it. White people do things for each other out of moral consideration or self-interest not whiteness. But it's important to recognize economic inequality and the class divide. Rich white capitalists past and present have often exploited and undermined all workers regardless of race. So radical and reform minded whites have fought to tame Capitalism or Socialists have called for its abolition. By reforming the socioeconomic system (think - center left liberalism) through the New Deal America became a better place mainly for white working people. None of this excludes male domination and sexism against women. White men felt justified as men denying women regardless of color the right to vote or do anything else in society until women mostly whites fought for social change. Even in that endeavor race complicated things. Black men and women fighting against racism also challenged gender inequality. But many white women fighting sexism past, and present are racist too. The challenge is for black people who oppose racism, sexism, and economic injustice to build mass support for social change among other blacks and non-blacks. It is important to recognize that black people differ among themselves too. Some oppose activist struggle for change. They believe in adaptation or accommodation. There are wealthy blacks who don't want the economy changed. Other blacks believe in male domination over women black or white. Black people have all kinds of views. We are Black Nationalists, Socialists, Conservatives, Moderates, Democrats, and Republicans. Some of us think improvement is collective while others are individualist. Ultimately unity in some monolithic sense is not possible.

I'm still here. 😁 It's cold around these parts but thankfully we didn't get any snow and not too much ice from the rain.😎

@Pioneer1 If I had the time I would welcome all new members: Hi @Don, @Michaelallen, @emilyhkeough, @Timothy Watson, @FedUp, @bbracks2, @bays, and @mat welcome to the forums! Please share your thoughts 🙂 There are 8,500 accounts of those 6,000 were banned as spammers -- most before they even posted. Still that leaves 2,500 valid and active accounts. Many added profile images but never posted or posted very little like; @A.L. Gibson , @B.L. Brown, @C.L.Swayzer, @D. Haynes The Author, @Eclectuals, @Fatima Shaik, @Gail Diamond, @Hassahn, @Icomeinpeace1, @J. Wells, @Kahlil Crawford, @ladiechat, @M. Ann Machen Pritchard, @nadivyah hargrove, @ocartman1, @P. Allen Jones, @Queen melanin, @Rae, @S. Denice Newton, @TableFables, @Uniquelymade7, @Valorena, @Walkman93, @Xavier Rudduck, @Yao, @Zig Zag

Chev Ogun is also the Deity of war in West African religion. It is said that one of the Deities Who were called upon by many of the Haitians for the Revolution during their ceremony in Bois Caman was Ogun.

Interesting. I just read about Ogoun, the metal god of that region in Benin [Dahomey], Yoruba, Brazil, and elsewhere!