I am appalled to see progressive communist Democrats—mainly Black progressive communist Democrats—continue to denigrate and destroy our country from within. It is disheartening to witness individuals who have risen to positions of power, influence, and immense wealth within a system they now claim is irredeemably racist and oppressive.
Many of these voices use their platforms not to uplift or inspire, but to tear down the very foundations that enabled their success. Instead of championing responsibility, progress, and unity, they trade in divisive rhetoric and victimhood narratives that signal virtue more than build community. In doing so, they betray the legacy of leaders like Booker T. Washington and hinder the cultural and moral progress of the very people they claim to represent.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Booker T. Washington rose to become one of the most influential Black voices in American history. Born into slavery, he rose through grit, education, and relentless effort to become a leading educator, orator, and advisor to presidents. His vision was rooted not in perpetual grievance, but in the transformative power of self-help, education, entrepreneurship, and cultural responsibility.
Washington’s message, particularly in his famous Atlanta Compromise speech, emphasized the importance of Black Americans focusing on vocational training, economic self-reliance, and character development.
All the while, Black communist activists like W.E.B. Du Bois accused him of being too accommodating to white America. Washington’s deeper goal was to build strength from within, arguing that dignity, respect, and equality would naturally follow economic independence and moral fortitude.
Fast forward to today, and we see a perplexing contradiction: many Black Americans have reached extraordinary heights under the very system Washington believed could provide opportunity if properly engaged.
From entertainment moguls and CEOs to billionaires and Senators, success stories abound. Yet some of these very individuals use their platforms not to inspire cultural advancement, unity, or shared responsibility, but to denounce the system that enabled their rise, branding it as inherently and irredeemably racist and oppressive.
This trend raises legitimate questions. How do we reconcile the reality of individual success with a narrative that insists systemic failure is universal and unchangeable? Why do some of the wealthiest, most powerful voices ignore the opportunities they’ve seized in favor of performative grievance?
How do you explain Barack and Michelle Obama? Oprah Winfrey? And their prominent, but less wealthy ilk, when they condemn America as racist and put the blame squarely on those who built the system they profited from?
Booker T. Washington would likely have seen this as a dangerous disservice to the community. In his book Up from Slavery, he warned of a certain type of leadership that profited from agitation more than uplift:
Washington’s concern wasn’t that injustice didn’t exist—it certainly did—but that continually focusing on victimhood rather than solutions would stunt cultural growth. He believed true progress would come when people seized the tools of empowerment rather than weaponized perpetual outrage.
This isn’t to say all criticisms of the system are without merit. Of course, problems remain.
But there’s a difference between calling for reform and actively undermining the foundations of a society that has allowed millions, including many Black Americans, to thrive. It’s one thing to critique with the goal of building; it’s another to condemn while benefiting.
Booker T. Washington’s approach wasn’t perfect, nor universally applicable to every moment in history. But in an age where virtue signaling often replaces virtue itself. Where grievance is sometimes treated as a greater credential than gratitude, his call for personal responsibility, economic empowerment, and cultural dignity still resonates.
Bottom line…
Progress isn’t always loud, nor does wisdom always follow wealth. Often, it looks like individuals taking responsibility for their own actions, nuclear families staying together, communities taking ownership of their futures, and individuals rejecting the narrative of permanent victimhood to build something of lasting value. These were the values Washington preached—perhaps it’s time we gave them another look.
We are all Americans, not Marxist classes of victims!
We are so screwed.
-- Steve