| Preface
The motivation that
compelled me to write Entering the Promised Land arose
dramatically and unexpectedly on December 4, 2002,
when something prompted me to stand before a powerful
business group in downtown Houston and deliver an
impromptu message about African-American Houstonians
and the economic and business issues affecting them.
After that speech,
I was overcome with fear for having been so outspoken
and prayed to God for help and to find an inner peace
that had eluded me. That help came in the form of
what I call divine intervention from God: meeting
people before and during the writing of this book
who would provide assistance and the gathering or
research information that appeared to be literally
thrown in front of me.
What started out as
delving into black people’s business issues
quickly developed into biblical reading and study.
I went on a journey that took me from the secular,
to the biblical, and back to the secular. My journey
led me to research from current times back to the
Civil Rights era of the 1960s; to ancient Egypt and
the Promised Land; across the Sahara Desert to the
west coast of Africa; across the Atlantic Ocean, to
Jamestown, Va., and plantations in the South; back
to the Civil Rights era; and back to the present.
My research gained
new momentum after I read a copy of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.’s 1968 speech, “I See the Promised
Land.” While reading the speech, I was amazed
at the broad scope of subjects Dr. King addressed
and the intensity of his words. Much of what he said
is still quite relevant to black people’s lives
today.
For me, there was
no turning back as the path was clear. The more I
read the speech and read the Bible, I knew the answers
to black people’s economic problems were in
the Bible. As I started my reading, I quickly saw
the parallel between the prophet Moses and Dr. Martin
Luther King. Moses led the children of Israel out
of Egypt (and their subsequent camping at Mount Sinai).
Dr. King led the Civil Rights Movement, which brought
about the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
I believe Entering
the Promised Land is the Rosetta Stone that unlocks
the history of black people in America. This book
is about deciphering the true meaning of words as
they relate to the history of black people. Once you
have read this book, perhaps more than once, you will
have what I believe is a true sense of black people’s
heritage and history. This book should stimulate your
thinking and reasoning about that history and how
it transcends time and relates to our present day.
This book, while clearly
focused on the African-Americans, is not meant to
exclude non-black readers; rather it is an attempt
to encourage understanding and dialogue among all
races and religions. It is also an attempt to encourage
everyone — particularly black people themselves
— to cultivate true respect and admiration for
the long and turbulent history of African-descended
peoples and their struggle against adversity.
It is crucial that
young African-Americans to stop and reflect on the
1,800 years of missing African history; the African-American
struggle against slavery; and the legalized oppression
of the Jim Crow era. In spite of such brutal adversity,
black men and women survived and sustained themselves
through a sense of self-worth — and a strong
faith in God’s promise of deliverance.
In short, African-Americans must learn that our history
is much deeper and broader than what has been promoted
by today’s mass media. Some of the greatest
black role models were never featured on magazine
covers or in television interviews. Take note of the
countless numbers of black men and women around the
world who rose against all odds to become sports legends,
creators of fine art, successful business leaders
or dedicated and effective civic or political leaders.
African-Americans
throughout history stand as everlasting examples of
how to survive and overcome overwhelming obstacles.
This will become evident as you walk with me on a
journey that begins with a walk in a world of giants
and then sorts out our past to show the biblical ancestry
of blacks, which lays the groundwork for a more prosperous
black future in the United States.
After reading this
book, it is my hope that the reader will agree, the
best is yet to come and that African-Americans will
once again enter the Promised Land.
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