Finally! The Republican majority Senate voted to end the longest government shutdown in history with the support of a handful of Democrats. It is highly likely that the Republican held House will approve the funding bill, and President Trump will sign it.

Gains? Losses? Their measure will be debated over the next few months, but citizens will continue to suffer the pains of food and health insecurity.

Who was to blame?

Quinnipiac Poll is considered the most independent, non-partisan public poll and is often sited in media, places the Republicans a few points ahead of the Democrats for fault, but by only a few points.

While I’m not elected, I too bear some responsibility. If nothing else, I am tasked with not forgetting the past trials and tribulations that Black folk have overcome and reciting them whenever I can, calling for corrections at each turn.

Occasional opinion columns aside, I’ve been standing on the sidelines, a participant observer, not a frontline warrior. I have not done enough to help undo the wrongs that undermine democracy, but I’m prepared to correct myself.

Voting in every election is the least of my duties. Protesting in writing is another.

Wonder why SNAP food stamps and health insurance premiums became ping pong issues? Pundits say that the debates and delays are because the Trump administration is banking on outcomes from the midterm elections to further solidify its position of power. The tactic is cynical and strategic.

But Black folk must remain vigilant. We cannot forget ruling party policies have seldom, if ever, been designed to serve the greater needs of the masses without losing their grip on power, true for Democrats as well as Republicans. A review of America’s history shows in stark clarity how winning power begets more power, that being the end point.

Even while history is being rewritten, new narratives cannot disguise how only a handful of individuals in today’s billionaire class, and the majority elected political party got power from the blind faith of an electorate that cannot count past their last paycheck.

We should not blame the electorate since it is human nature to yearn for leadership. But dependence on wise and moral leaders relies on an outdated model. In today’s world, merits are greatly rewarded to individuals for leaving the group, being a “maverick,” adopting alternative theories, and voting against established interests.

A case in point: The growing number of Blacks who have aligned with conservative Republican values, alarming, yet understandable, has yielded an unprecedented number of Blacks who voted for Trump, especially Black men.

As a monolithic group, Black Americans have been expected to perform as super Americans, perfectly assimilating, e.g., speaking the standard English, adopting manners and deportment reflecting the majority culture, worshiping the right Christian deity, and voting the popular ticket.

We have been rewarded by being allowed to continue to still live and breathe if you consider a negative response a reward.

Lest we forget, Black history is filled with instances of state-sanctioned violence aimed to eliminate our very existence: 250-plus years of chattel slavery, medical experimentations, mass incarcerations, redlining, drug-infused neighborhoods, gentrification, threats of starvation (denial of food subsidies), sustained impoverishment and continuous disenfranchisement, to name a few methods used by the authorities.

Yet, we still rise.

But our strength is diminished when we choose to support policies and people, Black and white, that constantly place us in alignment with our oppressors.

Where are the positive rewards? Once, the promise of a chicken in every pot was enough. The Civil Rights era was rewarding, though limited, but the gains are being dismantled. Some conservative Blacks are even celebrating the demise of those legislative milestones, seemingly forgetting about the history of Blacks in America.

What else is Trump prepared to sign? Checks for $2000 to every taxpayer, except for the wealthy.

Don’t be fooled.

Consideration for reparations is real, achievable and has an actual calculated amount ($6+ trillion) in cash payment owed (calculated on today’s value of 40 acres pledged after the Civil War).

That is nearly $150k per individual, or $375k per household!

But support for serious support of cash reparations has not yet become a viable movement; no concrete plans, no viable strategies, and no organized masses have taken up the banner. Plus, too many Blacks do not favor what some call more ‘entitlements’, echoing that conservative viewpoint- still forgetting our history.

What would it take to adopt a revolutionary stance in support of this recurring idea? The notion squarely fits into a “resistance” history narrative, breaking from the erroneous story told in American history books.

I yearn for a time when we are all reading from the same book; same chapter and verse.

I stand firm in my zeal for this payment. What more can I do? What about you? Seize the day. Remember the words of Cinque: “Give us freedom.”