It seems that we have gotten used to looking for excuses rather than answers. It's so much easier to succumb to the urge to blame than to own our future. We, as a people have to come to grips with the fact that we are the architects of many of the problems which plague our streets. Black on Black crime is a prime example. I have heard all of the explanations and/or justifications for the same. Some have legs and others are just stumps. It is true that our views of ourselves have been fractured and distorted by force and a perverse manipulation of what we see in the mirror. Weaves, contacts, blonde, fake this and that and Brothas being attracted to the same bear loud witness to the snail's pace healing of these wounds. However we, as a people, have continued to rip the scabs away and hide behind the ignorance of most regarding history's role in our predicament. The fact is that WE are responsible for the safety of each other. WE are responsible for whether dope is sold in our community. WE bear the shame of Black domestic violence. WE are responsible for how we refer to and portray our women. Our women are responsible for whether they allow themselves to be portrayed negatively. WE are the key to our liberation. Until WE wrap our arms around the world we helped to create, WE will endlessly waddle in the waste of the world.