Still in Bondage

By James F. Plain

This book is not only a must read for children. However, it can serve as a valuable source of information and reference for couples with children, and who may find value in its reference to parenting.
Theres no myth in the fact that within the African-American community, a lack of education is responsible for it rapidly decaying. Without intervention, there is little hope in reversing the current trends plaguing these communities, and our nation. What affects a few of us, affects all of America. Thus, in order for us to move forward as a nation, we must come together for this great cause. For the benefit of all Americans, the ultimate goal should be to educate, re-direct, and uplift the African-American community.
Reading through chapter one The Pitfalls of the African-American Community, one can clearly see that it is rapidly decaying. For example; Black-on Black crime across America is rampant, out of control, and continues to be at an all-time high. In addition, the mass-incarceration of Black men continues to be disproportionate to that of other ethnic groups across America.
Chapter four offers valuable information pertaining to career planning. Like education, career planning is a valuable component of success, and is the key to realizing the American dream.
Couples who may be contemplating marriage will find value in chapter five The Financial Challenges of Marriage and in chapter six The Essence of Marital Reciprocity.
Chapter seven reveals why ethnic loyalty is of the essence in the African-American community. While it emphasizes marrying someone of your own ethnic identity, it does not advocate alienation or separation.
Chapter eight, Emancipation though Education, is included as a solution toward reversing the negative effects of black on black crime and subsequent, incarceration related to crimes such as drug dealing, bank robberies and other incriminating offenses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491801925

James F. Plain

James Plain was born to Felix and Margaret Plain in a small town located in rural Mississippi. Born the sixth of seven siblings, he is the only of them to serve in the military. He is not fond of politics. However, he is proud to be an American, and has a genuine and passionate concern for the happiness of all Americans. In recent years, he has been deeply troubled by the negative issues plaguing the African-American community. His immediate concern is the disproportionate mass-incarceration of Black men across America. In addition, he is deeply outraged by all the rampant, Black-on Black crime plaguing our communities and our nation. His purpose for writing this book is generally inspired by the above-mentioned negative stigma which, in essence, is causing a portion of our society to decay! Through his advocacy for social justice, he feels that legislation must be challenged to dismantle the practice which is responsible for the disproportionate mass-incarceration of Black men. In regards to Black –on- Black crime, his view is; individuals who commits such hideous acts, are victims of their own demise, and should therefore, be brought to justice. When asked if there’s hope in resolving the above issues, his reply is; “certainly, make no mistake about it, I have a solution to solving these problems”. He further states that; “the key is education”. He admits that change won’t happen overnight, and it’s going to take time. However, he feels that where education is concerned, intervention is of the essence. His ultimate goal, as stated in chapter eight, is to initiate a program for children called; Black Youth Educational Program (B.Y.E.P). He contends that the program will be overseen by his Organization for Social and Economic Development (O.S.E.D.) When asked, how long it will take to see change, his reply is; let’s give it twenty years.

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© 2013 by James F. Plain. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/24/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0193-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0191-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0192-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013913541

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Chapter I The Pitfalls of the African-American Community

Chapter II The Family Chronicle of Principles

Chapter III The ABC’s of Phenomenal Parenting

Chapter IV Career Planning Strategy

Chapter V The Financial Challenges of Marriage

Chapter VI The Essence of Marital Reciprocity

Chapter VII The Importance of Ethnic Loyalty

Chapter VIII Emancipation through Education

Chapter IX The Final Analysis

About the Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my loving mother and my wonderful father who brought me into this world, and taught me how to survive, even through adversity. I am especially grateful to my mom who taught me about the agape love of Jesus at an early age. She constantly stressed the vital importance of loving everyone unconditionally, regardless of their faults, religious preference, beliefs, or ethnicity. Because of my connection with the intimate values which she taught me to live by, I am often labeled as a softie, but that’s okay, I can live with that. Because, like her; I too am living for Jesus. Again; I thank you, mom, and thank you, dad for being such loving and caring parents. I love you very much, and may you continue to rest in peace!

mother

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Acknowledgements

To my wife and best friend, (Bertheen), thank you for your infinite patience and understanding as I sat up late nights, and into the early morning writing, editing, and writing some more before coming to bed. Without your constant encouragement and motivation, this work would never have come to fruition. For, all of your support, patients, and love, I am forever indebted to you. Again, I thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I extend many thanks to my two wonderful daughters, Erica and Janel, for constantly reminding me about the importance of keeping the reader’s interest. Thank you too for reminding me not to appear so aggressive and passionate when speaking on topics relating to, Black-on Black crime, and drug involvement by Blacks. After re-visiting chapter one (the pitfalls of the African-American community), I couldn’t agree with you more, I had a lot of editing to do. It was obvious; these two topics had me into an absolute rage. For both of your constructive advice and support, I am indeed grateful, and thank you both for being such wonderful and loving daughters. I love you both with all my heart. I would also like to thank my brother, Jimmy, and my sisters, Joann, Betty and Shirley for your constant encouragement and support while writing this manuscript. I extend a special thanks to you Betty for constantly making this work a topic of conversation, and even when writing was the least of things on my mind; you would always mention the book. Thank you Shirley; for constantly keeping all of your siblings and family in your prayers. Even before you became ordained into the ministry, you were praying for our safety, our good health, our prosperity, as well as our cohesiveness as a family. There have been countless times when my own life was in grave danger and without being aware of the imminent danger I was in, your prayers saved my life. I don’t know how you do it but, every time I’m in trouble, you seem to pray the right prayer at the right time. For all of your prayers and concerns, I am forever grateful, and I love all of you with all my heart. I would also like to extend a very special thanks to my extended family; Wardell and Martha Wright. Although the two of you became my brother and sister through our parents getting married, I couldn’t have been more proud to have acquired additional siblings to make my family complete. Yes, we shared some precious moments together over the years, and I will forever cherish them dearly. Dale, I do realize that you have endured an awful lot of pain and suffering over the last few years. However, you can be certain that you are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. We all love you very much and we pray for your full recovery. Martha, we miss you more than words could ever express, we know that you are in a better place, and we pray that you will continue to rest in peace. Finally, but certainly not least, I would like to extend a very special thanks to my deceased siblings; Samuel and Estella. First and foremost, many thanks to both of you for all the precious and wonderful memories we shared growing up together. I often think of the special bond we shared while sitting on the living room floor and listening to our mother reciting bed-time stories. Often, she would repeat the same stories she told us the night before. However, that didn’t matter to us. All we wanted was to stare at her face and listen to her with pin-pointed focus. (She has always meant everything to us). I extend a very special thanks to you Samuel for having my back when I faced intimidation from bullies. Before things got out of hand, you were there to protect me, and for all the times you came to my rescue, I thank you. I pray that you will continue to rest in peace. We all miss and love you. I extend a very hearty thanks to you Estella for revealing to me what can be accomplished when individuals are brave and outspoken. You always had a way with words, and you weren’t very easily intimidated. You always said what was on your mind, and refused to back down from anyone. Possessing those attributes served you well, and over the years, I too have benefitted by observing your success. For that, I thank you with all my heart. Continue to rest in peace, we love you dearly!

Prologue

When I first sat down to write this book, my goal was to identify the core nature of the complex problems plaguing the African-American community. After dissecting the history of our lives here in America, including the horrors of slavery, the emancipation proclamation, the reconstruction era, along with the civil rights movement, I found the treasure of my search. In the end, I concluded that; in addition to the disproportionate, mass-incarceration of Black men in America, we are also faced with a serious dilemma of self-imposed bondage. Considering the magnitude of this dilemma, I find it fitting to use as a title for this book: Still in Bondage (and to a great extent, self-imposed).

My next challenge was to devise a method of revealing my findings without possibly insulting either, members of my own African-American heritage, or of my fellow, White American brothers and sisters. However, I envisioned that, to a great extent, this was sheer optimism. At any rate, I came to the conclusion that the truth must be told, and due to the nature of it all, some level of discomfort was inevitable. Let me say further that, in order to identify with the focus of this book, one must not be easily swayed by ridicule, or by accusations. Nor should they be eager to insert inferences based on their misinterpreted perception of what I wish to convey.

Further, I can assure you that; much of what I have to say here is based on my own personal experiences. Therefore, one can be certain that I will never attempt to protect someone, or, for that matter, some cause by hiding the truth. While writing this book, every attempt was made to be honest and truthful. While reading these next few pages, be also mindful that honesty is a conquest. We have to learn it gradually. However, when we do, we will become stronger, more ethical and more mature with our actions. In order to look an individual in the face with conviction, one must constantly honor the truth. On the other hand, if we lie, or if we are not clear about what we want to say, then we will have a face without form. Otherwise, to be honest means to recognize a problem rather than pretend it doesn’t exist. In America, it’s no secret, The African-American community in this nation, does, in fact, have its share of problems.

The key thing to remember here is that; whether we are African-American, Hispanic-American, or otherwise, the bottom line is this; we are all Americans. The way I understand it, none of us, except for the Native American Indians are indigenous to this country called America. However, circumstances dictate that we are all in the same melting pot. Therefore, for the sake of