Our Voices: Let Us Not Forget Whose We Are

By: Bobby Henry, Sr.

A Message From The Publisher

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

In the words of the late gospel singer Lee Williams, I can’t give up now. I can’t turn around, come too far. These words ring true today more than ever. No matter what the Musk/Trump administration manipulates or concocts against us, we must remember—nothing they do can be worse than what we’ve already endured. And through all that we have come through, we did not come through it alone.

Our progress has never been built solely by one race, one class, or one belief system. Instead, it has been a coalition of people from all walks of life—united by a shared vision that all men and women should be created and treated equally. That same unity, that same faith, must be what fuels us now as we confront any efforts to dismantle the hard-fought progress made to bring this country together.

Unfortunately, we see the signs of a rising threat—an agenda that mirrors the early stages of fascism. History has taught us that when fascism begins to take root, it is the people who must rise to defend democracy. But we must also remember, we do not want to see this country descend into chaos or civil war.

Our fight is not one of violence but of unwavering faith, resilience, and action. We must stand firm in the truth, not be swayed by fear or division, and continue the work of those who came before us. Our ancestors did not endure slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation just for us to sit idly by while power-hungry leaders attempt to strip away our rights and rewrite history in their favor.

Let us not forget who’s we are. We are people who have survived, who have thrived, and who have always found a way forward through faith and perseverance. No matter what comes next, we cannot give up now.

When Frederick Douglass stood before the nation and delivered his scorching Fourth of July speech, he asked, “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?” His words still echo today as we watch the forces of greed and oppression try to reclaim power and erase the struggles and sacrifices of so many. It is in that same spirit that we must stand—unapologetic, unwavering, and unwilling to be erased from the fabric of this nation we helped build.

Malcolm X declared, “By any means necessary.” That was not a call for chaos, but a call for determination and strength to hold true to what is right. And in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we remember that all men are created equal and must be judged not by the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, or how they worship, but by the content of their character.

The blood of many different people nourishes the soil of this country—Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and ally alike. Their sacrifices paved the road we walk today, and we be damned if we let the likes of Elon Musk, Donald Edward Trump, and their sycophants drag this nation into the depths of division and destruction.

Fascism does not announce itself with a grand entrance; it creeps in through fear, through silence, through the slow erosion of truth. And we cannot afford to be silent. We cannot afford to look away.

We stand on the shoulders of giants who fought, bled, and died for the freedoms we cherish. We will not cower. We will not back down. We will fight—not with weapons of war, but with the unshakable power of truth, unity, and faith.

Let us not forget who’s we are. We are people of resilience. A people of strength. A people of faith. No matter what comes next, we cannot give up now.

Bobby Henry, Sr. is the publisher of the Westside Gazette and chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association-NNPA