A New Relationship Standard: Dating and Marriage in the Black Collective

In the Black collective we have a plethora of complications related to relationships. The key area is standards, we either have them set too low or too unrealistically high when it comes to potential mates. Regardless of where you land what I am introducing is a new criterion to add to the list. It’s not actually new in the sense that it was generated uniquely with myself but it is new in the sense that it needs to resurface in the Black consciousness commencing within this generation. That new standard is the person has to be a “builder”.

I am not talking about the person needs to work in the field of construction or has the vocation of contractor however it can relate to that area. Allow me to delineate what is meant by a builder at this instance. A “builder” is that the person needs to have the desire to erect something that will establish the financial independence from the general system and attain and maintain financial stability. I am talking about the person needs to have an entrepreneurial spirit but also a doer and not just a dreamer. They do not have a desire to be will paid employee but be a well-paying employer.

Vision

With being a builder the person must have vision, they must be able to envision their efforts stretching far into the future. Leaving a legacy to those that come after. This legacy can be found in the progeny that comes from your union inheriting the “family business” and taking it to the subsequent stratum. Alternatively this legacy can be also seen in the many businesses that was birthed from the fruits of your own. As some of the proceeds went towards assisting other brothers and sisters in the struggle attain financial autonomy from the White Supremacist system.

This is the “new” standard that Black men and women need to supplement their list of potential mates. Instead of prioritizing aesthetic qualities, or how much money the dominant society pays them you need to prioritize their desire to build and whether there are no ceiling concerning their vision and whether they have the resolve to carry it out.