The plague and persistence of oppression within Black communities have made it convenient and consistent for us to perceive the need for salvation and a savior, thus, a preoccupation on a messiah. Throughout our sojourn on this continent, we have witnessed the rise and fall of many. Some have been self-appointed and some community anointed, but all serving our fixation and a few fighting for our liberation. Through educational, religious, judicial, or political institutions, the goals have been deliverance from the progenies of white supremacy into the promised land of peaceful coexistence. For example, during slavery, Nat Turner’s slave revolt cast him as a revolutionary messiah who took up the yoke of Christ to fight against the serpent. Another form of salvation came from the emancipation proclamation (Proclamation 95), a presidential proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln (savior) that freed all enslaved people. Another example of salvation came from the savior Marcus Garvey for many, and his plan of salvation was Black nationalism, economic independence, and a return to the Motherland. What about our intellectual savior, W.E.B DuBois, and his gospel of the Talented Tenth? Or maybe, our pragmatic savior in Booker T. Washington and his messianic messages of self-help, hard work, and accumulation of material wealth. Or, it was seen in the savior, Reverend Dr. Martin L. King, and the legal activism of the Civil Rights Movement and an appeal to the oppressors’ morality as our salvation. Another example can be seen with savior Minister Malcolm X and Islam being our salvation. A final example is former President Barack Obama, who symbolically empowered and mesmerized many with his messianic message of hope. This list is abbreviated, but my point should be evident, and that is we (the Black community collective) have had our share of messiah-types, thus, rendering many within our communities to continue on the journey in search of a messiah to deliver us from the oppressive regime of white supremacy.
Now we have the revolutionary athletic personality and icon, Coach Deion Sanders. His entry into college football began as Jackson State University’s (JSU) head football coach. Given the context and current configuration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), his presence, although on a smaller scale relative to the aforementioned messianic leaders, was just as significant. His iconic and charismatic personality created an atmosphere of restoration and hope. The attention he garnered for JSU and HBCUs collectively, and specifically, the city of Jackson during a water contamination crisis was tactical in providing small-scale social change, where many people took notice, and some responded positively. Thus, his social capital and persona were a momentary saving grace to dire conditions that often erupt in neglected communities and Black institutions suffering from political deprivation.
Though he does not have the pedigree of an HBCU, he is a product of a Black community, which makes him eligible with some credentials to function in this space. More importantly, he had a word from God that ordained his presence at JSU. This ordination carries a lot of weight in a community that values God’s word and the sanctity of the ones sent by Him. Couple this charge from the Almighty with two years of unprecedented success (i.e., two consecutive SWAC championships), I believe, placed Sanders in an exalted position. With this position comes enormous pressure to deliver and bring deliverance. It harnesses tremendous praise and adoration when successful, but woe be unto him who does not deliver and fails to bring deliverance; or decides to alter the plan of God for personal gain. Clearly, I am strictly speaking from the religious fervor surrounding those with a messiah complex and those who have a fixation on needing a messiah.
Did Coach Sanders hear from God? He could have. But which God? Could God have given him a new assignment – to go to Colorado? Sure. I would never put myself in a position to judge whether a person is divinely orchestrated to fulfill a specific task unless it is a total contradiction to the nature of love and life. Therefore, I have no problem with Coach Sander's “new” assignment leading the University of Colorado Buffaloes. It reaffirms for me how our messiah fixation causes many to harbor anger, display disappointment, and vent hostile criticism and a human being making a human decision. It exposes our misplaced fears and displaced faith. So, release Primetime from your negative criticism and let him expand his coaching brand and experience. Perhaps he will be better able to deliver and bring deliverance to some without having to deal with misgivings and displaced frustrations. Regardless, let us continue to be critical of self-appointed messianic figures at all levels. Let us be critical when our collective desires within Black communities or others external to our communities (white nationalist ideological state apparatuses, e.g., media, education, education) create these figures to distract us from genuinely developing the revolutionary consciousness necessary for our evolution and the evolution of our institutions. Also, let us either realize that charismatic leaders/savior types come and go or let us face the fact that the true saviors are ourselves. Our collective consciousness should be clear that we are the messiahs we have been looking for, hoping in, and praying to for our deliverance.
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