In my March blog post, I talked about the lack of an enforced “code of conduct” in the Black community. Part of enforcing a code of conduct is for parties to operate in “quid pro quo.” The phrase, “quid pro quo” is Latin that literally means, “what for what”, or “something for something.” In other words, “something” worthwhile is given in exchange for “something else” worthwhile. Most people groups exercise quid pro quo in dealing with one another and especially when it comes to dealing with people outside of their group. However, while quid pro quo can be found in the so-called Black community, I have personally observed that it is not played at the level that it is played within other ethnic communities.

Many prominent Black leaders such as Dr Claud Anderson and Neely Fuller have repeatedly stated that Black people do not strictly follow a code of conduct that would lead to positive quid pro quo actions the way other people groups do such as Hispanics and Asians do. Jason Black a prominent voice in the New Black Media and host of The Black Channel on YouTube regularly calls out this lack of quid pro quo in the Black community during his weekend evening shows that are streamed live.

I’ve often wondered why there is such a lack of quid pro quo in the Black community. Looking back in history all the way back to the antebellum south, the lack of quid pro quo was an accepted practice among Blacks who were forced to give 100 percent of their labor, life and future and that of their families in exchange for absolutely nothing – no pay, no land, no health care, minimal provisions, and most promises of freedom and reparations in exchange for years of labor, fighting in the white ruling class’ wars were broken and never kept.

A hardwired habit of giving something and expecting little or nothing in return was established in Black slaves that has carried over into their descendants. But this was not always the case.

Did you know that prior to slavery, Blacks had a very strong God-given code of conduct that they upheld all the way up to the 15th century where they had very strong communities, conducted business and traded with one another the way other people groups do today, and they practiced quid pro quo to such a high level that they were considered a “peculiar” people?

I will continue exploring the history of Black people holding to a strong code of conduct in upcoming blogs.