*I am writing this not just as a founder, not just as a businesswoman, not even just as a woman of faith. I am writing this as a daughter of a people who have fought too hard, suffered too long, and come too far to stand still at a moment like this. I am writing with urgency in my spirit, because time is running out and I refuse to be silent!
There was a time when the Black church was not just a place we went to on Sunday; it was the very heartbeat of our survival. It was where we learned to read when it was illegal to teach us. It was where we organized when the world tried to scatter us. It was where movements were born that changed the course of history.
When we were denied schools, the church became the classroom. When we were denied care, we built hospitals. When we were denied opportunity, we created our own. The Black church didn’t wait. It stood in the gap. But today, I must ask a painful question: Black Pastors, Black Churches, Where you at?
Where is that same urgency now? Because we are in another crisis. Not chains on our hands, but chains on our brains. Not blocked doors but missed opportunities. Not illiteracy by law, but illiteracy by neglect. Our children can scroll, but they cannot read. They can click, but they cannot create wealth. They are connected to the world. but disconnected from legacy. And while this is happening — too many of us are watching and doing nothing about it!
Let me say something plain: No airplane is coming. No train is coming. No bus, no car, no bicycle is coming to rescue us. If we are going to rise, we will have to walk together toward economic freedom, literacy, and ownership. And we must do it now.
Scroll to continue reading
Scripture tells us in II Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…”
But how can we study… if we cannot read? Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” But how can we leave an inheritance, when we have not been taught how to build one? This is not just an economic issue. This is a spiritual responsibility.
Under one roof, we will bring together: 100 Black authors, 50+ Black-owned businesses. Real opportunities in literacy, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence. Our theme says it all: “Where Literature, Legacy, and Artificial Intelligence Converge” …and the question we must answer: “Who Will Tell Our Story?”
But here is the truth that brings tears to my eyes: I can build the platform, But I cannot bring the people without the church. Pastors, I am calling on you—not politely, but prophetically. We need the Black church to rise again. Not in memory, but in action. Not in tradition, but in transformation. We need you to speak this from your pulpit. We need you to put this in your bulletins. We need you to look your congregation in the eye and say: “Your future depends on what you do next.” Because it does. I am not asking for money. I am asking for leadership. I am asking for accountability. I am asking you to remember who you are—and who you have always been to our people.
We were once beaten for trying to read. Now we have freedom, and too many are choosing not to. That should shake us. That should wake us and move us. That should convict us! This is our moment to teach our people to read again; to teach our people to build again; to teach our people to own again; to lift them up from the economic ditch and out from beneath the economic rubbish.
I am 80 years old, and I am still fighting, still building, and still believing; because I know what is at stake. The question is not whether we have the tools. The question is: Do we have the will? And even deeper—will the Black church answer the call or ignore the cry of its people?
I am calling on you; not tomorrow; not next year; but right now, today! Because our people can’t wait.
Please click “Today” to hear one of Dr. Milligan’s favorite gospel songs recorded by Reverend Melvin Porties.
Dr. Rosie Milligan is the self-appointed Mayor of South-Central Los Angeles, California. She is also the host of a weekly live Internet talk show, EXPRESS YOURSELF HOUR, and founder/director of Black Writers on Tour. Contact her at: 323-750-3592; [email protected] – Drrosie.com.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: John A. Moore Addresses Juanita Bynum’s Claims That He Saw Her Underwear [VIDEO]
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
