It’s a common saying regarding the U.S. and economic health on the global stage which surmises, “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold.”
And while this saying is often stated with little emphasis or background to support the claim, it does speak to the current state of affairs.
Recent actions and declarations from the White House seem to imply that America is, or at least should be, an island which exists alone. In fact, the rhetoric we’re hearing tells us that we do not need to work with allies or consider the needs of other nations.
Like the emperors of ancient Rome, our president and his political cronies falsely believe that we can solve our own financial, commercial, and economic problems on our own. Further, they are so confident in the mighty power of our armed forces that we can go anywhere and do anything – even take control of countries like Greenland, Venezuela, Columbia, and Mexico.
But history has lessons for us all. Remember, Nero fiddled while Rome burned.
We stand on the precipice of potential disaster or at the least have leaders who are paving the way for a paradigm shift of global proportions that could impact generations to come. We shudder to imagine the possibilities.
James Baldwin warned us in one of his final published works, that as Revelations promises, the tragedy which we bring on ourselves will be “the fire next time.”
So, both Rome and Revelations give us a head’s up – beware the fire. And certainly, there’s a fire raging throughout America.
However, as Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, pointed out during a King Holiday 2026 prayer breakfast earlier this week, “The question is not if the house is on fire – we already know that. The question is who will put out the flames?”
Our ancestors were kidnapped and brought to America where we worked and toiled and built and healed and yet somehow survived. We were never compensated for our services.
And if history is to be repeated, and it always does if we refuse to learn from past experiences, it looks like we will have to step up to the plate and don a new role as firefighters.
Yes, the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.
However, African Americans can ill-afford to let the house burn. Because while we may still be denied the opportunity to own the house, we are “privileged” to live as tenants – sharecroppers huddled in the basement or perhaps the attic.
Yet, in some still small way, it’s still our house too.