By Vashti Dominiqué And Cherita Watkins

It’s 2006 and the black community at large is in need of a new vision. Over 40 years after the Civil Rights Movement and we are still struggling, still fighting the same tired battle of survival. Only now, the battle is with us. Something has malfunctioned in our inbred strength as a people and now we are a generation lost to extramarital sex, broken families, drug abuse, and selfish material gain – entranced with an image of ourselves that is a lie. We’ll be careful and not downplay the blessings God has afforded us in accomplishment as CEO’s, doctors, lawyers, and judges; however, we’re not done yet. The real question is, why aren’t we all on the come up? Because we fail to realize that we are. When do we move beyond mere survival to victory and take possession of the land God has given to us? We come from a land of kings and queens! But more so, our God in heaven is royal and majestic, and we are His children, though lost and wandering, He still has love for us. A new vision calls for new leadership. The Bible tells us in the Book of Joshua that after forty years and the death of Moses, God called Joshua into place as Moses’ successor in leadership. It was at time when God’s people were in need of a new vision, they had lingered in the wilderness long enough and Joshua was to lead them out! Make no mistake about God. What He ordains will manifest.

UrbanKingdomMagazine.com is "Calling All Leaders." We introduce to you a series, New Black Leadership (NBL) that will run concurrent with the New Black Renaissance in our monthly issues. The effort is to motivate those men and women God is calling to lead an effectual change in the American black community, those who have the platform of voice to actually use that platform for what you know is right. We charge you, spiritual and political leaders, to no longer accept what has become the status quo in our community.

If a leader lived in a 42-year old seamstress who simply refused to give up her seat, there is a leader in us that can stand against the issues we face today. The unnerving reality is we’ll fight against our own before we fight for our own. "Every man for himself," is not the attitude God calls us to have. As He has freely given unto you, so must you also freely give. When Rosa Parks sat down she opened the door for us to stand up. And although we stand, we don’t stand together. The torch has been passed to our generation and God is calling the present day Joshua. We need leaders to teach our men by example that being a man doesn’t mean doing time. We need leaders to teach our young women by example that we are an earthen treasure, with our clothes on.

The Bible reads in Galatians 3:26-4:7, that we are all children of God. "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:7). God calls us to be.

It has been said that in order to lead you must first learn to follow. Leaders, visionaries, soldiers of God – has God not called you, trained you, prepared you for battle?

"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5: 12-14.

Calling All Leaders...