The greatest lie ever told about Black America is that we are powerless. The truth is the opposite. We are the engine that keeps America’s economy running. Our culture drives global demand, our labor built the nation, our creativity fuels billion-dollar industries, and our spending keeps corporations alive. But an engine that powers someone else’s vehicle is still going nowhere.

Flattery implies admiration without harm. Extraction produces profit without reciprocity. Until Black creators control the systems that scale culture (intellectual property, platforms, data, and supply chains), cultural influence will continue to enrich institutions that do not redistribute power. The issue is not imitation. It is, and always has been, ownership.