Earned or Entited?

Contemplating what it means to be successful.

Reframing the Narrative of Success

In today’s cultural landscape, where social media glamorizes instant wins and celebrity wealth, a dangerous mindset has been creeping through many communities, including our own: the belief that success should be given, not earned. While this mentality is not unique to the Black community, its implications hit us differently because for us, success has always come at a cost, and the price has often been double.

But where does this mindset come from? Is it a reflection of laziness, entitlement, or something deeper rooted in historical injustice and systemic exclusion?

The Burden of Historical Deprivation

For generations, Black people in America were locked out of opportunities—jobs, education, land ownership, and generational wealth—through slavery, segregation, redlining, and discriminatory practices that continue to evolve today. The trauma of systemic denial created a sense of deferred dreams that many still feel. So when we speak of “success,” we’re not just talking about money or fame—we’re talking about recognition, validation, and justice.

Some of us may internalize the idea that we are owed success because our ancestors were denied it. In some ways, that’s not wrong. Reparative justice is real, and accountability for systemic inequality is non-negotiable. But here's the complexity: while society does owe Black people equity, that doesn't mean success will—or should—fall into our laps without effort.

The Danger of Expecting a Handout Culture

The expectation that success should be given without labor breeds complacency. It dulls the edge of innovation and personal development. It leads to frustration when instant gratification doesn’t arrive, and that frustration often turns inward as self-blame or outward as community resentment.

Success is rarely the result of a single effort. It's discipline, persistence, and strategic risk-taking over time. When we romanticize quick wins—through lottery dreams, influencer culture, or viral fame—we overlook the grind that sustains real, generational impact.

Media Influence and Manufactured Dreams

Black excellence is often portrayed through extremes: the athlete, the entertainer, the mogul. We rarely see the Black accountant, the Black teacher, the Black tech founder unless they’ve “made it big.” This limited representation contributes to the illusion that success is tied to being chosen—by the industry, by an audience, by luck—not cultivated through grit.

And this illusion is costly. It disincentivizes community investment in STEM, trades, education, and entrepreneurship. It sidelines the work that builds sustainable communities in favor of chasing status.

Reclaiming the Value of Earned Success

We need to reclaim the value of earned success as a radical act of self-determination. Earning your way doesn’t mean submitting to the myth of meritocracy—it means refusing to let your worth be dictated by handouts or the validation of systems not designed for your thriving.

In the Black community, earning success means:

Building from the ground up, even when the soil is hostile.

Choosing discipline over distraction, even when distractions are marketed to us.

Uplifting others as we climb, turning personal success into collective progress.

Valuing the journey, not just the result.

What We Deserve vs. What We Do

Yes, we deserve equity. We deserve reparations. We deserve access. But deserving something doesn’t erase the need to prepare for it. To truly own our success, we must be equipped to handle it, sustain it, and pass it on.

Let’s redefine success in the Black community not as a gift granted by external forces, but as a right we pursue with dignity, strategy, and relentless will. That mindset shift—from “I should be given” to “I will build no matter what societal norms say”—is what transforms cycles of survival into legacies of abundance.