For decades, Black liberation movements have operated under the assumption that justice is an inevitable byproduct of empowerment—that if the marginalized gain power, a more just world will naturally emerge. This belief, which I call ideological meliorism, has guided political struggles from Pan-African socialism to the Black Lives Matter movement, yet history and contemporary reality expose a fundamental flaw: power, when unmoored from ethical constraints and structural accountability, does not guarantee justice.

Justice is not an automatic consequence of shifting power dynamics. The failures of post-colonial African states, the contradictions of racial representation in law enforcement, and the commercialization of Black activism all reveal the same truth: without robust institutions and a commitment to moral integrity, new elites often replicate the same injustices they once fought against.

Pan-African Socialism: A Revolution That Devoured Itself

The mid-20th century saw the rise of Pan-African socialism, a bold vision that promised to free Africa from the economic and political shackles of colonialism. Leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Sekou Touré championed socialist policies to redistribute wealth, nationalize industries, and create self-sustaining economies. Yet, despite their ambitions, many of these nations fell into dictatorship, economic turmoil, and internal strife.

Nkrumah’s Ghana was supposed to be the crown jewel of African liberation. He preached that only socialism could break the grip of colonial economic structures. But in practice, his government became increasingly authoritarian, silencing opposition under the guise of revolutionary necessity. His massive infrastructure projects, financed by foreign debt, collapsed under mismanagement. Rather than liberating his people, he consolidated power and was eventually overthrown—a fate shared by many post-colonial socialist leaders.

In Tanzania, Nyerere’s Ujamaa experiment sought to build a socialist society rooted in African communal traditions. Villages were forcibly relocated, disrupting agricultural production and leading to widespread food shortages. What was meant to be a system of mutual aid and economic self-sufficiency became an exercise in state control that left the nation impoverished.

The fundamental problem was not socialism itself but the assumption that economic justice alone was sufficient for political justice. These leaders fought against European colonialism, but they failed to safeguard against the very same authoritarian impulses that colonial rulers had exhibited.

And behind the scenes, neo-colonialism ensured that former colonial powers retained their grip. France, Britain, and the United States continued to exert influence through economic dependency, predatory loans, and covert political interventions, ensuring that even the most radical African states remained tied to Western interests. The Black elite simply replaced the colonial rulers—but the structures of exploitation remained intact.

This was ideological meliorism at work: the belief that simply putting Black leadership in place would naturally lead to justice. But history teaches otherwise. Power must be constrained, structured, and bound by ethical accountability—otherwise, it reproduces the very oppression it sought to dismantle.

The Memphis Killing: When Representation Fails to Deliver Justice

The killing of Tyre Nichols in January 2023 shattered the simplistic assumption that police brutality is purely a matter of white supremacy. The five officers who beat Nichols to death were Black. This incident posed an uncomfortable question for racial justice activists: If white supremacy alone was responsible for police violence, how do we explain this?

For years, the dominant narrative in Black liberation movements has been that diversity in institutions like the police force would lead to fairer treatment of Black communities. The Nichols case proved otherwise.

This was not an anomaly. Institutional culture overrides racial identity. The Memphis Police Department, like many law enforcement agencies, operates within a system that encourages escalation, aggression, and dehumanization—regardless of the race of the officers.

The lesson here is crucial: representation alone does not equal justice. The belief that placing Black faces in positions of power will naturally transform oppressive institutions is another form of ideological meliorism. Justice requires systemic reform, not just symbolic victories.

The Black Lives Matter Scandal: Profiting from Protest

The Black Lives Matter movement began as a powerful response to police violence, galvanizing a global outcry against systemic racism. But as the movement grew, so did questions about financial transparency, leadership accountability, and the commercialization of Black activism.

Between 2020 and 2021, BLM raised nearly $90 million in donations. The public assumed these funds would go toward legal defense, community programs, and grassroots organizing. Instead, it was revealed that key figures within BLM’s leadership—particularly Patrisse Cullors—used donations to purchase multiple million-dollar homes. 

Meanwhile, on-the-ground activists in Ferguson, Missouri—where the movement first gained national traction—were left abandoned. Worse, many Ferguson activists died under mysterious circumstances.

  • Darren Seals, an outspoken critic of BLM’s national leadership, was found shot and burned in a car in 2016. His murder remains unsolved. 
  • Deandre Joshua, a friend of Michael Brown’s family, was also found shot and burned in a car the night of the Ferguson grand jury decision.
  • Other activists reported being harassed, surveilled, and threatened, yet national BLM leaders did little to support them.

Instead, figures like Tamika Mallory—one of the most visible faces of modern activism—were busy signing lucrative deals. In 2021, Mallory appeared in a Cadillac commercial, sparking backlash that she had turned activism into a personal brand.

The commercialization of struggle is nothing new, but BLM’s scandals show a stark disconnect between grassroots activism and elite leadership. Those in the trenches—often Black men—faced real threats, real deaths, and real retaliation, while BLM executives walked away with book deals and million-dollar real estate portfolios.

This, again, is ideological meliorism in action—the assumption that simply funding movements and elevating activists to visibility will lead to justice. Instead, without transparency and accountability, power is inevitably misused.

Conclusion: Beyond Meliorism—Toward Real Justice

From Pan-African socialism to police reform to modern Black activism, the pattern is clear: justice does not emerge simply because the right people are in power or the right movements are funded. Without ethical constraints, institutional reforms, and real accountability, power will always serve itself.

What is the solution? Black liberation must move beyond ideological meliorism and embrace a more rigorous, justice-centered approach:

  • Institutions must be restructured, not just diversified.
  • Movements must prioritize ethics over visibility and profit.
  • Economic policies must balance empowerment with long-term sustainability.