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Most of America is still suffering from shock after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Many are asking what the path going forward will be for an America led by one of the most polarizing President-elects in modern-day history.

Charles F. Coleman, Jr., Civil Rights Attorney and Legal Analyst, said on Thursday morning’s edition of NewsOne Now, “Under a Republican-led Congress, a Republican-led Senate and now an Executive Branch that is led by a Republican conservative, we are going to have to fix this ourselves.

“We cannot wait for government to create a path for us,” he continued.

“We have to first educate ourselves on civic systems … the importance of civics clubs and really understanding how the system works and once we do that, we have to make a concerted effort to engage on a very grassroots level to get involved with our civil rights organizations like the NAACP, the Urban League, the movement for Black Lives and use those networks as a means for advancing ourselves forward.”

NewsOne Now panelist Monique Pressley, Principal of The Pressley Firm, PLLC, said, “Money is power, so we can talk about all these governmental solutions all we want to and we need them, they are a part of an overall strategy. We’re looking for ways to empower our representatives to do things that need to be done.”

She added that when the conversation shifts to urban renewal and rebuilding inner cities, “These jobs may become available, these contracts may become available, [but] do our people know how to get an RSP? Do the people who have enough money to get a line of credit with a bank know how to coalesce with others and get the contracts?”

Pressley offered Southeast Washington, D.C. as an example where African-Americans came together and made millions because “they were in place to get those contracts.”

Pressley said, “Now is the time. Trump’s people may get most of them (RSP contracts), but they are not going to get all of them.” 

Watch Roland Martin and the NewsOne Now panel discuss how Black America can begin to move forward in Donald Trump’s America in the video clip above.

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.

SEE ALSO:

What Now For Black America?

Can African Americans Move Forward In Trump’s America?  was originally published on newsone.com