Stop Tripping—The System Was Built for Us, But You Gotta Know How to Use It

Stop Tripping—The System Was Built for Us, But You Gotta Know How to Use It

© Ogbonna Paul Hagins for Philly Word Magazine and Freedmen’s Journal 2.0 (revised 2/16/25)

Everybody loves to cry about billionaires. “Elon Musk got a head start! Jeff Bezos had help! It’s not fair!” Yeah, and? The game is the game. But here’s what most people don’t get—the system that made them rich was originally built for us.

That’s right. The same government contracts, tax breaks, and incentives that turned millionaires into billionaires? Those benefits were meant for American Freedmen under the Reconstruction Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The problem is, the system has been misapplied, redirected, and locked away from the people it was designed to uplift. Instead of ensuring we had economic power, the government let other groups take advantage while we were systematically shut out.

But here’s the real question: If you don’t know how the system works, how can you use it?

Look at Robert F. Smith. He didn’t inherit billions—he learned how the system operates and used it to his advantage. After working in investment banking, he launched Vista Equity Partners, a firm that buys undervalued tech companies, fixes them up, and sells them for massive profits. Now, it’s likely that some of the same tax structures and financial incentives Smith used to grow his wealth were government-driven, though we can’t say for sure exactly how much government contracts or tax benefits directly helped him. But one thing’s for certain—he leveraged the system.

Tax breaks and incentives in the private equity space likely helped Smith reinvest profits and scale his firm effectively.

Capital gains tax structures helped him maximize returns on investments.

Standard business tax policies allowed him to access depreciation benefits, further growing his wealth.

That’s the same system that was supposed to work for us, yet most American Freedmen don’t have access because the laws meant to protect and empower us have been ignored.

So instead of complaining about billionaires, we need to be fighting for the proper application of our rights under the Reconstruction Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Until that happens, it’s like trying to win a game where the refs are paid off against you.

The system is there. The opportunities exist. But if you don’t know the rules, you’ll never be able to play the game—let alone win it.

Stop tripping. Learn the system. Demand what’s owed. And then use it.