There are a lot of Ruckers in the United States. It seems as though Facebook connects them all too. I was raised by my mother and had interspersed interactions with my father, Daren LaRoy Rucker Senior – my brother is the junior. I was scrolling through FB like multi billion other people that do on a regular basis and I scrolled across the “people you may know section” of my timeline and they just kept providing me with Ruckers that I may know. I’ve had a personal policy for some time now that is relatively clear, if it’s a Rucker friend request I accept it. This is in general, if they’re white, I check their profile. If it’s a new account, I don’t accept them, among other factors that are really boiled down to how I’m feeling at that particular moment.
I digress, as I was scrolling through and adding these new Rucker friends it occurred to me that perhaps, there is a Rucker in just about every industry, I haven’t done the research yet, which I’m guessing may take a while, but may be worth it. Then this idea came to me in my not drunken pot infused stupor of random thoughts and ideas that maybe I can create a website that is built for Ruckers.
You’re probably wondering what do I mean by, built for Ruckers? A website where people that can trace their lineage to a Rucker can come, set up a webpage, interact with other family members across the globe, maybe just the united states, but maybe the globe. They can offer their services, their products, get discounts to other Ruckers and build a large network and community of Ruckers.Let’s face the reality of the world we’re living in, power is a matter of money, organization, and people. People utilize all kinds of reasons to come together and create lasting change in the world. Have you ever wondered how the first kings and their families came into power? Do you think it was the will of the gods? Sure, we don’t have kings and queens in the medieval sense of the word, but we have dynasties that very much affect the course of the world we’re living in. Consider the Bushes, the Rockefeller’s, the Gambinos, whatever that dude from American Gangster name was. These are real people that have greatly affected the course of human history. This, in its final form, with bells and whistles, is the beginning of an idea that I have.
What does this shit mean though? The world is in a spiral. That spiral is headed down, and it doesn’t look good on the future of the state of the world, more specifically…America. With the floods in the Midwest, the skyrocketing debt, and defaulted loans – it’s going to get bad. I mean there was a report that 7 million people defaulted on auto loans. I may get into that in another paper, but it’s outside the scope of this paper.
What if there are “Rucker’s” that I’m not related to? Who cares for real? If you are a Rucker, by blood, marriage, or you have children together then you should be able to access the resources of this vast network of people who are family. My significant other’s last name is Miller. We are not married, there is absolutely no intentions of being married, but she has birthed both my son Christopher and daughter Isabella Rucker. That makes her a Rucker for the rest of her life. They say it takes a village to raise child, but it’s the 21st century…we don’t live in villages anymore. We live in cities and have internet access and make global transactions every day. Global communities are built everyday with the platforms of the internet. Utilizing a our last name and all that’s associated with it seems reasonable. A place you can trust to get information, products, and know that those transactions are going to better people that you are related to, to know their children. My vision incorporates free markets, familial integrity, the abstract concept of family, and a sense of belonging. I would not want this to be limited to the Ruckers. I feel that any concept is just as good as the others. It’s better than that of religion, considering all the harm that religion has done to humanity.
This concept isn’t new. The Hell’s Angels carried the Olympic Torch for the United States in the 1980’s, I believe. It was nothing more than several people who had one thing in common…they were motorcycle enthusiast. How can being of familial relations be any worse? Consider the Rockefellers, if someone says they’re a Rockefeller - which I’m assuming nobody that reads this will be a Rockefeller or even know a Rockefeller – there are all kinds of images that pop into people’s minds. Ideas and profiles and judgements made about those people. Why? Due to their power, money, and name.
Let’s look at another aspect of this idea of Rucker getting together. From what I’ve observed, Ruckers seem to run the gamut of industry and socioeconomic status. Ruckers, from my observation, seem to most dominantly be, BLACK! I feel as though that in and of itself has so many connotations that I may need to write an entire article about that aspect. Would I actually do something like this? Absolutely! I wouldn’t do it alone. If such a website and/or organization were to be built, I would want some elders on a board to discuss macro evolution of our people. By which I mean, political advocacy. An entire section dedicated to connecting people with resources within our community for as long and on as large a scale as possible. AARP has millions of dollars for influential purposes. AARP is made up of just simply old people, in general. They don’t produce anything, they offer no services, and rake in millions. Their members do get all kinds of discounts and benefits that make it very much worth it. The reason they are able to do that is because they have power as a result of their people.
In addition to having a board with verified Ruckers, I would advocate for an outreach committee. A few volunteers that scour social media locating, verifying and recruiting Ruckers. In that same vein, we have to be honest with ourselves, not every Rucker is going to donate, participate, or acknowledge the reality of what such power can do - at first. Family reunions can take on a whole new level. And the economic gains will be proof within themselves of the greatness we can achieve as a family, as an established part of this country. To pull together and lead in a new way, our communities and our people. Don't forget to share this to a Rucker you know!