Hello again, family.
I try not to do two posts in the same week, but I couldn’t help but write something else today. So I’m sitting at work reading an article on NBC (‘They’re like soldiers’: Chicago’s children are learning to save lives amid the gunfire), and it just brings tears to my eyes. It just breaks my heart because of what these kids have to endure. Now, while I understand Chicago is a specific case, the types of trauma these kids are experiencing have become normalized in cities throughout the country. I’m from Jacksonville, FL, and lately, homicides and overall crime have seemed to increase, and some say the city has taken a turn for the worse. As a criminology and interdisciplinary social science student, I look at issues such as gun violence from multiple perspectives. I consider the local economy, affordable and equitable housing opportunities, and school performance. In most, if not all, cases, there is a strong correlation between these things and the disturbing circumstances some face.
This brings me to the reason for the post today. All these things make up parts of your community: the people, schools, jobs, and even houses. A community is not just where you live but the relationship that you have with others. The community used to be a place of respite and solidarity for one another. It used to be where you felt safe, protected, and loved. This idea of community has been lost through time due to isolationist views, jealousy, and pure apathy towards one another. The mantra “Trust none” has been repeated over and over until we’ve finally brainwashed ourselves into believing its value. A proverb from the Maasai people of East Africa says, “Lonely is one.” An uplifting community is a necessity and one of the few things that we individually have control over.
The community I speak today is the Black community as a whole. In some ways, it’s grown due to social media being a platform where we can interact with and relate to one another. But overall, it needs some fortification. We need to work on rebranding, rebuilding, and repairing our people. We should strive to be pillars of love, trust, and motivation for one another because who else will do it for us? You can look at the news or travel abroad and see that the ENTIRE world hates us. Just because of the color of our skin. Why do we insist on hating one another when plenty of folks already live to do so? It’s time to reintroduce love into our community. What happened to those black mothers with big hearts and open arms who embraced the lost and fallen? The strong black men who took in those without guidance showed them the right way to live! My heart breaks for my generation because I fear we’re out here alone. Very few old heads take the time to pass on the tricks and tips; for those who do, it falls on deaf ears. One of my rules in life is to be teachable, understand that there’s plenty that I don’t know, and be willing to listen and learn. There have been so many life gems that I’ve gained through this philosophy, and it’s a shame how many of my peers disagree.
I’m one of the hopefuls who doesn’t believe all is lost when it comes to black people. We have to educate and sympathize with those whose struggles we may not align with. That’s like that hardworking black man with a felony charge or that single mother working her way through school. If you’ve never been in their shoes, don’t tear them down because of it. Build them up! Speak life into them! All kindness creates a ripple effect, so pay it forward. Some of us know this already, as we’ve been raised on love. Some of us don’t, as we’ve been raised on survival. But despite your upbringing, you can create the change in your community you want to see. Check your friends when they’re wrong (with love, of course), and remember there’s never a wrong time to do the right thing! Understand that where there is no growth, there is death. Continue to cultivate yourself as well as those around you. Teach your children how to love so the next generation doesn’t have to figure it out on their own. Share your knowledge and expertise because you never know who you might help. Just be kind.
Kindness does not equal weakness; it equals strength, humility, and virtue.
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