In a recent presentation I went in pretty hard on the
audience regarding the stamina it takes to do the work of community
change. Far too often we expect
struggling communities to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when there are
no boots let alone bootstraps.
What I have come to understand is that many of those we seek to help
have simply forgone both boots and bootstraps and made do with what is and has
been available. Therefore, creating a parallel existence to what you and I
believe is right or even real.
This is not to excuse the immoral and sometimes downright
illegal behavior that occurs in many of these communities that just so happen to be in the urban
core. However, it is to
acknowledge that these communities exist and they often exist without waving a
white flag to indicate they need help from those of us who feel we are being
benevolent simply by providing a few handouts. And while I don’t have much experience with rural
communities I would suppose the same exist there as well. The thing I have come to understand as
a result of both my childhood rearing and my life’s work is that the Matrix
does exist and there are people who live in it quite fluidly.
All of the aforementioned has led
me to this conclusion. If we truly
want to make substantive change in these same communities we must be prepared
to go the distance and that often starts with meeting people right where they
are. The calcified mindset of many community residents
and subsequently the children of these communities come as a result of simply
existing in a world where rules are a matter of convenience relative to
everyday survival. The reality is
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is applicable no matter if the gate is designed to
keep crime out or keep crime in (see Goodie Mob’s Cell Therapy).
In “serving”
these very same communities what would help is a view from the bottom up rather
than the top down. What starting
from the bottom does for you as the “service”
provider, no matter if its as a volunteer or your job is it allows you to see
the journey through the eyes of the person you are purportedly “serving.” Thus, avoiding the paternal
aspect of “service.”
Secondly, we must also not forget the
condition of many of these communities did not get this way overnight. They got there because collectively we
have simply chosen to ignore or forget they exist. Yet they consistently produce the product of many of our
angst (i.e. crime, violence and health disparities, etc.). During my presentation I
suggested that Rome was not built in a day, neither was the condition many
people in urban centers find themselves in.
Thirdly, we have to be honest with
ourselves that there is a cost associated with this work. Everyone including those being “served” has to pay. That payment may come in the form of
tax dollars for some, volunteer hours/time for others or it simply may be
trying something new for others, but the bottom line is there must be a
payment. The unwillingness to deal
with the fact there is a cost allows the stamina associated with this work to
become a factor, thus allowing the people needing to be “served” to become dismissible.
Finally, if we do at least a portion of
the things listed above we allow ourselves to see the humanity in those that we
look to “serve” and then we can make
a suggestion from a place of love and accountability that involves boots and
bootstraps.
That’s my Truth and I AM sticking to it.
I AM...
Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen
