Y ou can no more give what you haven’t learned than you can come back from a place you’ve never been. Thus, I believe that one thing that has proven to be amongst the most damaging things to the Black community is that; a lot of individuals from the Black community are failing to give back and invest into it.
The first thing that most people assume when I state giving back is in reference to money and financially. While this is a vital necessity also, the relevance of investing time and energy is much needed in the Black community as well. Furthermore, another aspect that is hurting our future generations is that, a lot of the best and brightest members of the Black community have abandoned it.
Thereby, leaving room for the neighboring drug-dealer, thief, murderer or worst to fill that void with negative influences versus leaving a positive effect of a role model. This has become a repetitive cycle amongst Black communities across the nation.
Now make no mistake, I am not stressing that there is a problem with people moving out of the Black community. Nevertheless, what I am stating is that if everyone that becomes successful moves out and never gives back then where does that leave the future of our communities?
I have a problem with people who move away from the community and then come back and see that little has changed since their abandonment. Then when they see the shape and dilemma that the community is in they want to try to build, develop and implement new initiatives. Meanwhile, what they do not realize is that all you have to do is simply work with what is already there. There are people that are already existent within the community that have knowledge of what needs to be done to make it flourish; however, they just may not have all of the proper tools and/or resources to help make these things possible. This is why I am stating that we should learn to work with one another rather than working against each other.
Accordingly, we should have the will to be able to donate and volunteer time and energy back into the community without the expectation of wanting to be paid. By simply investing into the community and future generations, the rewards will last for years to come and supersede any amount of financial gain, because it provides a legacy for others to remember. We need to learn how to take care of where we come from. If we don’t then who will? It’s just as simple as that! You can’t expect the government to come into our communities and do all the work that needs to be done.
For one, members from the government have no idea of the resources, programs, tools, and needs of our community. No one understands what our communities need better than we do, considering we are a product of our environment.
If every member from our community that has been able to go out and make something of his or herself was to donate and invest back into the community, then just imagine how far ahead we would be in every Black community.
I can personally use myself as an illustration to bring things closer to home. I was reared and raised in the Acres Home community and have been here since the 1950’s. I have always worked and gave back to the community and have encouraged those around me to do the same.
However, I am only one person. I do have a heart to reach out and restore back to the same grounds that help build and mold me into who I have become. Yet, if there were others that could work and put time, energy and effort into the same objective we would see a difference in our communities.
Remember this world does not care who you are, what you have or what your claim to fame is. But the world only cares about what you are doing and have done for mankind.