COMMENTARY: BLACK BALTIMORE WAKE THE F* UP!!! By Brian Easley
(BALTIMORE – October 31, 2012) - Baltimore City is not unlike any other city throughout the United States, where African American residents are the majority. Institutional racism, high unemployment, chronic educational disparities, political disenfranchisement and a lack of equal opportunities are a few of the vast issues the Black community are confronted with on a daily bases. Those who venture throughout the demographics of Baltimore will find a number of reoccurring themes. However, one particular social cancer has metastasized my core and remission is not in the near future.
The overwhelming majority of businesses operating in our communities are owned and managed by non-African Americans. We are solidly 100% of their total yearly revenues. In most cases none of which gets injected back into our community to help strengthen it. Incidentally, when I personally solicited support or sponsorship for initiatives aim at improving or empowering the communities that supports these establishments, they have been reluctant to outright unwilling to contribute.
To make matters worse, rarely to ever do you see any one from the community employed in these establishments. In recent years, these non-African Americans business owners had the gall to start employing Hispanics/Latinos. Just walk thru Lexington Market on any given day and witness for yourselves us consuming, them prospering, Hispanics/Latinos earning an honest living. As we "nod" our lives away and succumb to this social economic cancer, while we continue to throw bricks at the Penitentiary.
Furthermore these businesses take our money but don't even respect us enough to do business face to face. Why we continue to support them is bewildering? We are so conditioned that we believe it is normal to pass our hard earn money thru a thick plexi-glass barrier in establishments that are filthy and more secure than a maximum security penal institution, but more frightening our halls of academia.
People, the days of blaming others for the condition of our communities have expired indefinitely. We all realize that there is a deep-rooted system in place to keep a foot on the necks of those that have conceded to the notion that they are victims thus owed something by society - a position I chose not to take and have discussed in length with close friends, associates and community leaders alike.
I could get into a lengthy dissertation on how we as a community don't strategically utilize our economic and political might in a productive manner as a means of leverage. Not to mention, the fact that our so called "leadership" doesn't seem to have any real comprehensive agenda or strategies to address numerous issues that have led to the destabilization of individuals, families, and the community at large.
However, that is not the intent of this commentary. The intent is to hopefully spark serious dialogue - which should lead to the development of a comprehensive agenda aimed at intelligently addressing the many issues that have chipped away at the very foundation upon which our community was built.
Brian K Easley,
Executive Director, ProjectFocus
What do you think?
8 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.
you are preaching to choir where is your national action network or organization to take action.
Bro. Easley, good to see you're on the forefront talking about the problem which has been existing within our communities for quite some time but as you've clearly stated we shouldn't blame anybody else at this juncture for our shortcomings because now we have a Black man holding the highest office in these United States so the excuses is out of the door. I am amazed at watching Brothers & Sisters who have conditioned themselves to be slaves to the system by waiting on food stamps and other government assistance yet won't do anything to improve their status such as cleaning up their neighborhoods, speanding quality time with their children to empower them with positive knowledge as to who we are, being activist for improving their quality of life by attending community meetings, etc. I would love for us as a people to once again turn back the hands of time when we weren't able to have the amenities we currently have such as liberties and freedoms and do what we did to gain those rights by standing for something, marching, knocking on doors until our voices are heard. I look at our youth today who get on the bus and gravitate to the back and those who drop out of school after our ancestors walked many miles just to have doors close in their face but got up the next day and repeated the same sequence over and those who gace of themseleves by being beaten, jailed so we could hve the freedom to sit where we feel like. today I see a culture of youth who don't care, waering their pants to the ground, hair not groomed,etc. This is a diluted product of what we sacrificed for and it's sad so in closing yes my people "Wake Da "F@#k Up!" and stand for something versus making excuses and falling for anything.
Peace & Blessings to you, my Brother and I am looking forward to us dialoging real soon.
Enjoyed the commentary and agree wholeheartly with Mr. Easley. It is time for us to wake up and become more involved in our communities. Keep on telling it how it is. Look forward to hearing more from you. Peace & Blessings.
This is a very intriguing article. Very well written. Bravo!
Brian I agree with you and have been saying much of the same for years. I think this is something we need to get with Mr. Glover about an have a community forum. From that we could develop some really easy strategies on how to start to change the fabric on our communities. We need to talk about this more let me know when you have time.
I would like to thank DG for allowing me an opportunity to voice my opinion. We Must Decide As A United Group That Our Future Is Important!!!
You have valid issues on all of your concerns. From my perspective the problem lies in the solution. Change first comes from within. Bringing pride and integrity back into the African American spirit is a struggle that can be won with positive diversions from what has become the "norm", standing around waiting for a government handout as a means of survival. It will take strong patient dedicated brothers and sisters to develop programs that offer basic living skills not just survival skills. A place where those who truely seek help and guidance can get help learning basic life skills as well as develop the proper listening and mannerism tools needed to build selfconfidence and learn value. The greatest opportunity to make even the smallest impact for the betterment of our Urban streets is now while the Commandor and Chief of the United States is himself an African American and is doing all he can and with great strides to bring an equal balance to middle America. A College Degree or Professional Trade is now affordable to persons to whom it would otherwise be unattainable. Our community must first be fully prepared for businesses, jobs, respect and leadership before positive change and rightful recognition of ownership can be achieved.
A path has been made for us to begin AGAIN. Lets not waste it on TALK>>>Lets getta steppin my brothers and sisters. Much Love..
Well Cuz, I submitted a comment yesterday and I see that it still has not appeared. Maybe it was after the on-line submission cut-off. But the answer is in the resolution... The time, means, and availability is NOW for the betterment of Middle America and the currrent downfall of Urbanism.
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