Looking for a Way In

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” is a quote that is gaining considerable interest as more residents seek to become more engaged in helping their community to become better and stronger.  However, a number of residents find it difficult to help when they are not included in the decision making process.  Some residents see a system that is broken, policies off track and major decisions being made without any public input.  Still others feel left out of the entire picture until something bizarre occurs and then those in charge begin to ask for their help.  In the words of one resident...“Why ask for my help in a time of crisis, when my voice does not count when there is no crisis?”

Most concern residents want to be engaged when issues are being discussed that affect them and their community.  They resent when decisions are being made by people who do not live where they live, experience what they experienced, nor look like them.  For some it is the loss of trust, while some see race as a key factor.  Still others feel that a lot is being discussed behind closed doors, through side bars and at private lunches and dinners. All the while decisions are being made without any input from those who are going to be impacted.  

As we all know, too many of our communities are facing huge challenges and one solution does not fit them all.  Trying to find solutions that work on surreal problems is a job all by itself.  There is no single method or pathway to achieve success when dealing with an issue, but perhaps with more seats at the table anything is possible. And as the beat of challenging issues goes on for most neighborhoods, so does the number of opportunities to get involve open up. 
  

I know it is a tall order trying to keep all residents informed and engaged on a number of issues that are affecting their quality life.  And no matter how much information is shared on a consistence basic, social media, news feeds and email, it perhaps will never be good enough to please everyone.  This leads to only one conclusion, people must feel valued or important enough to be given an invitation to sit at the table when it matters the most, during good and bad times.  Just remember, that at some tables the seating is limited... so bring a chair. 

Looking for a Way UP

It seems as it will never end... all the senseless violence, crime, drug use and the indifference people are showing in the wake of more of the same old stuff each week.  It appears if we have lost our way or will in solving problems and getting things done for the good of society and future generations.  I know that a lot has changed within our great nation and more change is on its way, but the solutions we seek and so rightly deserve are in our hands; however we must have the courage to act upon our values and use some sound judgement. 

To all those who have never lost anyone to gun violence, drug use, mental illness, lived in an urban war zone, worked in a hostile environment, grew up in a dysfunctional family or served in the US military... then it is impossible to clearly understand what it means to be on the front lines or in the trenches of society when it matters the most.  As my late grandmother would say...“seeing is the believing, but experience is the knowing.”  In other words, if you have not seen or gone through something that has altered your life, then trying to judge other people who have to live with the reality of what is happening; then you are simply out of sight and out of mind. 


What people who live in urban America really need and that will make the greatest difference in their lives is not a hand out...but a hand up.  The helping hand they seek is the one that enables them to take control of their communities, begin to take the next step in opening a business, to clear the hurdle towards meaningful employment, build bridges to strengthen relationships with neighbors or to climb the ladder of corporate America.  It is to enable people to pull themselves up by seeing that they too can make it regardless of where they come from and the color of their skin.  It is to know that the situation that has them trapped caused by circumstances, a lack of opportunities and resources are obstacles that can be overcome.  So, can you lend me a hand?                 

Looking For A Way Out

The blight of the working poor continues to be under-reported by all media outlets.  But we all know that they exist even if we pretend not to notice.  The working poor are those who get up every morning and go to work regardless of their living conditions.  They have to go to work at jobs that in most cases do not pay anything close to a livable wage and perhaps just above minimum wage.  To make ends meet or get close to meeting, they work a second, third and sometimes a fourth part-time job, plus a side “hustle” to stay afloat or to just keep treading water.  Their daily “grind” includes long weeks, long hours, no time off, bad diets and a lack of sleep.  

What is so puzzling about their story and the reality of most people who continue to live in some of the most challenging neighborhoods in urban America is the fact that they believe that “better days are possible.” For many of them this is home and they have learned how to deal with the reality of a “rough” neighborhood and to escape is nearly impossible.  I know it hard to believe that people want to still live in these “little Beirut’s” and honestly believe that change is possible.  And yes! Some see these communities of boarded up houses, car jacking’s, gang violence, drug dealing, food deserts and slum lords as having an upside to them.    

Of course, there are a number of theories behind what is occurring in urban America. One such notion is that people are behind the madness of what is transpiring in urban America and are conspiring to undermine its possible resurgence.  Some also hold the idea that some people are seeking to benefit financially from an “urban America collapse,” by buying up all the boarded-up houses, empty buildings and vacant lots for economic redevelopment.  And yet there are others who see when “new housing” comes back to a particular neighborhood, the cost to live in the “new” is beyond their reach.  In some odd way people are feeling betrayed and want to blame city officials, business owners and community leaders for what is happening. 
       
However, improving the lives of the “working poor” should get our full attention in this 21^st century.  For improving their lives can also improve the conditions on the ground in the community and turning urban America around would be easier.  This is no laughing matter and from a difference point of view, the “working poor” is urban America’s best kept secret.  All that is needed is to help those that are on the bottom of the economic scale to become stronger by improving their earning potential.  Now that will be a story worth writing about and to witness.     

The Triple Nickles

There are a lot stories from World War II that get most of the headlines these days including Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, Midway, Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and the dropping of the Atomic Bombs on  Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  During each of these major events of that war there were a number military units, ships and personal stories that are highlighted in which much of the war is told through.  But there were other (Black, Native and Japanese American) military units and personal stories that most of us have never heard of that also played a vital role during WWII.    

Some of us know of the role of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Indian Code Talkers, but what about the 555^th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed the “Triple Nickles”?  Well you are not alone.  This unit was a 20-member “colored test platoon” from the 92^nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division.  It was born within an army that was still segregated and had traditionally relegated Blacks to menial jobs and programmed them for failure.  However, the 555^th Parachute Infantry Battalion, or “Triple Nickles,” succeeded in becoming the nation’s first All-Black parachute infantry test platoon, company and battalion from 1943-45.   

One of the most notable operations that the 555^th perform came in 1945 when a request came from the U.S. Forest Service to fight blazing forest fires in the American Northwest.  It was also important to know that the Japanese were at that floating incendiary devices attached to balloons across the Pacific Ocean, which took advantage of the jet stream’s easterly flow and would perhaps land in the Northwest.  In addition, the unit was to confront a new dimension in warfare involving the use of biological agents that could destroy woodlands and crops.  Because of their skill and abilities they became history’s first military “Smoker Jumpers.”  During their assignment in the northwest they answered 36 fire calls with more than 1,200 individual jumps during the summer of 1945.  


A major element in their success was that, unlike other Black infantry units commanded by White officers, this unique army unit commanding structure was entirely Black.  As time when alone, these pioneers blazed new trails for countless black soldiers to follow.  The 555^th also helped in the formation of other Battalions, Airborne Infantry Regiments and Special Forces.  The truly amazing part of their story was how they as black soldiers had gone from riding in the back of trucks, buses, used “colored” toilets and drinking fountains in rail-road stations, sit in segregated sections of theaters, and go out of their way to avoid confrontation with racist police to a military unit that kept the Northwest forest fires in check and was called by General Ben Lear as “one of the finest groups of soldiers he had ever seen.”  Now that is some history.   

Staying Afloat

Maybe I missed something, didn’t get that email, heard the special breaking news report or just did not quite understand what some people are saying about progress in urban America.  I just don’t know what they see, heard, what they have come to believe or been drinking.  I know about the new construction ventures, expanding businesses, mergers, innovations, new technologies and breakthroughs.  And I get that and appreciate the forward movement and thinking.  Somehow or in some way, what I am seeing and what others are seeing or omitting are two different things. 

But this is one thing I know for sure; urban America has a long way to go in order to make a comeback or to reinvent itself from those famous glory days during the “golden era of industry and manufacturing.”  This is not just occurring here in Milwaukee, but throughout every urban center in America that was built upon having a large labor force in mass manufacturing.  With that era gone, urban America also loss livable wage jobs, businesses and educational training centers.  And now those days are but distance memories that have left so much of America in shambles with hollowed out cities and ghost towns. 

Those days are gone and shall never return, but the lingering long term effects and the transition from an industrial base economy to technology driven economy continue to leave an entire aging generation behind, in the dust or underwater.  Just trying to keep up with so many advances is a job all to itself.   In so many places from urban America to rural towns, people have suffered a lot of setbacks, pain, depression, displacement and instability.  But they have remained hopeful. 


Trying to keep true to the core values of the American Dream, that is based upon the belief that by working hard you can make your dreams come true.  However, with each passing day, not only are baby boomers having a hard time in dealing with these changes, but that the next generation is struggling as well.  What is so amazing today is that even in the midst of living in the harsh reality of rough neighborhoods in urban America, people have learned how to adapt and stay afloat.  Of course this is not as simple as it sounds, but people have learned how to tread and bail water out of their boat situation. 

Changing The Conversation

Even with this political season now in full stride, a number of issues have been put on the back burner or just pushed aside for a later time.  However, through the eyes of many of us, life as we have always experienced continues unabated.  This includes gun violence, drug abuse, homelessness and high unemployment in the inner city.  The issues and challenges most communities were facing before this election season started continue to march forward without anything being done to address them or at best slow things down.  

Even with so much attention being given to the political process and who is running for office, some neighborhoods have been taking action and doing something to improve their relationships with local law enforcement.  One such initiative has been the ‘Police and Resident Listening Circles’ that are being held in the Harambee, Metcalfe Park and Amani neighborhoods. These listening circles are being facilitated by the Zeidler Center with funding from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Racial Equality and Inclusion Grant. 

A design team consisting of residents, youth, police and Zeidler Center facilitators began planning the spring listening circles during the winter of 2015.  A total of three (3) listening circles are being held this spring and three additional ones are scheduled for this coming fall.  Each listening circle session includes local residents, youth as well police officers who are assigned from the local police precinct and who cover those neighborhoods.  During each listening circle session a number of questions are asked of all participants in which to respond.  At the end of each listening circle, participants are asked to fill out an evaluation and make any additional comments. 


These listening circles are designed with three goals, including: (1) listen deeply to each other and speak from the heart; (2) build relationships and trust and; (3) brainstorm ways to strengthen and support the community together.  At the heart and beyond these goals, other initiatives, recommendations, and ideas will be created by the residents and officers brainstorming together, and be led by the participants themselves.  So far, so good and this is without media coverage.  Here is a “bright idea” instead of us focusing on what people are saying outside of our communities, we just need to sit down and listen to those who live, work, play and worship in our neighborhoods.  What do you think?  I am listening!

Closing the Gaps

It was the Irish playwright and Nobel Prize recipient in Literature, George Bernard Shaw (1865-1950) who said “some men see things and say ‘Why?’ But I dream of things that never were and say “why not?’  This is a quote that is reflective and celebrates visionary and idealistic thinking. With this thought in mind, there is a shortage of “visionaries” today who are willing to work on solving many of the lingering historical and generational problems of our modern society.

This critical shortage of “visionaries” is showing up all over America. So much is going on these days that it is hard to keep up with the stockpile of issues that have become the norm, lead stories on cable and satellite stations, spotlighted on talk radio and 24 hour news cycles.  Many of these pressing issues mirror state and national trends. Some of these issues include opioid abuse, expanding poverty, gruesome slayings, gang violence, homelessness, mental health, public unrest, political corruption, sexual assaults, wealth gap and poor housing. 

Of course, Milwaukee is not alone in the growing list of issues that are emerging each and every day.  If fact, Milwaukee tops the list in many categories of major challenges and includes being listed as one of the top ten most dangerous places to live.  Milwaukee is also leading the way in the number of African American youth being suspended from high school, high infant mortality rates, and the highest percentage of African American men being incarcerated in state prisons.  These realities are also affecting those living in suburban and sprawling rural communities.  The sure impact of these issues are eating away at the core value of feeling safe, expressing religious faith, and perusing one’s dream while a resident of the most power country in the World. 


Without a doubt, it appears that what is missing today are those “visionaries” to come forth and help close the gaps in our society.  They see things differently, imaging the possible and are willing to work with others beyond the color line, socioeconomic status and religious beliefs.  They just want to get the work done, regardless of who gets the credit or the pat on the back.  They are there for the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.  To work on those social ills and to help us see what is possible.  The gaps are real, opportunities abound... but “visionaries” are few.