Are you close-knit with your neighbors? The cashier at your gas station? At your grocery store? Or are you isolated from the people with whom you occupy the same area? In my community (Martindale-Brightwood), it takes on the definition of close-knit. However, we aren't profitable, and I don't mean monetarily. My community and the entire Far Eastside of Indianapolis have hurdles such as gun control, the sale & use of drugs, theft, and even something as small as environmental upkeep. I say they're hurdles because they can be overcome with the right technique and pace. I work for a car dealership close to home. One that has helped the other township schools in the communities that it holds erect new establishments. That's what a business is supposed to do. Overflow into the areas that it occupies. However, it isn't just on an establishment, but on the people that coexist with them. Here are some ways that the phrase "it takes a village" can come to life in every place we inhabit. Whether local, national, or global.
MINDER II SOCIETY
Caine wasn't born a menace; he was made into one. It came from the choices that he made, the environments that he placed himself in, and the people he spent time with. Caine was a great student and could've gone to college had he so chose. Nevertheless, the point I'm making is this: We can choose to be a menace, or choose to be a minder. You've seen how the life of a menace can and will most likely end. If you haven't seen the movie, I suggest you watch it to get a frame of reference for the picture I'm painting. How much more effective would our lives, words, businesses, friends, family, and children be if we were to be minders of our society? I believe a minder is someone aware of the condition of their community is. They look to improve upon their surroundings, not add to them. In our respective communities as individuals, we have been and can be a menace. Sometimes for just reasons, such as police brutality, domestic violence, drug use, and the like. Yet again, I pose the question: how would the opposite look? What does the black dollar look like in its community? The enhanced quality of education and mentorship? The value of the businesses we start and implement around us? We have to first increase our value as individuals in our community before seeing gravitational pull in the right direction as a whole.
LET'S STAY TOGETHER
I have no relation to Al Green. My late grandfather's name is Willie Bernard. However, he and my grandmother had been married for more than 25 years, with more than seven children. For this to be a 20-year-old's dream in 2021 is extraordinary, for lack of a better word. This society is all about independence, isolation, self-absorption, and pride. We live in such a prideful day and age. No one respects anyone's opinion--which is subjective anyway--& it's a butterfly effect on how this current generation is evolving emotionally, mentally & spiritually. I can't stress enough how important it is for Gen-Z to understand that no matter what culture, race, or religion you identify with, people aren't counting on you staying with those with who you are involved in those sectors regarding intimacy, business & leisure. I speak for my community when I say that there isn't enough black love. I am not bashing interracial or intercultural relationships. However, whether you are black, white, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Polish--whatever nationality or cultural identity that you may have--should be cultivated within the respective community to build upon what systems have worked. We see that two-parent households have a grave difference in income, success, and proficiency in the workforce compared to single-parent households. There are outliers, but the outlier has become the norm. We have to come together, prune our people for growth, and thrive how we know we can and should in this modern-day age. It's an abundance of opportunity that we aren't taking advantage of and straight-up missing because of the level of disregard for ourselves. It has to change before it's too late.
I'M A BUSINESS, MAN!
Last but certainly not least, we have to talk about personal image & personal brand. It has to be one of the biggest hang-ups that I see on the whirlwind that is social media. I hate to be the guy to say it--but the black community is oxymoronic. The keyword there is moronic. It comes from a good place, though! But get this--we have women in the industries that we frequent as a race (entertainment) and portray and sell a lifestyle and image, but wonder why other cultures treat us, demean us, objectify us and villanize us how they do. We do it to ourselves! Our men are the same way, if not worse. We portray guns, drugs, illegal activities,--and to add onto my previous point--demeaning and objectifying the women in their community. For us to be better, we have to be honest with ourselves. There are so many other cultures and communities that have rebounded from tragedies that are flourishing and thriving. Why can't we? To get the jobs we want, start the businesses we want to start, have the partnerships and relationships that we desire, and so much more, we have to improve our image. We don't have to look how our community looks. It starts with the man in the mirror. Just like I spoke in the first column, there has to be an individual and personal change before there's any change in a monumental way that we desire as a whole. You are always selling something with what you wear, what you say, what you eat, who you spend time with, where you live, the places you go, & even what you watch. All of that plays a part in what you portray to be your brand and image. What do you want to sell? Who do you want to buy? These are the questions you need to be asking yourself to alter and improve upon whatever you have built your brand up to be to this point.
There are so many people we can blame. There are so many things we can fault. But how many excuses are too much? Ultimately, that's what they are, even if they're within reason. However, that should never hold us back from the goal that we're after as a people. It's not only a race, culture, or national thing. It's a human thing. We have to improve upon the quality of our lives to contribute to the improvement & sustainability of our environments. Where & when will you start? You already have a why. Just execute.
- II