Living Just Enough for the City

Note:

The danger of the hood is not just the danger in the hood. While that is a very large part of it, honestly, it is a large, symptomatic part of it. The gangs, the drugs, the automatic assault weapons, the crack whores and crack babies, the projects, the fear, are all built in triggers that are resultant of the biggest danger of the hood; the hood mentality.

Perhaps I should explain. In true tribute to our greatness, we have changed the word ghetto from its original etymology as a noun describing a dwelling place where a certain people were forced to live into an adjective describing our “blackness.” “Ghetto” has become a culture. Except where it was once a culture we took pride in, like during the Harlem Renaissance where it was “the place to be,” OR a place we needed to escape like the Jim Crow south which sparked black flight and the Civil Rights Movement; now it is a place that we are stuck in, that we don’t give a f*ck in, that we kill each other in, that we ignore our neighbors in, that we sell drugs to our people in, that we call our women hos and b*tches in, that we raise our children as little n*ggas in, that we smoke blacks and crack in, that we don’t go outside in, that we pray when we go for a ride in, that we get struck in drive-bys in, and that we are afraid to live in.

So take a beautiful city like Newark, New Jersey, with a rich history and spectacular landmarks, with a passionate leader, some beautiful neighborhoods and wonderful residents, a world class arena and performing arts center and a productive central business district and failing schools, and high poverty and unemployment, and gang violence and drug trade, and high numbers of dropouts, single parents and incarceration and understand that we have two options. 1) We can start by holding our heads up with pride, learning from our past, reclaiming our children, getting them educated and keeping them out of prison, teaching them to be upstanding American citizens looking forward to a successful future. Or 2) we can sit back and pray for a miracle.

I vote for option 1. I’m not saying it’s not hard, but it is certainly doable. If you’re not of it, you probably don’t understand it.

I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
This place is cruel no where could be much colder
If we dont change the world will soon be over

Living just enough, just enough for the city. (Stevie Wonder)

Until Next Time.

Peace. Two Fingers, One Love.