Community Blueprint Series | Part 1 of 8
Over the next several weeks, Empower Black Families will be sharing an eight-part Community Blueprint Series focused on rebuilding stronger families, stronger neighborhoods, and a stronger future for our communities. This is Part 1.
Look around our blocks. From Brownsville, Wedgewood, and Ensley to Morris Court, Attucks Court, Englewood, and beyond, our roots run deep. We have carried generations on our backs. We have survived historic redlining, bulldozers, forced disinvestment, and political silence.
However, if we are completely honest with ourselves, the external systems aren’t the only things holding us back.
Our communities have remained splintered for generations, but that division didn’t happen by accident. It is rooted in systems dating back to slavery that were designed to keep us disconnected so we could never pool our power. For too long, we’ve allowed that division, and the “crabs in a bucket” mentality to keep us from building together. Every time we pull one another down, we weaken our own community.
This starts with accountability. And that includes me, too. None of us are above putting in the work, and none of us can do this alone. If we want our neighborhoods to change, the healing must start from the inside out.
Rebuilding Our Village: Bring Back the Barter System
We don’t need to wait on a corporate grocery store, or a county/city grant to start looking out for one another. If you see your neighbor struggling, step in. We need to bring back our “it takes a village” mentality and utilize our own internal barter system:
- If an elderly neighbor’s grass is overgrown, cut their yard.
- If a single mother is working late, fix a home-cooked meal for her children.
- If a neighbor’s roof is leaking or plumbing is failing, lend a hand and/or your tools.
Generational Wealth and Financial Literacy
The ultimate gift we can give to ourselves, our children, and our ancestors is Generational Wealth. But wealth is not just about money; it is about knowledge. We must commit ourselves to learning financial Literacy. We need to understand how banks function, how property equity is built, and how local governments use tools like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to direct public investment. When we understand how these systems work, we can better advocate for our neighborhoods and protect our legacy
Community Listening Session
I am organizing a Community Listening Session this coming September.
In the meantime, I invite you to take five minutes to complete the Community Questionnaire. Your responses will help identify the issues affecting our neighborhoods, guide the discussion during the Community Listening Sessions, and help better understand where support and advocacy are needed most.
Through my education and internship experience, I’ve learned how these systems operate, and where many residents struggle to access services or navigate them successfully. Your responses will help me identify service gaps, connect you with available resources, and prepare the information and materials needed to better serve our communities; during and after the Community Listening Session.
Your participation in filling out the questionnaire is completely voluntary and confidential.
Community Questionnaire:
https://empowerblackfamilies.org/community-questionnaire/
Our ancestors, the men and women of the Civil Rights Movement, and the elders who continue to guide us, accomplished extraordinary things under conditions that were far more dangerous than what we face today. They organized. They educated. They built institutions. They fought for change despite threats of violence, intimidation, and even death. If they could persevere under those circumstances, then we should never believe that change is impossible.
The question isn’t whether we can rebuild our communities.
The question is whether we’re willing to do the work – together.
From one voice to many.
From one block to twenty-plus Black neighborhoods.
From survival to legacy.