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.