COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT IS AN ACTION PLAN

This column has expressed community empowerment from a dark perspective, the maladies and shortcomings within politics, housing, law enforcement, the pandemic and more. Though important for stirring up a need for change, it’s dangerous to leave it at that. By itself, this lens  can one harbor anger, hate, blame, division, and desires for justified retribution. Worse! It keeps hidden feelings of helpless hopelessness and despair alive. It does little for the love, hope, pride, and potential individual residents hold inside, in wait, to be revived and sprang into action. But how?

First, some thoughtful words to consider: confidence comes with the increased use of available people skills, knowledge, and belief that they can make a difference; being inclusive promotes equal opportunity and good relations between groups to challenge present contradictions; organizing brings people and groups to common issues and concerns in an open, democratic, and accountable way; cooperative attitudes build positive relationships among groups and promote partnering links with local and national bodies; influential people encourage and equip residents to partake in decisions affecting local services and activities. Sounds good but not enough! Community empowerment is a product able to put different values within community restoration and/or development into action. But consider what time and resources community planning boards tend to approve. Are current resident needs and concerns reflected? Look around and try turning a vacant lot into a community garden, homestead abandoned buildings for homeless residents or space for cultural art exhibits and performances, make your own repairs and try deducting it from the rent to see what’s really happening and remember the saying “if you don’t use it – you lose it!” Much of what seems neglected and underutilized is already part of visions years in the making behind closed doors with investors expecting, and defending, profitable returns; regardless of rights and laws NOT GONE but WAITING to be RESURRECTED and DEPLOYED! So, wonder to dream rather than surrendering! Many assumptions make both the concept and application of community empowerment’ problematic, confusing, potentially meaningless and unnecessarily complicated. But remember the saying “KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!” If unity is the missing key, then by any means available (e.g., street block parties, games and tournaments like stickball, skelly, crack-top, double Dutch and more … let’s begin a new “Poor Peoples Campaign” full of fun and opportunities for people to simply come together and talk; the exchange of information and thoughts provide ammunition to gather, opinions to consider, and common grounds build and act upon. Come on! Get creative! Let the sounds of congas from rooftops fill the air. Let the sound of shaking dominoes fill the streets outside our local grocery stores. Let the corners become stages for hip hop rappers and spoken word performers to spread the message: With growing block-by-block associations, we the people can stand together to take over and resolve so much presently left undone. So, for the next few articles let’s explore what underestimated and/or underutilized opportunities can be RESURRECTED and DEPLOYED. To share your thoughts and GET IT ON, feel free to click the comment link below.          

Note: Read more of Yrizarry’s work; go to 26-spoken.blogspot.com, where you can interactively dialog comments with the columnist.