Open and Honest Dialogue

In spite of it all, we still rise.  We have created a platform where members of our community can tell their story expressing their feelings of pain, grief, sorrow, and suffering.

Our efforts are to help members of our community heal from the many years of the pain and systemic racism they have faced in their day-to-day lives. We are here to be a vessel for people of color, specifically Black people, to express deep feelings of hurt and pain that has consumed members of our families and communities from generation to generation. Black people are asked to rise every morning and excel, in spite of the pain felt from institutional racism and subsequent economic struggles.   These expectations are hard to overcome because it has taken a toll on all families psychologically, spiritually, and of the human soul for some time.  The results of this have been reflected in an increase of mental health, loss of employment, homelessness, and crimes committed in our community.  When our families are unable to support themselves, this leads to ongoing problems between husband and wives, father and son, mother and daughter, and more.

The Black family struggles when men are unable to support their wives, father are not there to raise their sons and daughters, and grandparents are left to raise their young daughters and their infant child. Our family members experience substance abuse, loss of employment, and the effects of the criminal justice system where a massive of Black men are serving mandatory life sentences in a system that is supposed to be designed to reform them.

In our society, the definition of beauty is associated with whiteness and straight. long hair.  On the Contrary, Black is Anti-Beauty.  As Black people, our hair may not be so straight we may prefer to braid our hair, which represents our culture.  As defined in the National Dictionary, everything that associates with the word Black is negative, such as dirty, dingy, depressing, disastrous, sinful, inhuman, devilish, horrible, treacherous, Black Market, Black Monday, Black-Mail, and Black-Out.    There should be more positive images of sharing Black Greatness.  Black is Beautiful, and it represents our racial pride.

This has caused significant negative attitudes within the Black communities; In fact, Black people have been used in a disparaging and demeaning way which makes them feel less than and/or underservant of themselves.  More importantly, less loving of themselves and sometimes a total disregard of their existence and future potential.  When Racism is internalized, negative traits can sometimes lead to criminal activities, domestic violence, child abuse, and mental health problems.

Yes, we can talk about Black on Black crime, but we must ask ourselves what are the underlying issues for these crimes and why is it happening.  Similar, to the underlying medical conditions affecting Blacks through lack of medical attention, hunger, poverty, and the availability of quality fresh foods.

We want the same equal rights when it comes to policing, employment and retention at the workplace, fair lending practices, fair housing, and fair and equal education.

Let’s close the divide and join together for sake of our love ones.