Gentrification for Blacks

Darrin-Jackson_333339.jpg?width=350By Darrin Jackson |  This article is to define a problem we already know exist; everyone talks about it although nothing is every done to change the current state of affairs for African Americans. The problem I refer to is financial inequality. We march about unfair treatment of children in schools; we march about the death of our unarmed children at the hands of law enforcement, we march, we march, we march. Allow me to enlighten my brothers and sisters, do you think any change ever in America has happened because we marched? If you believe the answer to that question is yes, then you must educate yourself further to understand money or the loss of money is the only thing that has stimulated any and every change that has ever occurred for black life in America.

I propose in this article a hard adjustment to our way of thinking as well as a chance to make a change for all blacks today. It begins with learning the tactics used against us and formulating those same tactics to our advantage. Interested? Read on.

Gentrification is one of their weapons; we can use this weapon to our advantage by simple understanding its function and application. Gentrification in its simplest term is infusing money into unattractive neighbourhoods increasing its value improving the safety of it's residents generating greater tax revenue and overall improving the lifestyle for all involved. Make no mistake gentrification takes millions of dollars, intelligent people, and time. Rome was not built in a day as the saying went, in our case neither was Egypt.

Millions of dollars need to be accessible for gentrification to take place and many reading this are thinking well how are we going to generate these millions? The answer is we already have the millions, in all actuality we have trillions of dollars collectively, it is the direction is of this revenue we are missing. The problem we (blacks) in America face is a collective problem so the solution must also be collective.

Our problem

Please refer to the Willie Lynch letter - We as black people in America have become professional at distrusting each other. If you read the Willie Lynch letter, you will see that trusting each other has been something we have been trained not to do.

(a word about the Willie Lynch letter- this letter has not been proved to be authentic or where it's origins originate. The author refers to it only to point out that its content is authentic to the black man's state of mind today.)

As noted in the Willie Lynch letter distrust is essential to keep us apart. To all those who will not follow the link, to sum up Willy Lynch Syndrome. Willy Lynch Syndrome is the division of the race by removing the power of the male from the family as well as creating a class distinction( i.e. Light skin vs. dark skin). Also by our mothers fear of the ruling class those fears are to be transferred to make all of her children subservient and fearful.

Over time, the woman will distrust their men because we cannot offer her safety. Our kids will be taught fear from a very early age. Finally, some of us will protect the masters at great length do to the difference in classification although a difference is only perceived on our part, in reality we are viewed by them no matter what class as inferior. This holds faithful to this day whether doctor, lawyer, millionaire or pauper you are black first.

The Question

How do we unite financially? In theory it's simple, the application is involved.

Phase one

40 million blacks in America with over a trillion dollar per year collective buying power, just let that sink in for a minute. Let's do some quick math with a simple solution tell me if it makes sense.

If each and every one of us committed one dollar per month, that's 40 million per month times 12 months that's 480 million dollars in one year. Just for fun lets continue down this path, in Park Forest, Ill. You can buy a house for 30k-50k, at 30k per home, we could purchase 16,000 homes!

As an entrepreneur, my next move would be to put the money in the bank, so it collects interest while borrowing the money to buy the homes. Our initial investment is collecting interest while we are using other people's money for the purchase. Why? Leverage, this will enable our people to get interest rates at the lowest possible rates because the bankers would not want us to pull our money from their vaults. This has been a very simplistic picture, but I am sure my readers get the point.

I can hear all the naysayers stating but that is only 16,000 homes, but there are 40 million of us. The bigger picture is what's important here, and that is developing our neighborhood and having the revenue to improve other communities continually.

Phase Two

Employment opportunities- for a community to thrive employment is essential. One of the realities here in America is unemployment for blacks is high and will continue to be so until we start to employ our own. Now we can invest our next round of investor capital into large-scale manufacturing plants. These plants can be either agricultural, chemical, automotive, etc. The type of service we offer is not what is important here, what is of importance is the fact that we as a group would be able to develop a source of employment decreasing unemployment for ourselves. This process would also lead to many micro businesses for aspiring entrepreneurs. Our new community would have a need for grocery stores, car dealerships, barber shops, salons, attorneys, doctors, and so on. Phase two of the gentrification process is when the community begins to mature.

Phase Three

The education-last phase of the renovation of the African American is our education. In my humble opinion, the worst thing we can do to our children allows them to get an education in this country. Other than math and science, for the most part, are universal everything else our black children get taught in America is detrimental to their growth. Our kids gain an education about all the accomplishments of the white race but nothing about their race. Not to mention the poorly skilled teachers, high suspension rate, school to prison pipeline, etc., creating our educational system will remove many of the problems our black youth face daily.

Conclusion

Ultimately we have all the resources available to us to change our destiny. Our ancestors left us the path; we have chosen to forget that road. The talented tenth by W.E.B. Dubois told us that there were some from our race that would be more fortunate than others and it was our responsibility to raise up the race. Blacks have been warned about becoming the house negro. We have been warned that our women would be turned against their men. We have been told we would never be accepted in this country without an economic base. Some say knowledge is power, I say knowledge without application is useless. We can change our destiny with a dollar a month are you ready? I am.

What are your thoughts?

You can find more of my work @ http://www.color-of-america.com/

Many stand up, but one will be chosen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Darrin_Jackson/335040



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  • Caricom

    Brother, this is a subject dear to my heart and I throughly enjoyed your essay. You were kind enough to ask for my thoughts and here they are. First of all, we cannot and will not make any progress until we come to grips with WHO WE ARE. Ours is a spiritual problem, the one area your essay ignores. As your essay has exposed - we have the resources, the intelligence, the education, the experience. We lack TRUST in one another. Once we understand who we are and the relationship we have with the Creator, we can UNITE and make progress. See Deuteronomy 28:15-68 to discover proof of our real identity.

    Second, "many are called, but few chosen". This is a clarion call that has caused good men and women like yourself to awaken to the potential that exists among us, as a people. We are being "called" to propose ingenious ways to uplift our people, spiritually, educationally, and economically. 

    Third, your proposals put an unfair burden on those who have been "called". The Creator has caused our oppressors to provide a loophole in their own oppressive taxation system that challenges our ability to plan and implement plans together. A few, setting and example, can influence millions. For example, your proposal calls for collecting money from a people who are confused, divided, distrustful and full of self-loathing. The "called" ones can use the 401(c)(3) strategy to execute your concept with small beginnings that allow geometric growth. For example, cities/counties/banks/wealthy individuals are sitting on property/houses that they would gladly donate to a 501 (c)(3). We have obtained the house for free. We renovate the house with donated materials from Lowes/Home Depot, etc. We rally black small contractors and home renovators to do the work for (a) cash payment or (b) a write-off at tax time. We also rally black landscapers to come in and landscape the land surrounding the house.

    Now, we have take an abandoned house, renovated it, landscaped it, stabilized our neighborhood, increased the property values, put our people to work and begun the creation of an alternative economy that we can control.

    Next, we select a senior citizen who is renting an apartment or dilapidated house who is willing to cooperate with our initiative. We will offer the house to them as a "gift", in return for their cooperation. They get the bank to give them a reverse mortgage, allowing them to stay in the house - rent free - until they die. 

    Now, we have attacked poverty by eliminating a major expense of these senior citizens - the most vulnerable people in our "village". The bank has a solid investment in the house and we have a perpetual "customer" of our services.

    We then take the capital from selling the house and re-invest it in the expansion of our basic plan. By that I mean, we influence our black small renovators, contractors and landscapers to take on an "apprentice" for OJT. This would be one of our black brothers or sisters who is an ex-offender or chronically unemployed youth. 

    The capital from selling the house to the bank provides the pay for each of those selected to become an "apprentice". Now, we have attacked unemployment and the lack of marketable skills will expanding our black contractors, renovators and landscapers businesses without adding cost.

    As time goes on and we develop other nuances of this concepts, there are several spin-off opportunities that await the creative genius the Most High have given us, His favored people. It is simply a matter of restoring our relationship with Him and our people by being what we were created to be, His representatives on earth.

    Hope some of this helps. Peace and love to you and all you love. Shalom.

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