Below you will find a copy of a post I did when I first started the blog in 2007! I'm reviving it and want to hear from more of you.
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Journalist and political pundit Tavis Smiley created the Covenant with Black America, a plan of action for addressing concerns of the African-American community. The Covenant covers ten issues: healthcare, criminal justice, education, affordable housing, voting, rural development, police accountability, economic prosperity, environmental justice, and the digital divide. To assist communities to actually give the Covenant some life, Smiley also published the Covenant in Action.
What if we produced the Covenant with Memphis?! What concerns would we include? What action plans would we implement? What role would you play in breathing life into the plan? I submit that the CWM would have to include race, education, government accountability, and economic development/poverty. What else should be included?
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7 comments:
Thanks for relaunching your blog. I try my best to spread the word and help get your blog out to the community.
Working throughout the community and leading the charge in the Airways Lamar area via the Airways Lamar Business Association, there are a few things (I believe) are worth having as part of the plan:
1. Beautification and Code Enforcement
2. Safety and Health
3. Business and Residential Development
4. Education and Workforce Development
Actually, these are the four course areas of concentration for ALBA as we enhance the community.
And these are similar to Smiley's covenant initiative as well as one that would benefit a focus on Memphis.
I have a serious issue with the children of the city. Tonight, on the news, they talked about the raid on Foot and Cleaborn Homes and how some top guys were arrested. All I could think about was how there were probably 10 little guys waiting to take their place.
I see girls letting guys treat them disrespectfully when I'm at the North End Terminal, all on them with not even and inch of space, grabbing the girls' butts, yanking them back as they try to walk away. The girls just giggle like it's cute. I see girls hauling baby strollers with another one on the hip.
I know I've seen teachers making comments about how parents expect the teachers to raise their children. However, someone has to do it or they become what we complain about. I saw a lot on your blog about mentors. It doesn't work unless the parent approaches the org. If the parent doesn't do that, it won't happen.
I don't know what category this would fall under but, I think we all know you have to do some work from the ground up. These kids remind of wild weeds just growing up and out everywhere and in the wrong places.
If there is a program that can identify children in need of mentors that does not need parental permission (i.e. through MCS) then it needs to be stepped up. These kids need to be helped before middle school.
This great and overdue.
As far as health care is concerned I feel we must get back to the basics.
In order to think right, we have to feel right or should I say feel good.
Reports show that Memphis is a very unhealthy city.
Good nutrition means a healthy brain. A healthy brain means a better thinking process.
If our children were fed better diets I feel they would learn better and act better. The children are our future.
I think the nutrition center for MCS is on track for better nutrition for our children.
So, educate Memphians as a whole about good health.
Find some way or incentive for some Memphians to keep their neighborhoods clean. Stiff fines for unkempt properties.
Establish more small business incubators.
More vocational classes in MCS. Everyone is not college bound.
Stress the importance of supporting businesses in your neighborhood. Especially if you are a home owner. Boarded up buildings don't add to the curb appeal of any area.
A cultural diversity campaign. You don't have to like another culture but you can respect it.
No more Heal the Hood campaigns or events. Stop calling the hood the hood. The word hood implies something negative to begin with.
I'm working on where I can fit in to help achieve what I have just posted.
Thanks again for this blog.
To breathe live into and revivie Memphis, I am willing to work with minority contractors who have a difficult time obtain ing surety bonding. Surety bonding is one of the excuses used by majority owned companies to exclude minority firms or extort profits from them. Surety bonding is also a hurdle which precludes minority froms from bidding on public projects. I am a surety expert and can help. I am a native Memphian and one a handful of minorities who have made a career in surety and I can help. So, on behalf of Hart for Memphis, I am willing to offer my expertise to assist five minority contractors by reviewing their operation and advising them on what needs to be done in order to move to the next level. My hope is that if I can help develop minority contractors then when it comes to building the Memphis infrastructure, minorities can and will play a substantive role - more than the have in the past. I challenge all of you who engage this blog - "don't respond in generalities - be specific - "What will you do?"
Thanks to you all for your great comments. While I don't want us to recreate the wheel, I think it will be helpful if something tangible can come out of this discussion. Thus, I am thinking of ways we can take what is said here and develop something real and impactful. Help me with that!
Anonymous, you hit the nail on the head and I wish we could discuss the issue further. If you don't mind, please call me at 901-272-2491. You present a real solution to a real problem in this community. I would love to talk with you about what can be done and how I might be able to help. I've been working to develop programs/services for the Memphis Urban League in the area of minority contracting. I hope you'll give me a call.
Anoymous said that surety bonds are there to exclude minority firms when in actuality they are there to protect the city from substandard or inexperienced contractors.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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