Urban Issues and Actions

While working on our documentary regarding segregation in Richmond’s public education system and its effects on public schools today, I realized just how close my generation is to segregation and Jim Crow laws. Working on our documentary brought back all of the stories that my mother use to tell me about her experiences as an African-American in the South. From sitting in segregated doctors’ office waiting rooms to graduating with her town’s first integrated high school class, my mother lived and breathed racial segregation. Suddenly, segregation and massive resistance of the 1950’s and 1960’s didn’t seem so far removed anymore.

So often, my generation writes off segregation as a “thing of the past”—something that is irrelevant to our current reality. The truth of the reality, however, is that legal segregation occurred as recent as our parents’ generation and de facto segregation still occurs today. Although laws separating races are no longer existent, many neighborhoods and school systems are still racially segregated.  In Richmond, several schools like Chandler Middle School and Armstrong High School are 99% African-American, and policies such as the recent open-enrollment policy will continue to separate schools by race and class. Segregation is still alive and well.

I believe that the only difference is that socioeconomic class has become a major player in today’s state of segregation.  Social class and race, two interconnected concepts, have combined, making many of our public schools plagued with both poverty and racial segregation. Social class has become so important today that many even argue that race no longer matters and social class is most important in identifying inequalities in education and other areas of life.  However, social class and race can not be separated as two non-relatable concepts with various degrees of importance. On the contrary, the two are so related that it is impossible to separate them. So while legal racial segregation may no longer be a reality, racial segregation marked by severe socioeconomic inequalities is the reality of my generation.

My generation is not as far removed from our parents’ as we like to think. And America’s problems of segregation are not of the past as we like to believe.

As the minimum wage continues to increase (from $5.15 to $6.55, and to $7.25 within the next two years), many people still argue that even a minimum wage over $7 is not going to help solve income disparities between white collar and blue collar workers. Many argue that a living wage (the amount of money per hour needed to provide one with adequate housing, food, utilities, transportation, and health care for oneself and one’s family) is the answer to such income disparities and a great step towards alleviating America’s poverty. 

I agree that more than an increase in minimum wage is necessary to solve the wealth gap in this country. I even agree with the idea and theory behind a living wage. However, I can not help but to question the foundation behind the idea of providing a living wage. What defines “adequate” when it comes to housing, food, utilities, transportation, and health care? Does “adequate” include a one-bedroom apartment in public housing or a two-bedroom house in the suburbs? Is “adequate” transportation synonymous with monthly bus passes or a car? Who defines the meaning of “adequate” and what are the class implications behind it? What kind of lifestyle is to be provided with a living wage? A middle-class lifestyle? Furthermore, with the state of America’s current economy, is it even feasible to provide everyone with such a lifestyle? I don’t mean to imply that it shouldn’t be a goal, but in reality, is it genuinely attainable?

I have for a long time agreed with the thought of a living wage. But at times, it presents me with more questions than solutions. Adequate living for everyone (even though it may sound a bit socialist) is something that I believe America should always strive for, but is it a realistic goal for a capitalist nation? The increase in minimum wage is a great step towards mending economic disparities and helping working people provide themselves and their families with greater economic opportunities. But can America ever reach an “adequate” wage with which every citizen can “live”? Many steps must be taken before that answer is yes.

For the past three months I have been in the process of researching gang life around the country and filiming a documentary film on gangs in the city of Richmond. A large part of my research was dedicated to the numerous popular interpretations and sociological perspectives concerning gang life. In other words, I researched the bare physiological underpinnings of gang life, and thus what type of youths are at the highest risk of joining gangs. Complementing this primarily scholarly interpretation of gang life, I also studied gangs in a more hands on fashion while making the documentary. I had the honor of interviewing community organizers, law enforcement officials, gang investigators, football coaches, resident liaisons, high school guidance counselors, inner-city pastors, and high school students. I also had the opportunity to go on numerous police ride-alongs throughout the first and second police districts of Richmond.The focus of the documentary was why gangs are prevalent in Richmond, and how to prevent or marginalize them in the future. Although gang life in Richmond may differ than that of Los Angeles and other big cities, some underlying themes concerning why gangs are still prevalent today can be extracted from the documentary and research. From my experience there a three major ingredients contributing to a self-perpetuating cycle of hopelessness and community entrenched gang activity.

First, however, we must quickly diverge to the most commonly accepted sociological perspective concerning youth subcultures to comprehend the root cause of these deviant lifestyles: alienation from mainstream society. This is seen throughout the works of major psychological thinkers including Freud, Maslow, Erikson, and Tajfel. The base cause of this alienation is now the question we must remedy as a communal society dependent on those around us; even those at the lowest rung of our class structure. If as a society we embrace a Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’ in which we would not know what class, gender, race, or any other primordial difference we were to be born into, we would try to eliminate these ever resilient inequalities that plague our cities to this day.The most common source of alienation regarding gang life is a sense of hopelessness. The youth that join gangs truly do not believe they have the opportunity to succeed in society. After witnessing the potential of the kids at George Wythe High school, and also observing what they have to deal with on a daily basis, even at school proved to me that society does not care about the predominantly black and Latino populations of our inner cities. These schools are under-funded, under-staffed, and implicitly neglected. The problems of our city schools do not develop in a vacuum however, as the problems in the community first and foremost cement the ‘live for the moment’ mentality that so unfairly hijacks any innocence and prospective latency from many inner-city youths . So why do these kids develop a sense of hopelessness, and then in turn join gangs?

Most importantly is the lack of family structure and sense of belonging that is crucial to the development of teenagers in the formative stages of youth. As Erik Erikson explains, if one is not able to positively identify oneself in society between the ages of 12 and 19, then they are far more likely to join subcultures “deemed deviant from society.” Without any sense of structure, whether it is through a family, a sports team, an after-school organization, or a mentor program, these kids have nowhere else to turn but the gang bangers on the corner of the street. Many of these youths have never experienced true love, and joining a gang gives them a sense of belonging however flawed it may be; this being no different than college students joining a fraternity. These gangs then in turn offer the structure which is lacking in their lives, this including a reward and punishment system.

Second, is the lack of economic opportunity which literally entrenches the youth in our inner cities. Many of these kids have never known anything else than a single mother working multiple jobs just to get by. Hence, the creation of large public projects suffering from poor planning and design creates a cesspool of poverty and desperation. For many youths, the only silver-lining to exiting this very isolated and debilitating situation is through the advent of the underground economy personified by drug related profit. It’s hard for the malleable young minds of inner city youths to resist what they think will give them profit, power, protection, and companionship.

Third and lastly, is the societal stigma of the ‘ghetto’ and the lack of positive alternatives offered by society. In Richmond, a church known as the ‘ROC’ or Richmond Outreach Center, has taken things into their own hands. Every Sunday, they bus over 1,100 kids from the projects to a local service. The ROC is locally becoming known as the ‘godsend’ of the greater Richmond community and is now the fifth fastest growing church in the nation. Aside from this, very little is being done by the local, state, or federal government to help bring a sense of community and hope back into the cities. The work of the Richmond Police Department should not go un-noticed, but it was clear from the get-go they are not given the adequate resources to really curb gang violence. The city of Richmond and cities around the country are being utterly neglected and ignored by mainstream society and left to fend for themselves as they are stigmatized as a blight rather than a place of history, beauty, and opportunity.

I am not naive enough to think that the dynamic problems that perpetuate gang life and violence in the city of Richmond are solely traceable back to these three issues. But rather these three problems presented in Richmond should be seen as a starting point to positively impact our community. If we fix these three things, I sincerely believe the rest will fall in line. The University of Richmond is starting a Richmond Families Initiative program designed to improve the structure of inner city families, this just being one example of how a institution of just 3,000 undergraduate students can truly change a entire city. No longer can the federal or local governments be relied upon, and the current economic recession is sure to cut back any possibilities of economic aid. Instead, everyday citizens, non-profit organizations, and governmental organizations must come together to create true transformative change in our city. Again, if we all had a equal chance of being born into a this environment, shouldn’t we stop glorifying the gluttonous and consumerist society we live in and truly help those who need it?

I think the documentary was my favorite component of the course. Yes, it took hours and I do mean hours to pull it together, but I am so proud of the work my group accomplished. At times my group was stressed and tired, but we pushed to the end.  We knew we had all the material necessary to make it a great documentary, but we wanted to make sure we presented our message loud and clear. I don’t think I realized just how amazing our documentary was until we presented it in class this past Thursday. I was smiling the entire time and I occasionally glanced at my group partners. I am so happy that we had the opportunity to create our very own documentary.   I am also very grateful to everyone who contributed to the documentary: the individuals we interviewed, my partners, my classmates, Hil Scott and Dr. Howard who gave encouragement and advice.

 I also really valued the bonding time with my partners. We learned so much more about each other, especially the way each of us handles stress. At one point we had a group hug which was completely necessary considering how we were feeling at the time. Now I can look back on our moments in the TLC and say two things: 1. Our hard work and long hours has paid off; 2. Thank God it is over! The interesting thing is that even though our hard work is over for our documentary, the ability to reach our viewers and send our message is not over. In fact, it has just begun. I am very excited about the premiere on January 26, 2008! It will be nice to share our documentary with the world!

I also want to congratulate everyone on their documentaries.  I know you all worked very hard as well and they were great!  Urban Crisis in America class 2008, we did it!

A special addition of The Truth on BET goes into the reason why there is so much violence in Urban America and what policies need to be implemented in order to decrease the issues.  One of the special guests host Jeff Johnson interviewed is a man by the name of Tim white.  White proposes that violence and negative actions thrive out of black communities because blacks are the poorest communities, they aren’t the majority of the population, therefore statistically in terms of youths resulting to negative trades are just a product of their communities and if they were raised in a more stable household (whether it be having both parents around, positive pyschological development, positive influence, etc.) the crime rates in the black communities will be higher because blacks as a people have less of everything accumulatively in this country than any other race.  The program continued to debate other connected issues, however, what is your opinion or reaction in regards to the above statement?  Personally, I agree.  Although young people in general are psychologically unstable, it is up to parents, parent-substitues, and each young person’s environment to help develope the young mind thus creating young people who know right from wrong and fear the consequences of their wrong-doing.  Even though a young person may be poor at first, they still have opportunity to do well in school and be resourceful and find the available (but  non-advertised) ways to get to the next level of education which is found at the college level and being determined.  This is one example of a method to help set our young minorities on the right path, but we have to weed out the negative and protect the young from the negative until they are old enough to understand that they do not have to be involved with wrong-doing and sinful acts to make ends meat or even to fit in with their already bad community.  They have opportunity to be better and it is up to their elders, environment, and the government to help push them towards success.

This Saturday, our newly elected President, Barack Obama, promised everyone in the US to create the largest public works program since the building of the interstate highway acts in hopes of bringing back the US economy. Right before this on Friday, he addressed that currently, people in the US have lost 533,000 jobs in November alone bringing the number of job losses to 2 million.

As a result, he pledged to create more jobs for everyone by bringing back traditional work programs for the middle class such as infrastructure projects to repair roads and bridges in the US. Moreover, he wanted to create “new-era type” jobs that dealt with technology as well as “green” jobs that would help in reducing the use of energy and any forms of global warming emissions. All in all, Obama hopes that if this program were to be enacted, it could be in part a government-directed industrial policy that would hopefully “cover a range of programs to expand broadband Internet access, to make government buildings more energy efficient, to improve information technology at hospitals and doctors’ offices, and to upgrade computers in schools”.

It was said that although there has been no talk about the price of this program, many Republicans along with Bush, are worried about the costs. This could cause more debt into the already existing federal budget deficit that is almost hitting 1 trillion dollars this year. It was said that with this program, it will lead to a huge bill in the next generation. Governor Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania, however, contests to that saying, “I think he understands if you’re trying to reverse the economy and turn it around, this is not the time to do it on the cheap. This is not the time to do it in small doses.”

It was interesting to see how the writers of this article referred back to Eisenhower’s Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 and its costs. It was said that the government concluded in 1991 that the total cost came to $128.9 billion, with the federal government paying $114.3 billion with the states picking up the rest. Having said that, Obama continued to discuss in his address that due to these past programs such as Eisenhower’s Highway Act, he will be changing some spending rules such as “a requirement that states act quickly to invest in roads and bridges or sacrifice federal money”.

Many have argued against this while others support Obama. What do you guys think? Do you believe that it is to big of a risk for the US to spend so much on this project in hopes of  gaining back the economy or do you think it is needed in this time? It seems that Obama has taken control in what he believes in and is truly striving to fix a lot in the United States at once. Nonetheless, I cannot help but wonder if he is thinking way too ahead for something that may end up leaving the US in a worse state…

Last Friday while I was singing Christmas carols with the a cappella group I had an interesting experience with a stranger. While walking down Cary St. we would stop every once in a while and serenade passers by with our voices. At one point, a man came up to the group and asked us to give him a four-part tune so that he could freestyle rap over it. We sort of looked at each other and decided that this guy, who looked very homeless, wouldn’t hurt us or cause any serious danger. During the song he put a dollar bill in the hat we put for donations and he gave a beer to the girl who apparently sang the best out everyone.

            The entire time I kept thinking about the urban homeless and the underground economy that most people don’t understand. Even more than that, most people in my group were scared of him or just laughed at him and joked about how crazy he is. He might be homeless and he might have a mental illness, but I might have been the only person in the group who realized that the two are usually related. Ever since the American government downsized the mental institutions or cut back on funding for the mentally ill there has been an increase in the homeless population. Though there are many nonprofits in Richmond working to monitor the homeless population and provide food and shelter, I don’t know if Richmond will ever be able to actually implement the programs that are really necessary for eradicating homelessness – actually giving them homes.

            For all the good that food and shelter programs provide, there is just no equivalent to the security of a stable home. Almost every study presented on homelessness has revealed that a minority of the population result in a majority of the cost to the government primarily in the area of health care fees. As a result, the most effective way to provide for the homeless would be to find the most costly members of the population and give them a permanent place of residence. Even more progressive non-profits such as one in San Diego would even go so far as to provide “psychiatrists along with doctors, dentists, case workers, and drug counselors” (citation).

            Unfortunately, in the city of Richmond I worry that there are too few citizens really willing to take on such a program. My hope in the coming years is that Obama’s administration will be true to its original emphasis on preventative healthcare and services. I don’t know what his presidency will look like considering the current state of our economy, but I have to hope Americans realize the fact that our current policy regarding the homeless is not effective. When my friend Sara from Denmark visited me in Tyler she said, “This is nice, but I’m glad to live in a country that gives all of its citizens a place to live.” I could only point to band-aid organizations like the Salvation Army and say I wish I could say the same of America.

The 2008 campaign raised many questions to which both the candidates had an answer to. However, I believe there was a particular question that wasn’t clearly asked or clearly answered by both the candidates. The question of how each candidate intends to help low income families was something they hardly discussed. Instead they focused more on middle income people, who are believed to be the most important part of the American population mainly because they were the ones who voted in large numbers. Both of the candidates talked about helping the middle class by providing them better health care and a better tax system, but they didn’t even care to talk about how low income families would be affected by it. Recently, we had a discussion in our class about the same issue, and many of us suggested that we should increase the minimum wage and help increase the level of low income in general, which will help them to move from the lower class to middle class. As good of a suggestion it sounds, I don’t think it is realistic, as there is always bound to be a lower class population in a capitalist society. Instead of trying to do something which may or maynot be productive, I believe the government should step in to help them by offering them programs that help them. But, how? The perfect example of this is the government providing more cash for heating aid for low income families this summer. According to the article, the government will have $128 million to dispense under the low income home energy assistance program. That’s more than three times the $38 million Virginia received last year.  That is definitely one step towards ensuring that the lower income families don’t suffer. I’m not saying that the government should create programs that are going to help the lower income population by providing them more funding towards everything. What I am trying to say is that the government can start by providing such assistance and later progress to other programs, which is going to help solve the problem eventually. I believe the solution to the problem is education. If people are educated, they are more likely to get a job that is going to help them support their family, and not only that; if one is more educated, they can deal with the problems in a more effective way.  They could make college education less expensive, or provide government funding towards the education by increasing the financial aid a student receives. That way a poor family will not have to worry about their college education, and could focus their money on paying their bills and making a living. But the biggest question of all still remains: is it possible?

Article: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1516398

                This past Monday was World AIDS Day. I was surprised and happy to see a display in D-Hall full of statistics and AIDS data worldwide. In addition, I saw a few people wearing red ribbons. The reason I was surprised was that there were no posters or flyers around campus. In addition, this day is not common knowledge to the majority of persons in the United States. This particular day is important for several reasons. First, HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease, but it continues to kill millions of people worldwide. Here in the United States, HIV/AIDS is rarely discussed and there is an epidemic among Black Americans and other marginalized groups. Thus, this epidemic challenges that notion that HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease, because people continue to die from it considering that the United States has the resources to contend with the disease. Why are there 40,000 new HIV infection cases a year in the United States? How does the neglect of the U.S. government and society influence the world’s perceptions of the United States ability to fight the epidemic globally? 

                Although my interests and focus on HIV/AIDS is among Blacks Americans and poor communities within the United States, it is important to remember that we live in an interdependent global society, meaning that what occurs in the world, impacts the United States and vice versa. Here are some statically data that I want people to know and think about the epidemic worldwide. According to Avert.org, “Already, more than twenty-five million people around the world have died of AIDS-related diseases. In 2007, around 2.1 million men, women and children lost their lives. 33 million people around the world are now living with HIV, and most of these are likely to die over the next decade or so. The most recent UNAIDS/WHO estimates show that, in 2007 alone, 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV”¹. About 1.1 million of persons infected with HIV out of the 33 million come from the United States. These are some troublesome numbers, because the cases of HIV/AIDS infections and death continue to rise. The charts below show the global HIV infection trend.

                Earlier I asked two questions regarding why there is an epidemic in the United States in particular and how the United States deals with the epidemic in its country will influence how the world’s views that United States ability to fight the epidemic worldwide. Some of the reasons why there is an epidemic in the United States is that there is still a large amount of stigma and denial, inadequate funding on prevention methods, intertwining issues of poverty, racism, sexism, etc. and a sense of apathy (it’s a chronic disease managed by medications). In addition, there have been more and more news reports regarding the epidemic among Blacks Americans and the ignorance of how devastating the disease has been in this community. Being aware of the United States’ history and continual issues with race and class, the ignorance and lack of governmental and communal response in this country against HIV in the Black community and poor communities may provide the world with a negative impression of the United States. Because HIV/AIDS disproportionally affects people of color globally, how will the United States become the leader in the global fight in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, while the same communities are ignored within its nation? As the sole superpower in the world, it is imperative that we make the link between what we do and the commitments we make globally. 

* 1. Avert.org. AIDS around the world. 04 November 2008. AVERTing HIV and AIDS. 05 December 2008. http://www.avert.org/aroundworld.htm

So, the “airing” of the documentaries was on Thursday and I must say, it was awesome! It was really interesting to see how each group’s documentary turned out. Although we may have been in the TLC together all night, I never really saw any other groups’ products. Therefore, a lot of things definitely caught my attention yesterday.

As a part of the homelessness group, it was amazing to see how all our documentaries become so interconnected. For instance, the HIV/Aids documentary discussed homelessness as a main factor of the spread of HIV/Aids. Although our documentary did not particularly focus on the disease as the “root” cause of homelessness, it is, nonetheless, a reality that HIV/Aids does play a huge part. Since I wrote my research paper on health care for the homeless, I also researched a lot about how this disease has increased drastically among the homeless population; whether it is the main cause of why people become homeless or why the disease has spread so much.

The same exact thing goes for the Gentrification group. Their documentary focused on the process by which people are shifted to live in lower-class areas. With that comes the increases in rent which often result in the dispersal of communities whose members find that housing in the area is no longer affordable. As a result, as Kelly King Horne of Homeward said, the lack of affordable housing becomes the root cause of homelessness. Moreover, because of the construction of highway 95, most people were forced out of their homes as well, leaving them homeless.

Similarly, with the Education group, I am able to see how education plays a huge role in the issue of homelessness. According to our research, the lack of education becomes a major cause in creating homeless individuals. This is because many people who aren’t educated cannot find proper jobs, leaving them without a salary, unable to pay for rent, etc. They must then result to giving up their homes and living on the streets instead.

Even if I don’t focus solely on the issue of homelessness, it is obvious to see how other documentary subjects are interrelated. For example, the connection between the Education group and the Gangs group. Many of the interviewees of both documentaries say that education plays a huge part in determining whether people join gangs or commit themselves in doing something violent or wrong. They say that if people aren’t educated enough or even loved enough, they are more prone to joining gangs. This is because people are not educated about what could happen or are not educated enough to know what is best for their futures.

All in all, I was shocked by how our documentaries tied into each other. Although each topic had its own problems, all issues really do end up affecting the other. Having said all this, I am truly proud of what everyone in this class has done. We have really worked hard and I believe it paid off tremendously :)!