To Help the African-Americans and Africa at Large

Let me delve on the cycle of getting back what you give. It is about helping someone and receiving back help in some other form or reaping what you sow. I have already mentioned it a few times in this space and there is nothing wrong in recollecting good sequences. Back in India, there are good opportunities to render this seva or help and by nature I am all for uplifting the underprivileged. This used to be a regular activity back then and there is a pause in this routine. In a way, rendering of structured help from one section to the other is very good practice and needs to be encouraged. It cultivates oneness and inclusion in society. Even before reaching U.S. I used to teach kids in public schools and other similar places which used to be a good vocation. In a way, the poor and underprivileged need to be shown pathways and avenues to get better and come on par with the rest of society. There needs to be humane actions from everyone with a knack to serve to effectuate this change. These little actions need to happen at a scale and become normalized in society as regular routines. When help becomes a habit in the citizens, it creates a healthier society where everyone feels empowered. 

Talking about this help, it didn’t happen much on the ground in U.S. from my part as the nation is different and people are different. Even among these differences, if there are groups which need help, it is certainly Black or Hispanic communities which need to be reached out. In addition, the absorption of a record number of immigrants crossing the borders in the south and helping them should be a good avenue which augurs well for U.S. Help can be rendered to these countless immigrants, under-privileged communities like Black or Hispanic as serving others is universal and permeates boundaries. Given an opportunity, it would be great to get involved in this noble activity in any country. More than anything, we need to create meaningful avenues for these people to get better rather than a onetime namesake help. Creating these structured avenues for these underprivileged is more difficult than namesake deeds. It is through this hard work that we can effectuate these outcomes in the lives of others.

 

Living in Chicago and working hard for over a year, where 30% of the population is Black, there is a certain optimism that these people will get better, which in turn will initiate a chain reaction for Black people to get better elsewhere. There are two aspects here – 1. If people like me work from this highest platform, there will be help rendered to underprivileged Blacks. 2. The Blacks getting better and reaching top should in turn instigate change in other black nations to improve status quo. When people like me climb the ladder and reach places like Chicago, which are the most developed for these communities, there will be a vibrancy and buoyancy coming along to help the underprivileged in the nation. Both poverty and income strongly correlate with race in the United States. Among all racial groups, Black Americans are second most likely to experience poverty, with 21% living below the poverty threshold. Black Americans in particular have only ten cents for every dollar in wealth that other race groups have. Black groups face backwardness in general and they lack the same standing as the rest of society. Yet, the most helpful affirmative action has been struck down in an unfortunate turn of events. These aren’t the ideals which the nation stood for in the past.

 

One belief and fact which is prevalent in the U.S. is blacks are more prone to harming others, engage in violence and generally involve in unlawful activities. This is a hard reality to live with and how society has transformed them to turn against itself instead of putting them on the correct path. Poverty, disadvantage and crime are deeply interconnected in U.S. If the society deals with them hard and casts them out without softening their violent traits with human touch, you create a lawbreaker out of these individuals. Just consider these facts which broke my heart. 1. One out of every three Black boys born today can expect to be sentenced to prison, compared 1 out 6 Latino boys; one out of 17 white boys. 2. Black or African American juveniles comprised 52.0 percent of all juveniles arrested for violent crimes. 3. Of adults arrested for murder, 52.0 percent were Black or African American, 45.4 percent were White, and 2.6 percent were of other races. 4. 32% of the US population is represented by African Americans and Hispanics, compared to 56% of the US imprisoned population being represented by African Americans and Hispanics. 5. Black communities bear the brunt of gun violence epidemic and Black Americans experience 10 times the gun homicides of white Americans. As mentioned, crime and violence are directly proportional to poverty in U.S. If the poor are not treated well and provided good environment, opportunities to live a decent life, you are failing them and the society.  

Here is where there is a huge vacuum for much needed ‘help’ and the person-to-person connection which can do wonders in improving the bad lives. These established realities of poverty and violence among blacks need to be broken and the disadvantaged need to be given a huge advantage for a new dawn and new awakening.

 

Coming to the second aspect, if Indians reached their best in U.S. where these people fall in the top 10% of the country, they act as a source of inspiration to bring changes back in India. Similarly, places like Chicago are the highest points for the Blacks to become great and improve the status of their ilk elsewhere. Blacks have become their best, legendary in U.S. by virtue of equality, emancipation, other stalwart ideals from people championing those causes and it needs to translate to better nations with those people elsewhere. If Indians, using U.S. as a platform make India better, African Americans using the same platform should make Africa far better.

 

Indians constitute just 1.3% of U.S. population and has been living here since few decades. On other hand, African Americans are living here since 1800s, slavery was abolished couple of centuries back, blacks constitute 13% of the population and yet the absorption of great ideals of west and transformation of home continent didn’t happen at all. This needs to change and the time has come for black history to rewrite its trajectory. The air is ripe with change and these pathways are hot and erected in place for the upliftment of blacks in U.S. and native home territory. Else, the vast stretches of history will not pardon the historic inactivity, lapses and lack of improvement. There is a black president, black governors, black mayors of major U.S. cities including top four at present – New York, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles. There is no place where blacks haven’t reached and they need to reach their home continent as well. In my workplace, I work with these legendary black men and women who are out of the world and top-notch. There need not be much more inspiration to rise and empower the blacks around the world. We need to help and uplift African nations and remove darkness to shed light on dark continent. The bright light needs to be in the form of better opportunities, better governance, better nations and better, happy lives. I had seen how well the African Americans celebrate during their occasions and these celebrations need to be carried to the places which need the most. This is the massive help and improvement which needs to be rendered on a large scale to help the underprivileged blacks in their native home continent to lead good, righteous lives. Uplifting humanity and lesser nations should continue to be the cornerstone of the existence of U.S. and its land should be used for these noble causes. I heard the ‘It's time for Africa’ song a decade back during football world cup in South Africa and the time is more than ripe to see its relevance now – the time has really come for Africans and the underprivileged lot of the world.