Friday, July 11, 2014

What LeBron's Return Teaches Us About Community Development



If you are remotely, slightly any sort of basketball fan you are aware of the near-hostage situation that has been unfolding since July 1st.

LeBron James, the greatest basketball player on the planet (I still got you Kevin Durant, but we all know the truth), became a free agent and could decide where he would play next. Basically, the entire league was forced to come to a standstill until LeBron made his decision. No other team could do much of anything until LeBron's decision and all the dominoes connected fell.

But, today, in what was termed by most as a titanic surprise, James chose to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he left not without some major controversy four years ago.

But, if you want reporting, this isn't your place. As I read the letter that accompanied LeBron's decision, I was struck by a unique similarity to the type of ministry we seek to engage in here with 2nd Mile in Jacksonville.

Yeah, you read that right.

LeBron specifically addressed his letter to the people of Northeast Ohio, this quote struck me hard:
But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.
You see, the reputation problem he is speaking about for Cleveland is much to same as the challenge that faces most underresourced neighborhoods. When you prompt Google with "Why is Cleveland so _______" here are your top responses: bad, poor, dangerous, boring, and depressing.

Not sterling.

The same happens in most underresourced communities. From within and without. If I go out and about in Jacksonville and tell people where I live, here are real comments I've received:

"You have dodge bullets, right?"
"Oh, I never go up there unless I'm carrying a gun."
"My family won't even drive on the expressway through there, we just bypass it."

and the attempt at compassion, which is actually just as harmful:

"It's so sacrificial of you to live in a bad neighborhood."

Within the neighborhood, I hear things like:

"We just trying to get out."
"Those kids are just bad. I need to get my kids out of that school."
"I mean, I'm proud to be from Pearl (Street), but I don't let people know I came up there."

And this negative perception has a few different implications.

First, and quickest, it's ignorant and hurtful. The American lexicon has lots of idioms about this, but the basic message is it's better to keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about.

Second, the negative perception is internalized. This is incredibly dangerous. Researchers have found that the primary harm from poverty is not material, but psychological and social. Messages like those above become ingrained in the the psyche of community residents and on some level, if told the same message enough times, no matter how strong willed you are, eventually, you will come to believe it.

If I'm told from every angle that I'm dumb, a criminal, and never going to amount to anything, chances go up that of that being self-fulfilling. If I'm told that not just me, but my whole community is a threat to the peace and prosperity of the city, I'm going to grow up either self-loathing or others-loathing. There's not much wiggle room. There's a fascinating and terrifying concept called stereotype threat that speaks to this.

I was at a large church once where a pastor said, "I used to be from the hood, but now, I'm looking good." His lyrical delivery emphasized the rhyme and it got a huge laugh. I sat there horrified asking, "How do the not insignificant number of people in this congregation who are still from the hood feel right now?" Probably, pretty awful. Or at the very least, a little more ugly than they did thirty seconds ago.

Finally, when these messages abound, people in underresourced communities come to have one goal, plain and simple: to get out.

In our community, success is often defined by getting out. If you go to college, the expectation is that you will never come back (unless Grandma still lives in the neighborhood, but then it will just be for church once a month or so). If you get a white collar job, you never come back.

To "make it" is to leave.

So what does that mean?

Who owns the businesses? Outsiders who are often engaging in predatory practices (See payday loans, pawn shops, rent-to-own, tax services)

Who knows how to navigate FAFSA and scholarships? The folks that moved out.

Where are the lawyers that can protect your rights? Across the river.

Where are homes with two parents? Using their dual income to live out in the suburbs.

So, do you see why I fist-pumped the air reading LeBron's letter?

He hits every point (except Jesus) on my "How To Solve This" list:

1. People from the community hold the best solutions.
2. Your neighborhood is great and full of resources, assets, and opportunities!
3. Start a business! Raise a family! But do it here!

I have probably maligned him as much as anyone the past four years, but what he wrote today is so awesome, I think it deserves the image below:
Lebron James Hd Wallpaper Wallpaper

Note 1: Yes, LeBron appears the be palming the supernova-ing Earth and dunking it into the moon.
Note 2: Don't take my tone about those who leave their neighborhoods as one of condemnation. Folks do have the right to do what they feel is best for their family. I'm just reflecting on realities I see and live with every day.

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