One of the most pressing and unspoken issues when it comes to the plight of our community in today’s United States is the disparity of success. A study was released yesterday that illustrates how drastically the wealth gap in this country truly has widened between African-Americans and Caucasians. While the situation is alarming, to understand its true origin, one must look deeper than the numbers and into the mind state of its community’s individuals. Therein lies a sensibility wrought with years of conditioning to accept and not thrive, to “be good” without question- a very militant, “spoke when spoken to” disposition.
(In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell discussed the real-world implications of this cultural hurdle in his anecdote of Colombian pilots’ apprehension to speak firmly to a Caucasian Air Traffic Control during a mid-air crisis- all passengers on board died as a result of the subsequent crash.)
The silver lining is that with every generation, the winds of change descend to create a more empowered disposition; a new zeitgeist that defines the culture. This is what’s described in Souls of My Young Sisters, a collection of experiences written and edited by Dawn Marie Daniels and Candace Sandy, intent on helping renew the identity and sense of purpose that has been diluted throughout history. With a foreword written by Mary J. Blige and contributions of 60 female authors, including the homie and extremely talented Dee Vazquez, the narrative attacks the problem of confronting authority and establishing one’s own truths and reality through the personal anecdotes of these young, progressive women.
I give much respect to Ms. Daniels and Ms. Sandy for bringing awareness and insight around an issue that’s so pervasive in our cultural landscape, in a time where “change” seems to define the times, and ultimately, the success of our people. The book is available… go cop.
For more information, visit Souls Of My Sisters
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Comments ( 2 )
Dee added these pithy words on May 25 10 at 11:51 am“one must look deeper than the numbers and into the mind state of its community’s individuals. Therein lies a sensibility wrought with years of conditioning to accept and not thrive, to “be good” without question- a very militant, “spoke when spoken to” disposition.” -This state of mind can be more detrimental to one’s success than actually growing up monetarily poor. Great analysis!
-Thanks again!
jeremy obrien. added these pithy words on Jul 07 10 at 10:20 pmA few months ago I was listening to NPR and they had a pretty interesting show where they discussed the topic of racial and gender wealth gap. Pretty startling stuff.
You can listen to the NPR episode here: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2010/03/24/segments/152231
And read the report here: http://www.insightcced.org/index.php?page=Closing-RWG/