Daytime and nighttime the roar of gunfire is too frequently heard in our communities. Oft times the results are the loss of lives, destruction of families, and loss of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and friends. We must put an end to this terrible situation.
You may question HOW? The foundations have poured billions of dollars into our communities, funding all kinds of programs, but their money alone will not solve the problems that threaten to devour our communities.
The police departments have failed to stop or in some instances even slow the use of guns. The question asked frequently is: are they unwilling, unable or just don’t care?
I will be 83 years of age Nov. 26 and I witnessed the progress and decline of our neighborhoods, and the decline has garnered the overwhelming majority of the headlines. If this situation is to be reversed it can only occur if families are resurrected.
It has always been my contention that the biological family must be made whole again. I have also championed the belief that the governmental bodies the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are the major roadblocks to the lack of stabilized families.
Mayor Peduto and Allegheny County executive King Richard Fitzgerald can be seen in the Black communities at social affairs such as Pig Roasts, Parades, and other community events, but have completely failed the communities with ensuring our parents are afforded not just the opportunity of a job, but a job or a contract.
There are billions of dollars being spent throughout Allegheny County, using taxpayers’ money, but our family members are invisible. A gainfully employed parent or adult has an opportunity to become a stable factor in the home and can hopefully minimize the potential for their children to pick up a firearm. The unemployment rate of Black men–with or without a record–in Allegheny County is at an all time high.
The city of Pittsburgh will be receiving a multimillion grant for preschool and that is commendable, but once again this money is projected to help young persons over the next 20 years, but what happens for the adults over the same period of years?
The other family that must be resurrected is the church, the spiritual family.
There was period of time that the only property owned in the community was the Black church. However there came a period of time that the church was surrounded by Black owned businesses, yes we were now entrepreneurs.
Tragically the Black business communities, for a multitude of reasons, no longer exist and currently the Black churches once again are the chief property owners in our communities.
The church was the birthplace of the civil rights movement and it was our refuge, but a change has occurred. Today’s churches, in my estimation have become too worldly, they have become impersonators of the business community with their 501C3s.
Our church members no longer live in the communities. And too many Christians fail to remember the need for their help outside the four walls, away from the air condition building and the singing of the choir.
I have heard untold numbers of church members sing the praises of Sunday’s sermon, but when asked what was the preacher’s text, the response was I don’t know, but it sounded good. Are you one of those?
I remember when 35 churches assembled to form an association to do joint banking every Monday, an excellent idea, but it fell apart, because of personality conflicts. There are about 400 Black churches in Allegheny County and not only can we do better than we are doing, we must do better.
The bible makes no mention of big churches or small churches, it does not mention denominations, but it does mention that God’s greatest commandment is LOVE. If our communities are to be stabilized and made whole again it will only occur when the two families are resurrected—the mother, father and the church, the spiritual family.
Kingsley Association needs your financial assistant.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the Forum page.)
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