"To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word."
Thank you all so very much for your honest and insightful dialogue to my last post. These are deeply spiritual and important questions. Thank You.
Ok, So my beautiful wife drew my attention to a question. You see, although the question "What does the 'Ghetto' need is an important one" (One that I and my neighbor are struggling with). The question is from a "needs-based" approach. For so long communities such as North Lawndale have been a problem to be fixed. The Black community has often felt the tension of others analyzing the causes of their situation. W.E.B. Dubois expressed the feeling like this:
"BETWEEN me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some through feelings of delicacy; by others through the difficulty of rightly framing it. All, nevertheless, flutter round it. They approach me in a half-hesitant sort of way, eye me curiously or compassionately, and then, instead of saying directly, How does it feel to be a problem? they say, I know an excellent colored man in my town; or, I fought at Mechanicsville; or, Do not these Southern outrages make your blood boil? At these I smile, or am interested, or reduce the boiling to a simmer, as the occasion may require. To the real question, How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word." (The Souls of Black Folk. 1903)
We need to change the question; change it to an asset-based question -
What Can the "Ghetto" give? What can it give to the majority culture from which it is ostracized?
I have a few thoughts that I will blog soon, But do any of you have any thoughts? Any thoughts on "need-based" vs. "asset-based" thinking. Any thoughts on what it feels like to be a problem.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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4 comments:
I have expressed my ignorance and lack of experience on your last post. At the risk of digging a deeper hole, I will offer some thoughts. "What does it feel like to be a problem". Approaching individuals as a "case", "project", "charity-work" is risky business. The tendency can be to pigeon-hole or label individuals in an effort to develop a treatment plan, a strategy for "rescue". (sorry about all the quotation marks) Offering help in any form is tricky because the helper can be seen as superior to those being helped. In many situations, this dynamic doesn't create a problem (teacher/student, coach/athlete, doctor/patient) But when one broken human saved by grace endeavors to follow Christ's example to seek out the hurting, the brokenhearted, the hungry, the thirsty...well, now things get tricky. And from what I've seen, if that helping hand is white reaching out to a hand in need that is black...things get even trickier. Would you not agree?
"Between me and the other world" is an interesting statement to me. Who exactly creates this us and them? White man, Black man...or both?
I don't think an assest-based approach is realistic...I think a need-based approach is dangerous. Personally, I have needed to humbly approach each person on an individual basis and build genuine mutual respect and affection to see God use me in shaping another person's life.
Jesus didn't view people as problems, he saw them as people and extended a hand to their needs. But He wasn't a sugar daddy. Think of how often he admonished those he helped to take personal responsbility and turn their lives around.
Maybe lumping members of a community, your sphere of influence into the "ghetto" is a broken approach. Just a thought.
I can't approach my community's brokenness from a whole "what do the suburbs need", I can only care about my neighbors, my friends, those God has brought into my sphere of influence on a person-by-person basis and shed a little light, offer truth, and help in whatever form it's needed.
Society is broken and will not be fixed this side of heaven. Utopia cannot be created. It's a result of sin. But one on one, we can reach out and see not the ghetto get what it needs, but maybe a friend get what she needs because of your love in her life.
Wow, Alli. Thank you for your thoughts!!! I can tell that you have truly been chewing on this one, and I feel like I need a day or two to chew on your thoughts. here's a few thta I really liked.
"But when one broken human saved by grace endeavors to follow Christ's example to seek out the hurting, the brokenhearted, the hungry, the thirsty...well, now things get tricky. And from what I've seen, if that helping hand is white reaching out to a hand in need that is black...things get even trickier."
Yes, our history make this cross-cultural ministry very difficult.
"Jesus didn't view people as problems, he saw them as people and extended a hand to their needs. But He wasn't a sugar daddy. Think of how often he admonished those he helped to take personal responsbility and turn their lives around."
How difficult is it to see people as people!!!
Thank you Alli, and please alway feel like you can post your thoughts. We are all learning here...I love you dear sister
Wow, I loved this comment alli.
could you give me a call, I have a question for you.
Kris(Mom-in-law)
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