Dylan,
GA
I grew up on the west coast, and my community was culturally diverse (whites, Asians, Hispanics). However, my community had a low population of blacks.
I moved to the Deep South. This is the least culturally diverse place I have lived. It is quite literally black and white.
The city I live in is majority black. Poverty is rampant. Crime is rampant. In black neighborhoods, people do not care for the upkeep of homes. The tenants could give a damn. Property values are low. The public school are atrocious. Neighbors hate each other.
I have seen numerous examples of black people who carry themselves with dignity and treat others with respect. Sadly, the majority of blacks here are not that way.
I was sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement and notions of securing racial equality for blacks by changing the system. Now I see it’s the black community that is primarily to blame for their predicament.
Does racism exist? Yes. Does generational poverty influence black communities? Absolutely. Does welfare help raise blacks from poverty? No. Do blacks lack opportunity in the community because of their skin color? Nope.
Black community leaders need to step up and show them there are other ways of living. Trashy is trashy. Whites have an aspect of their culture which is shameful (rednecks, trailer trash, etc). The core identity of the black community is trashy. Listen to the music young black people listen to. Look at how they dress. Listen to how they speak. Anyone who sees this difference and believes it is perfectly acceptable and not capable of being elevated to a more elegant, culturally rich version is blind.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
