With our most recent local elections, the Democratic machine was extremely successful in ushering in a new group of elected officials, a majority Democrat council and a Democrat mayor. “The Community” was instrumental in these successes, and this very same community is eagerly looking for the positive impact that these successes will bring to their families and their neighborhoods.
However, before the new executive and legislative branch takes office in 2016, we need to have a serious conversation about the expectations of these two bodies of government. As recent history has shown, with a federal government where the Democrats controlled the executive and legislative branch under President Obama, all of the ills of “The Community” did not immediately disappear.
When witnessing the historic election of President Barack Obama in 2008, most Democrat and African-American communities across the country thought that the “Messiah” had arrived and they were headed to the “promised land.” Unfortunately, those very same communities relaxed, kicked-up their feet and waited for the “change” that Senator Obama promised on the campaign trail.
Well, as we all know, that complete transformational and wholesale change never actually materialized in “The Community.” Our local Democrat and African-American community currently finds itself in the very same position today, with a Democrat mayor, a Democrat-majority council and a majority of the Democrats in the majority caucus being African-American.
Good times are here again, right? Well … not so fast! In order to see any gains, improvements, opportunities and advancements in “The Community,” the community must participate … and participate at a very high level. And not solely participate as a silent and indirect partner. The residents of our city, the non-elected officials, must participate at a very high level in this process, by providing intentional and measureable strategies, solutions and support.
Social media armchair activism must come to a complete and abrupt end in 2016. It is time for those with the ability and desire to lead to join the elected officials and participate in the process of community building and community organizing.
No longer can we continue to rely on the “government” alone to transform and improve our community. Most importantly, we cannot afford to do so. It hasn’t worked up to this point, and it won’t work in the future. Area residents must work directly hand-in-hand with their elected officials to ensure the success of “The Community.”
Every single entity, from schools, churches, businesses, organized social groups, community organizations, the media and just the average tax-paying residents, must make a positive contribution to the overall health of our community. The sole focus should be on improving the quality of life of all of our residents, with a strong focus on quality education programs, crime-reduction strategies, neighborhood economic development proposals and expanded employment opportunities.
Collectively, with the new leadership from the mayor’s office and the entire City-County Council, we all must work together for the common goal of truly making Indianapolis one city, our city.
Please hold us accountable for our actions and decisions as your elected leaders, but I would also ask you to please add your name to that scorecard.
“The Community” will thrive and truly benefit when the entire community collectively contributes to the overall health and wellbeing of our city, with intentional, measureable and sustainable goals and solutions.
If poverty is a disease that infects the entire community in the form of unemployment and violence, failing schools and broken homes, then we can’t just treat those symptoms in isolation. We have to heal that entire community. — Barack Obama
