In 2003, a young lady I was acquainted with founded an organization called "Uplifting Sisterhood". Its mission statement said that the organization was dedicated to "Uplifting the consciousness and greater well being of all African-American women." A very noble goal indeed. And, by the way, this was back when I was hanging with E. and S.
The young ladies rented a storefront, put a very professional sign on the front, and did a really nice job of cleaning and renovating the inside of the storefront. It was very afro centric inside, with books by numerous black female authors and poets... There was always fresh coffee brewing , throw pillows on the floor and nice soft lighting. They had a huge sound system with jazz and neo-soul music playing softly. E., S., and some other brothers in the neighborhood helped them set up shop. It looked like these girls were on to something.
The young lady (who I knew in college), got five other young ladies to come out to their first meeting. The meetings were a series of long conversations between the five women concerning what they could do to help out the young women in the community. There were also book reading sessions in which they would pick a certain book to read and come back the next week to discuss it. A lot of theorizing was going on... a lot of energy... and I was honored to be able to sit in on these sessions. Eventually, 5 women became 10, ten became about 15, and everything looked great.
Then, my friend decided to have a "networking" event at a local club to bring in more members and to let the community know that "Uplifting Sisterhood" existed. I had a lot of contacts... my Kappa brothers, Ques, Alphas, Deltas, AKAs, and Zetas. I knew 'em all and I delivered. Between my contacts and the contacts of some of the other ladies, we filled that club up on this particular Friday.
Here is where I began to see a problem. All of these people were college educated, somewhat successful, and with only a few exceptions, none of these people actually lived in Philadelphia anymore. The biggest thing that bothered me was this... the very people they said they were trying to reach, the neighborhood women, were nowhere to be found.
O-H-H-H... but, there was "networking" alright. Numbers were being loaded into cell phones, guys and girls were coupling up, and each organization was hawking its next event (including my own... I'm not going to play the saint here... guilty as charged!). By the end of the night, nobody in the community knew anything more about this organization than they did before and, certainly, no one was "uplifted"... except, of course, those guys who went home with one of those girls. I'm sure they had a very uplifting experience.
I expressed my concerns to my friend and she more or less brushed me off. Further, I said that she and her new organization should host some things like "AIDS awareness", "Drug Prevention & Awareness", "Teenage Pregnancy Seminars", and information on "Day Care Centers & Early Childhood Issues." The response... she had the nerve to tell me that was a "Ghetto Initiative". I told her that these were things that would concern the young women in the community and that they could go to the clinics and local hospitals to ask young professional black women working there to come and speak to their group at anytime. She politely informed me that this was her organization and was not her "agenda".
What soon became 15 women, shrunk to 10... and, by the end of 2004, there may have been about nine left. They had 3 or 4 more of those "networking" events and no one came except maybe 5 of the 9 members and their boyfriends. At the last event they gave, only my friend and her fiancé, E. and J. came and me were present. It was embarrassing.
The event that really pissed me off with my friend and her organization occurred on a summer day, shortly after this. About 6 or 7 teenage girls got to arguing rather loudly on the corner one day about somebody stealing somebody's "man". It also got rather physical and then, in true Philly style, somebody's mother, somebody's aunt, somebody's cousin, and her girlfriends got involved. The next thing you know, you had about 30 girls out in the street fighting. It was a mini riot, right in front of the storefront that read "Uplifting Sisterhood."
I ran to the door and pounded on it. My friend came to the door and I said, "Get out here. You've got to do something." My friend said, "Sheeeeit, I'm not even gettin' involved in that ghetto chicken head mess." I said, "Ghetto chicken head mess? Those are young girls... young black girls... these are the girls you should be talking to... these are the young women of the future." She replied,"Whose future? Those hoochie mamas in training ain't in my future." I looked at her and I said, "If you're not talking to them then who ARE you talking to?" I hung my head and walked away.
Me and E. stood across the street and watched as the police had 7 girls handcuffed and laying face down on the pavement in front of the storefront that read "Uplifting Sisterhood - Dedicated to uplifting the consciousness and well being of all African-American woman." It almost looked as if the young white policeman saw the irony in that sign and the scene in front of him and snickered a little. While, down the street, about 6 or 7 young women were being loaded into a paddy wagon. I was reminded of what drug kingpin, Proposition Joe, told Stringer Bell on “The Wire”... "What we have here is a crisis of leadership." The descendants of WEB Dubois's "Talented Ten Percent" failed to be role models and leaders for the working poor and in the end, it led to tragedy.
Today, that storefront is empty... "Uplifting Sisterhood" finally called it a day near the end of that year. Here was another good idea and well meant intention that lead nowhere. It could have been so much more.
"I am you and you are me"... an old African Proverb!
The young ladies rented a storefront, put a very professional sign on the front, and did a really nice job of cleaning and renovating the inside of the storefront. It was very afro centric inside, with books by numerous black female authors and poets... There was always fresh coffee brewing , throw pillows on the floor and nice soft lighting. They had a huge sound system with jazz and neo-soul music playing softly. E., S., and some other brothers in the neighborhood helped them set up shop. It looked like these girls were on to something.
The young lady (who I knew in college), got five other young ladies to come out to their first meeting. The meetings were a series of long conversations between the five women concerning what they could do to help out the young women in the community. There were also book reading sessions in which they would pick a certain book to read and come back the next week to discuss it. A lot of theorizing was going on... a lot of energy... and I was honored to be able to sit in on these sessions. Eventually, 5 women became 10, ten became about 15, and everything looked great.
Then, my friend decided to have a "networking" event at a local club to bring in more members and to let the community know that "Uplifting Sisterhood" existed. I had a lot of contacts... my Kappa brothers, Ques, Alphas, Deltas, AKAs, and Zetas. I knew 'em all and I delivered. Between my contacts and the contacts of some of the other ladies, we filled that club up on this particular Friday.
Here is where I began to see a problem. All of these people were college educated, somewhat successful, and with only a few exceptions, none of these people actually lived in Philadelphia anymore. The biggest thing that bothered me was this... the very people they said they were trying to reach, the neighborhood women, were nowhere to be found.
O-H-H-H... but, there was "networking" alright. Numbers were being loaded into cell phones, guys and girls were coupling up, and each organization was hawking its next event (including my own... I'm not going to play the saint here... guilty as charged!). By the end of the night, nobody in the community knew anything more about this organization than they did before and, certainly, no one was "uplifted"... except, of course, those guys who went home with one of those girls. I'm sure they had a very uplifting experience.
I expressed my concerns to my friend and she more or less brushed me off. Further, I said that she and her new organization should host some things like "AIDS awareness", "Drug Prevention & Awareness", "Teenage Pregnancy Seminars", and information on "Day Care Centers & Early Childhood Issues." The response... she had the nerve to tell me that was a "Ghetto Initiative". I told her that these were things that would concern the young women in the community and that they could go to the clinics and local hospitals to ask young professional black women working there to come and speak to their group at anytime. She politely informed me that this was her organization and was not her "agenda".
What soon became 15 women, shrunk to 10... and, by the end of 2004, there may have been about nine left. They had 3 or 4 more of those "networking" events and no one came except maybe 5 of the 9 members and their boyfriends. At the last event they gave, only my friend and her fiancé, E. and J. came and me were present. It was embarrassing.
The event that really pissed me off with my friend and her organization occurred on a summer day, shortly after this. About 6 or 7 teenage girls got to arguing rather loudly on the corner one day about somebody stealing somebody's "man". It also got rather physical and then, in true Philly style, somebody's mother, somebody's aunt, somebody's cousin, and her girlfriends got involved. The next thing you know, you had about 30 girls out in the street fighting. It was a mini riot, right in front of the storefront that read "Uplifting Sisterhood."
I ran to the door and pounded on it. My friend came to the door and I said, "Get out here. You've got to do something." My friend said, "Sheeeeit, I'm not even gettin' involved in that ghetto chicken head mess." I said, "Ghetto chicken head mess? Those are young girls... young black girls... these are the girls you should be talking to... these are the young women of the future." She replied,"Whose future? Those hoochie mamas in training ain't in my future." I looked at her and I said, "If you're not talking to them then who ARE you talking to?" I hung my head and walked away.
Me and E. stood across the street and watched as the police had 7 girls handcuffed and laying face down on the pavement in front of the storefront that read "Uplifting Sisterhood - Dedicated to uplifting the consciousness and well being of all African-American woman." It almost looked as if the young white policeman saw the irony in that sign and the scene in front of him and snickered a little. While, down the street, about 6 or 7 young women were being loaded into a paddy wagon. I was reminded of what drug kingpin, Proposition Joe, told Stringer Bell on “The Wire”... "What we have here is a crisis of leadership." The descendants of WEB Dubois's "Talented Ten Percent" failed to be role models and leaders for the working poor and in the end, it led to tragedy.
Today, that storefront is empty... "Uplifting Sisterhood" finally called it a day near the end of that year. Here was another good idea and well meant intention that lead nowhere. It could have been so much more.
"I am you and you are me"... an old African Proverb!
2 comments:
Oh i agree Keith, it could have been so much more, if her heart and desire was in the right place, but it seems, at least the way you described it, it seems like more of a social club, for to reach the young, youth, you got to touch them and you won't do that by hanging a sign and wearing afrocentric clothing. Great post! Again!
WOW ! I agree Keith, that’s the problem I see so many college educated black women try to arrive. There were a few older alumni who questioned me when I built my house in the hood and not in the burbs. I love my people. My ex didn’t even want to live in a historical black neighborhood when I was married sighting if we had a kid he may ride his bike down too far and see a crack head. LORD!
What a WASTE of an opportunity to truly make an impact in a city like Philly. Man she could have started a revolution instead her agenda was uplifting egos of people who thought they were something cause they had a little cash in their pockets. Thanks for sharing!!
-OG
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