Success Revisited

In a previous post entitled “In Success I will not Stray” I received a lot of  criticism for statements made regarding African Americans leaving urban Dallas  for the comfort of the suburbs.  Some felt that I was being hypocritical because I personally don’t live in the neighborhood I referenced.  The criticism didn’t bother or surprise me, but  the fact that my message was totally lost did.

If you revisit the original  post  you will find that I clearly  stated people cannot be blamed for wanting to live in safe neighborhoods and send their children to  good schools.  That desire is completely understood and I  seek the same things for my family.   What I was hoping to do in that post was provoke thought that would lead to dialogue around creative solutions to “Black Flight”.    I presented the theory that in order to attract successful African-Americans back to the inner city we have to find ways to improve  the schools.  Apparently that point was lost because I did not receive a single comment that made reference to that rationale.

Instead,  some chose to focus on the fact that I don’t currently reside in South Dallas.  Do I have to live  in the heart of South Dallas  in order to have an opinion on how to improve it?   I don’t think I do.  If that were the case every editorial written on the War in Iraq would have to come from someone on the front lines and every political pundit would have to walk side by side with the President  in order to have any credibility.  Was I pointing the finger at others?  That wasn’t  my intention but it seems some readers perceived it that way.  To those readers let this serve as my sincere apology.   My opinions are derived from my own personal experiences and struggles.  Having lived in South Dallas/Fair Park  for over 20 years it pains me that I cannot find a place there that my family can call home,  so I am seeking answers as to why that is the case.

Most of the issues that plague the African American community in South Dallas  don’t have easy solutions.  I think that finding the solutions might require us to  examine our personal and collective value systems.  What is really important to us?  But who wants to have their value system challenged?  The simple fact of the matter is that many of us have adopted lifestyles that don’t allow us to  consistently impact impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods.  I believe that’s because the things we value don’t include the “have nots”.   (Unless you count the few hours we manage to squeak out during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.)

In spite of the  criticism I’m sure to receive I won’t be deterred  from giving my opinion on the state of the African American community in Dallas.  I’ll also continue to offer up what I believe are solutions.  Whether you agree or disagree isn’t important.   I’m optimistic that we,  being the God fearing, thinking people that we are, can move past the discomfort of self-evaluation and move toward formulating and executing  solutions that will give all of us the chance to overcome in this city.