“What do you do to benefit the economic and social well being of our community?”

By Donald W.R. Allen,II - Editor in Chief, Independent Business News Network

In July of 2008, the Independent Business News Network (IBNN), www.ibnn.org, was created to shed light on politics, business, money, community and education in the Twin Cities area. Our focus has been pinpointed north Minneapolis.

IBNN has taken a “hard-line” looking into disparities that continue to be addressed with funding from state, federal and city coffers to include local corporations and foundations – with no evidence of visual and tangible results in the community.

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Alfred Babington-Johnson of the Stairstep Foundation authored a commentary in last week’s paper titled “When heroes are Limbaugh, Palin: Truth, values community interests get jettisoned” highlighting that there was something vile in the community which forced him to disclose the role his organization and his wife’s company played in the Minneapolis Urban League’s search and selection of their new president and CEO.

The point he completely overlooked, and provided no facts and statistical figures on is the question I still ask: “What do you do?”

He mentioned that Stairstep Foundation is not an agency, rather it is “an initiator of dialog and creator of models.” His organization has taken 100 youth and adults to Ghana, West Africa to be role models; his organization also collaborates with churches to establish more effective practical models.

I still ask: “What do you do?”

What has your organization done according to improve the economic and social conditions for the people in north Minneapolis?

We have more than 200 non-profit social service agencies, community service agencies , advocacy-based organizations, as well as organizations that identify themselves as “initiators of dialog and creators of models,” who aim to improve the well being of the lives of people our community, including the Minneapolis Urban League, Stairstep Foundation, and TurningPoint to name a few. And yet in the year 2009 African Americans -- young and old, men and women -- still are living lives that when compared to our white counterparts are failing to receive  quality health care, education, and employment opportunities.

In 2008, the Children’s Defense Fund reported findings from their research that stated more than 50 percent of Black children in Minnesota live in poverty.

In the year 2009, with all of these social service agencies and “initiators of dialog and creators of models” we should be outraged to report such findings!

In reviewing north Minneapolis non-profits agencies IRS 990’s, on paper, it looks like Minneapolis is a thriving urban hub covering all areas of social service, health awareness and outreach with community organization that is only second to the community organizer from Chicago. But looking closely at the “money-trail” and lack of economic stimuli in north Minneapolis led us to ask the question to non-profits and social service agencies, “What do you do to benefit the economic and social well-being of our community?”

The current state 0f economic state of north Minneapolis is discouraging! The sad thing is these are the same problems our social service agencies and “initiators of dialog and creators of models” have been promising to fix for more than 40 years. Instead of fixing the situation, they have helped make it worse.

In 1950, 24% of black kids grew up without dads. In 2009, 63% grew up without dads. Seven out of 10 are born out of wedlock. As result, these agencies have encouraged generational government dependency, which take Black fathers out of the home and label them as “deadbeat dads.”

The black male high school dropout rate is 40%. Of those, 72% are jobless and 60% will probably be incarcerated. This is just another consequence of government replacing fathers in the home.

Arguably, a disproportionate amount of aborted babies are black. 50% of black babies are aborted. Some call this Black Genocide.

And yet, our self-appointed leaders stand idly by and allow our community to decay and our people to die.

There’s nothing worse than progressive social ignorance.

We have had too many examples in history to not think that we as a people are immune. If a leader feels too grand to be questioned, something is rotten. If the quality of life for African Americans in Minneapolis has declined under their watch, they are responsible. It is a harsh truth, but being a leader also carries the responsibility of ownership of bad choices, or benign neglect. It was better before they positioned themselves as leaders. No one wants to talk about that.

The irony is that poverty pimps use fear as a way to maintain power doing little to change the lives of the most vulnerable the very people they claim to protect. It is their funding, their mortgage and car payment that they are worried about.

Just because those particular African American individuals do not get the funding, does not mean that African Americans will not be served. Crying wolf and white guilt are completely useless tools to end injustice and poverty. They are counter intuitive, and actually do more to alienate than heal the wounds of racism.

If we are expected to have a healthy democracy we are expected to have a free exchange of ideas and have transparency for donations that are contributed in good faith to help the group specified in the grant, not just to keep the funding going. That is inherently evil. I am sure there are many other people and projects that could us the funding in a more productive and moral manner. I believe that their worth is measured by the harvest.

Airing out of dirty laundry is a painful process, but the only way we can change is to acknowledge what is not working and not do it again. I am sure there are many quiet leaders and organizations that have proven programs that don’t exist on a hope and a prayer get the money. The leaders that are too shy or busy to be holding their hands out are usually the ones we most want to support.

The same old tired leadership has been in power my entire life. The sacred trust of who tends to the tradition of social justice has been so frayed, that we must examine as a community without fear. The current players have had ample time to produce results and are not making the grade. It’s time for our community to start anew.

Could you have the same track record and keep your job?

The people I support will hold its leaders accountable for their actions or lack thereof.  The people who suffer the most from the airing of dirty laundry are the employees of the social service agencies.  For that I apologize. We all have a mission, mine is clear.

It’s great to read that the Stairstep Foundation has taken more than 100 youth and adult role models to Ghana to encourage relationship building, but how does that create a stronger north Minneapolis community?

It’s great that the foundation is in its 8th year of a nationally recognized effort to eliminate health disparities and in its 14th year collaborating with churches. What impact is this having on our community?

1. Yet, our leaders, social service agencies and “initiators of dialog and creators of models” do not seem outraged!