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On the recent 88th birthday of the deceased Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it appears that his famous dream for America is now scattered. While some have garnered considerable success, many still live in poverty and despair. Many people empathize with the suffering of their fellow men and women who are trapped by great systemic and generational economic disadvantages. Perhaps this sad situation propagates because those living the “American Dream” have in large part chosen to give handouts rather than making investments in the Black community. This decision has fostered an environment of contemporary slavery, a generation of people that feel entitled to receive benefits and a population of Black individuals who have become comfortable with hopelessness. In general, the Black areas of Connecticut such as those in Hartford have become entrenched in a mindset that is incompatible with financial advancement and psychological survival. As a remedy, it is important for Black society to share a communal spirit where each person in it identifies with the collective. The leaders of the Black community must unify and join efforts.
Howard K. Hill, owner of Howard K. Hill Funeral Services in New Haven, Connecticut, Henry L. Fuqua Funeral Service in Bloomfield, Connecticut and Clark, Bell & Bell Funeral Home in Hartford, Connecticut, interacts each day with many people dealing with the intense grief of losing a loved one to death. He has an incomparable insight into the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual suffering of Back people caused by their forebears undergoing several centuries of entrapment in the Middle Passage, the institution of slavery and segregation laws. In order to grow, Black people must acknowledge this destructive past and lose all shame of it. They must learn about their ancestry, their history and those actually at fault for the state the Black community is in and the poisoning of Black minds. They must take action to ensure that the unfavorable conditions that plague the Black community are ended and that they will never resurface.
The current political climate of the United States should compel Black America to invest in itself now and for all time. There is a disparity in prosperity within the Black community of Connecticut, with poverty alive and well in the center and outlying areas of its cities and success centered in places like Avon, West Hartford, Glastonbury and Simsbury. Many of the more affluent Black families do not visit the ghettos other than to get their hair done or go to church. They mostly do not invest there. Black poverty will persist unless there is a change in that mentality and they place their funds and other resources in these urban areas, where they are most desperately needed. Blacks must recognize and accept that this country is founded in capitalism, and support each other as do the Jewish and Italians. They should encourage those in their networks, both Black and White, to support Black entrepreneurial endeavors so that the Black community may develop and eventually thrive.
The path leading upward is riddled with hardships. The Black community must retrain the minds of its members to get past the destructive ways of thinking that has lead to a place of widespread lack and ignorance. It must be held accountable and lay the base for a new culture. These changes may cause discomfort and even pain, but they are necessary for growth. Howard K. Hill is an active member of The Prosperity Foundation, which was designed to collect resources, philanthropy and informed investment into the Black community. Please visit www.TPFCT.org for further details and information. Additionally, there is national support available for the Black people of Connecticut. At the storied Artist Collectives located at 1200 Albany Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut, the Black Business Alliance will host “Black Success: How Black People Can Capitalize on the Success of Black People to Transform Our Communities” on Monday, February 27th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This free event will include the speaking of Maggie Anderson, CEO and Founder of the Empowerment Experiment (EE) Foundation and author of “Our Black Year.” She will relay her experiences of dedicating her family to buying Black and make suggestions as to how Connecticut can invest in the Black community. Please RSVP at [email protected]. Questions can be sent to that email address or one may call 860-796-2842.
Release ID: 171076