I am going to enter into a conversation here that potentially could be racist. But I need your help thinking it through. I’m definitely not trying to be racist. My goal is to always work towards Kendi’s Anti-racism. If I am saying something racist please point it out.
Since the Black Lives Matter protests I have been working on being more inclusive with my homeless sheltering. Our first camp was mostly white. At the end of this camp I’d say we were 50-50 White-Black.
I feel a very deep connection with homeless people. But I feel even more connected to homeless Black men. SOME (not all. But some) are alpha males that are super strong and deeply value being treated with dignity and respect. I so get and appreciate that mentality.
The most well kept tents I’ve ever seen are owned by Black men. Dignity and respect are critically important to them.
The problem I’m facing is that some of these men are more Alpha than me. This is a new experience for me. I usually am seen as the top dog. But I’m not with some of these Black men.
They are mentally and physically stronger than me. They can strong arm me intellectually.
It’s SUPER hard for me to keep control of my spaces in this environment.
And worst of all: they know this truth. They know who’s in charge. And it’s not me.
For the most part, we are a team. We see eye to eye on most things. But there are things that we don’t agree on that I’m not going to discuss here.
My one ace in the hole Is money.
I have money. They want money. So I can pay people to do things like clean and repair things that need fixed. And if a person isn’t following the mission and vision of our place I can easily find another person who wants the work that is potentially going to be a better fit for the community.
This is probably my biggest personal hurdle I’m facing these day.
Statistically, more homeless people are Black than White. So this is important and needed work.
Additionally, Black men are excluded and penalized at every turn. I’m not going to be part of that systemic failure for these people. I like them. I respect the hell out of them. But I’ve got to figure out how to maintain control or at least make sure the people in charge are not exploiting or hurting other homeless people.
If you have any insight on this please let me know.
Since the Black Lives Matter protests I have been working on being more inclusive with my homeless sheltering. Our first camp was mostly white. At the end of this camp I’d say we were 50-50 White-Black.
I feel a very deep connection with homeless people. But I feel even more connected to homeless Black men. SOME (not all. But some) are alpha males that are super strong and deeply value being treated with dignity and respect. I so get and appreciate that mentality.
The most well kept tents I’ve ever seen are owned by Black men. Dignity and respect are critically important to them.
The problem I’m facing is that some of these men are more Alpha than me. This is a new experience for me. I usually am seen as the top dog. But I’m not with some of these Black men.
They are mentally and physically stronger than me. They can strong arm me intellectually.
It’s SUPER hard for me to keep control of my spaces in this environment.
And worst of all: they know this truth. They know who’s in charge. And it’s not me.
For the most part, we are a team. We see eye to eye on most things. But there are things that we don’t agree on that I’m not going to discuss here.
My one ace in the hole Is money.
I have money. They want money. So I can pay people to do things like clean and repair things that need fixed. And if a person isn’t following the mission and vision of our place I can easily find another person who wants the work that is potentially going to be a better fit for the community.
This is probably my biggest personal hurdle I’m facing these day.
Statistically, more homeless people are Black than White. So this is important and needed work.
Additionally, Black men are excluded and penalized at every turn. I’m not going to be part of that systemic failure for these people. I like them. I respect the hell out of them. But I’ve got to figure out how to maintain control or at least make sure the people in charge are not exploiting or hurting other homeless people.
If you have any insight on this please let me know.