It was a big day for one of my students, Darryeon
Bishop (21). This summer, he bought his
first automobile, a tan, 4-door, Chevy Impala, mid-2000 model. He used his
savings to buy the car for under $3,000. That morning, we greeted each other on
the front steps of Annie Malone’s Children’s Home where the Sweet Potato
Project (SPP) has been fortunate enough to hold classes this year.
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| Darryeon Bishop |
The car was another significant milestone in
Darryeon’s life. He’s been with our project since its inception in 2012. Darryeon’s
a tall, lanky, shy kid who squints his eyes when he smiles. He comes from one
of the roughest neighborhoods in our city. I remember dropping him off after
class one day in 2012. There was a discarded car bumper, broken glass and bits
and pieces of parts scattered in the street not far from the front of the 4-family
building his family occupied near the Grand water tower.
“Wow, looks like someone had a pretty bad
accident,” I commented.
“That was no accident, Mr. Brown,” Darryeon
responded, far too nonchalantly considering his follow-up words: “That was a
drive-by.”
This wasn’t the only act of violence Darryeon has
witnessed. One day a few years back, he called to tell me that he’d seen a man
shot in broad daylight. He watched the man breathe his last breadth, bleeding on the side his car. It was the non-pulsed way
Darryeon shared the story that stayed with me.
In the past six years, I’ve heard many stories
from the youth we serve. As a writer by trade, who’s spent the past 30+years,
writing about the plights, challenges, and potential of black people, I feel
blessed to have a program and young people in my life who remind me that we
don’t have to be passive observers of the chaos and dysfunction that’s part of
growing up black and poor. We can do something.
Darryeon’s encounters with death and violence
isn’t an isolated case. Often, I’ve read about a shooting or murder only to
find out that the degrees of separation aren’t that far apart. I will
never forget an incident a couple of years ago. Three brothers who were fine at
the start of the summer program, started acting strange around week three. Turns out,
they were at a family party were an uncle was killed by his girlfriend. I had read about the incident but had no idea that one of
the brothers, my student, held the tourniquet to his uncle’s slit throat. It wasn’t until one of our volunteer instructors encouraged the boys to share the incident with the class that their strange
behavior subsided.
I’ve seen the results of similar incidents: youth
who’ve been quietly traumatized and stigmatized by the loss of a friend, a
relative or a neighbor. Yet, they move on with a disturbing sense of
acceptance. It’s an indication that we, as a nation, have fallen way short in
recognizing and addressing the perils that poverty has on our young people.
“Bam!” That was Darryeon, whipping out his spankin’,
new driver’s license and insurance card that summer morning. Indeed, he’s come
a long way from the shy, quiet kid who lived in dangerous surroundings. Now, he's a
confident, independent, informed and engaged young man (he’s a fervent news hawk
now). He’ll be graduating from Southeast Missouri State University with a
bachelor’s degree in communications next year.
I owe David Steward, founder of World Wide Technology, a huge debt of gratitude. The donation from World-Wide Technology and the Steward Family Foundation, allowed me to focus on the students and not scurry around all summer trying to raise money while running the program. This summer, I had the rare opportunity to double-down on our curriculum which has been designed to address the unique circumstances of at-risk youth. Our goal is to meet them where they are and show them how to use what’s at hand to craft their own versions of success.
After every summer session ends, I’m heartened by
the fact that our students are open-minded, eager to change their communities and
create opportunities for their siblings and peers. But, I’m equally intimidated
because we’ve planted a seed and exposed them to possibilities that may not be
possible without more help and resources.
Still, they give me hope. This year, I was blessed to have some of my
senior students, like Darryeon, return to the program. They conducted classes in
my absence. Along with an intern, Modanna Woods, the experienced students
served as my voice, eyes, ears, and confidantes. They kept me tuned into the group’s
dynamics.
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| Edie Adams |
Marquitta’s grown now. Oh, she’s still as
opinionated and sometimes confrontational as ever but her natural leadership
and communication skills-traits that made her stand out for me from the start-are
percolating and maturing nicely. I have no doubt that Marquita will someday supervise people or run
or own a business.
I’ve gained huge respect for three female students who’ve been with us for the past three years. One of them, the seeming leader, has become my hero. At an early age, she tended to a mother who was struck by a terminal illness. After her mother passed away and her father had a stroke, this young lady still attended and graduated high school while living in an abandoned building. She has inherited treatable but expensive illnesses and frequently finds herself in an emergency room. But she hasn’t given up. She’s the mother hen of two life-long friends, one with a new baby. After attending SPP classes, the girls took a two-hour bus trip to Chesterfield for cleaning service work. Together, they look out for and encourage one another. The mother hen attends college in Georgia and is pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.
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The 2017 young recruits were a mixed bag of personalities and heart-wrenching yet inspiring stories. Aaliyah, 16, has written a book of fiction already. After our small business lessons, she now understands how easy it is to publish-on-demand and market the book online and through promotional appearances. Her “boyfriend,” Camron (16), has Steve Jobs or Bill Gates potential. I challenged the class to come up with a marketable product. I don’t know if Camron’s idea for a phone case with a built-in booster speaker has been created or not but it seems like a multi-million-dollar notion. His, was just one of several ideas the group presented and tinkered with this summer. They remind me that creativity, resiliency, and the art of survival is encoded in their DNA and should not be so easily dismissed, denied, locked up or locked out in this country.
They remind me that creativity, resiliency, and the art of survival is encoded in their DNA and should not be so easily dismissed, denied, locked up or locked out in this country.
I won’t mention the names of another three young
ladies (ages 17 to 19) who joined us this year. Two have babies already. The
girls live together (off and on) and had trouble making classes on time. Yet,
two of them have a strong knack for writing and the youngest shyly articulated ideas
for a business she wants to start before the year ends.
These young women gave me a glimpse into the world
of navigating lives tempered by poverty and sometimes bad choices. They remind me that
there’s love and true compassion in the neighborhoods from which they hail. A
story they shared with the class about seeing a man passed out on a bench in
the Baden Neighborhood emphasized another element rarely attributed to ghetto
life. They pulled over, got out of their car, and tried to assist the man only
to find out he was strung out on some sort of hallucinogenic drug. They stayed with this stranger until an
ambulance arrived. They didn’t have to, but they cared.
They pulled over, got out of their car, and tried to assist the man only to find out he was strung out on some sort of hallucinogenic drug.
This is the attitude that we seek to foster at
SPP. There are young people among us who have a passion and commitment to the
neighborhoods from which they were born-no matter how dysfunctional they may appear
to outsiders. We need to nurture and provide resources for a generation of
youth willing to be held accountable for the future of North St. Louis. One of the
three ladies I mentioned will now attend Forest Park Community
College thanks to a visit we arranged with the High School to College Center in
U City. I would like to see her compadres become owners of vacant property where they can grow food and earn money while pursuing their ambitions.
In fact, I envision dozens of young people owning land and making money off
fresh food and food-based products. If we can help these young people do this,
others will follow and very soon we can have a community of young people economically and spiritually-vested in their neighborhoods.
  This year, I’m really able to put words, lessons, and exposure into action. SPP is part of a new collective called the North City Food Hub (NCFH). It’s a group of nonprofits committed to using food as an economic engine starting in the Greater Ville area of North St. Louis. There will be more details to come but in brief, the collective will have culinary, small business, horticulture, restaurant management, land-ownership classes and business incubator opportunities before the spring. Very soon, we’ll be able to help our students and adults gain access to land, grow food, and bring fresh produce and food-based products (packaged goods) to market. |
Very soon, we’ll be able to help our students and adults gain access to land, grow food, and bring fresh produce and food-based products (packaged goods) to market.
We’ve planted a fertile seed this summer. We’ve shown
our students how they can participate in urban renewal, we introduced them to
entrepreneurs and business people who talked about the benefits (and pitfalls)
of revitalizing and/or re-gentrifying neighborhoods. They’ve met professors and
experts who’ve helped take some of the mystery out of buying/leasing vacant
properties, the principles of supply & demand,” growing food and starting businesses.
They are ready! But, I fear we won’t be
able to follow up on our promises without more immediate support.
Here’s where
I take off the instructor hat and transition to my role as fund-raiser and recruiter
of volunteers. Let me start by laying out our specific needs for the rest of
the year.
First, I need to raise enough money to keep the
students in the fold. It is imperative that they see tangible results of what
we’ve preached over the summer. Our sweet potatoes will be ready for harvest by
mid-October. There will be a “shared-use” kitchen in the Ville early next year
but I want my students baking, meeting people, and selling our program and products
(sweet potato cookies) before the holiday season. I’m working with SLU but I’d
like other options for consistent baking, professional packaging, and the distribution
of our cookies. Ideas and connections are welcome.
I’m reaching out to lenders and politicians to
make this land-ownership thing more do-able for our age-appropriate youth and low-income
adult residents. Land ownership, I maintain, is key to
true community accountability and transformation. Simply put, people who own
land have a personal stake in protecting it. Imagine young people, alongside
adults growing food and selling food together. What possibilities may come from
the creation of a North St. Louis food brand like Del Monte or Glory Foods?
Think of the economic benefits of local grocery stores, schools, hospitals,
restaurants, bakeries, and other entities buying food and products from
hard-working, young, and older North St. Louis land-owners.
As you can see, SPP has a big mission
that’s in need of big support. I need people who see the total picture and
instantly recognize their roles in bringing it to fruition. Yes, I need money…lots
and lots of money, but I also need connections and people with influence willing
to go-to-bat for our youth and real, sustainable economic progression in
long-ignored areas of our region.
Growing up poor has left me with this
crippling inability to "beg" or ask for money. I’m great at articulating the
vision, pretty good with the kids but I suck at closing the deal and bringing
in the necessary resources to consistently operate SPP. Thankfully, people like
Steward and other faithful donors get the big picture and have helped us get to
this point. Still, the onus is on me to do better. My job, however, is made easier by Darryeon,
Marquita, Edie, Aaliyah, Camron and other youth
mentioned or not mentioned in this commentary.
You see, it’s not about me or my poor
money-making capabilities. It’s about collectively investing in young and poor
people and experimenting with the idea that they will be the spark for
self-sufficient, money-generating communities. It’s about following up on
promises made this summer and making “success” a real, tangible, palatable
thing for urban youth who rarely recognize do-able opportunities. In a way, it’s about nurturing the seeds and bringing
the bounty to harvest. With your help, all this and more is possible.
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