Please Lead Me to the Rock That is Higher Than I!

Right about now my heart is overwhelmed due to all that I’m seeing and hearing going on throughout the world, including right here in the city of Newburgh where I was born 80 years ago. I find myself very frustrated because year after year after year not that much has changed for the low-income people of this city. There is such deep sadness stirring in the hearts of so many of the residents of Newburgh, for throughout the years for them not very much has really changed. They’ve been used throughout the years for monies from the Dep’t of Housing & Urban Development to be sent into this city but not much has changed for them. How is it ever going to be able to be seriously changed for them? How is it possible to have a city council consisting of “ALL” Democrats for many years, and still not much has changed for the little people of this city. Something is very seriously wrong with that.

Go to HUD’s website and see what many cities throughout the United States have done to make things better for their low-income residents. In the city of Newburgh low-income residents are used to show the need for the monies but not many of those residents have hardly ever benefitted from those monies. WOW! What is the answer to this most horrific problem? Will it ever change? If so, how and when? Truthfully, there is no “STRONG & COMMITTED” leadership in this city. Why not? Throughout the years the leadership in the low- income community have been the beneficiaries of the allocated crumbs dispensed by the city government for their silence re: what was or what was not going on. WOW! WAKE UP!

Please do not allow yourselves to be continiously hoodwinked. WAKE UP! Without truly dedicated leadership within the Black community, nothing is ever going to “SERIOUSLY” change. In terms of the of the Black community, it is clear that their primary focus must be on building the structural capacity to define, defend and develop their interests. This essentially means building an organizational, institutional and enterprise network that not only provides social services, but politically organizes and educates the community to its interests and possibilities. We need Black united fronts for collective planning and actions, and eventually, a Black political party which is dedicated exclusively to organizing Blacks for political power and effectively participating in the exercise of state power. I got this information from the “Introduction to Black Studies” which was a book written by Maulana Karenga in 1993. In the beginning of the book he wrote these special words to:

“Fannie Lou Hamer who taught us the morality of remembrance, saying there are two things we all should care about-never to forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over,

“Malcolm X who taught us the instructiveness of history, saying ‘Of all our studies, history is best prepared to reward our research,’

“Mary McLeod Bethune who taught us our mission in education, saying we must discover the dawn and share it with the masses and bring the benefits of science and knowledge to those who need it most;

“Paul Robeson who taught us that ‘The battlefront is everywhere; there is no sheltered rear.’

“Ann Julia Cooper who taught us that what we do must be done together as male and female, saying ‘There is a female as well as male side to truth’ and those who do not honor it do damage to both female and male;

“and Kheti of Kemet who taught us that ‘Every day is a donation to eternity and even one hour is a contribution to the future.’”

I have shared the above information with you because things have not been done right for a lot of the citizens in the city of Newburgh. Why? This is a real “SERIOUS” question that needs to be “SERIOUSLY” answered. Quite a few have been the beneficiaries of the monies that have been sent into the city of Newburgh to benefit the low-income communities but for some reason those low-income communities have never seemed to benefit from most of it. “WHY NOT?” Evidently having an “ALL” Democratic council was not the answer. Until we get a “MAJORITY” council that is going to be committed to bringing about a “SERIOUS” change for us, things will remain the same. Councilman Omari Shakur cannot and should not be looked upon to do it by himself. He just got there. A “SERIOUS” thought about the upcoming next election should be on the minds of the people who are going to be most affected. Make sure you choose the “RIGHT” people, for if not, business will keep being conducted in the same way. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!

Last, but most definitely not least, please do not allow yourselves to be hoodwinked by Kanye West’s tactics, for if so, we will most definitely have four more years of the madness that we are presently experiencing. President Trump will be there for four more years! Give some real “SERIOUS” thought to this!

This is “Lillie’s Point Of View” and I’m just having my say!” Now you can have yours!