My Thoughts on International Development (originally posted on facebook 2/28/2014)

This field mission has been intense. On the road the past 7 days, with no less than 5 meetings a day in each location, and hours on bumpy roads. Right now I am in Podor, in the Fouta. Last night the electricity went out and we had to walk down this country desert road in the dark to find a restaurant, I had my battery-less flashlight (perfect birthday gift) and saw something moving in the sand. It was a lime green scorpion. Crazy looking thing. Oumou, the only woman in our entourage, took her shoe and killed it good, screaming, it must die. 

Later as we were walking back to the hotel, still in pitch dark, I was looking up at the stars and thinking how crazy my life is, and wondering how I ended up in this desert backwater on the Mauritanian border with three imams. Oumou asked me what I was thinking about and I told her, I used to live in New York. Of course she said, and? All I meant was that life takes crazy turns, I no more set out to live in New York than I planned to be walking down a desert road killing scorpions, but there I was. 

She said it must have been impossible for me to imagine there were people living in a place like Podor. Which of course is true, but not entirely impossible, but then she said something I found to be quite profound, a woman who has devoted her life to helping the marginalized in her country to improve their lives. She told me, it is just as impossible for them to imagine how New Yorkers live, even if they wanted to live that way themselves, they do not know how. But she said it is important to know that no matter how people live they remain determined and hopeful that a better life is possible. 

As I walked down that crumbling road in the dark looking at the stars and wondering if the electricity would return and why it had gone out in the first place, my mind wandered back to New York and the stark contrast of a city replete with lights and not a single star in the sky and I wondered what is the end game here? Is the goal of development to create New Yorks and Londons and Tokyos throughout the developing world? I like to imagine a day within my lifetime of a Dakar with glittering skyscrapers, underground transportation, smooth roads connecting cities and sleepy suburbs. Or is the goal to recognize the determination and the hope inherent in all people and provide access to knowledge and opportunities for them to latch on to? 

This question is an existential one for me as I have committed my life to this work, and I still have a lot to learn. But I will likely be back in a place like New York, DC or London making decisions that will affect the lives of people who cannot imagine a place like New York, DC, or London, but I hope that when I am called to make those decisions I remember walking down a crumbling desert road in the dark looking up at all those stars.

A Quick Rant about College Sports (originally posted on facebook 4/23/2014)

As if I needed another reason to not like professional sports, but the more I learn about college football and basketball the more irate I get. Forgive the hyperbole but when black people were doing all the work and white men were making all the money we called it slavery. Now we call it education, but no one is getting educated, a few men are getting astonishingly rich and college kids generating the revenue are going to bed hungry. The people making out like bandits are telling the kids and the public that for college athletes the focus should be education

But college kids whose only chance of getting an education is to accept athletic scholarships end up in sporting programs where they are given no time to study, nor are there any expectations that they will learn anything. The whole educational system is complicit and private individuals end up becoming fabulously wealthy. This isn't a relationship completely free of coercion, but maybe slavery is hyperbolic, perhaps something closer to sharecropping. You're free, but you're not going anywhere.

This Too Shall Pass: Finding Inspiration in Gospel Music (Originally posted on facebook 4/24/2014)

My views on religion are no secret to anyone who knows me, but probably less known is that there are times when I need inspiration and an anchor to keep me focused so as not to get so caught up in my struggles I lose sight of my path. There is nothing like a good gospel song to provide the catharsis such a moment requires. Though I have never, and could never, subscribe to the supernatural message in gospel music, the themes common to the genre: that life is a struggle but we have the strength (some would say from God), I would say from within and from those around us, to persevere and that no matter how low we may feel we always have so much more to be thankful for.

For me gospel is also inextricably linked to my family (probably the only musical genre we can all agree on) and my upbringing in a Southern home, mostly in the South. Wherever I am in the world, when I am feeling world-weary and off-center, gospel music is the perfect mix of inspiration and motivation, sprinkled with history and home; stability in my constantly changing world. A musical home cooked meal if you will.

Mika once commented after I started working at ATD, after a particularly low point in my life, he found it amazing how I stayed so optimistic and in relatively good spirits, during more than a year of unemployment. I think my upbringing and the message of gospel was instrumental. I remember as a child whenever someone asked someone at church how they were doing, if things were not going well they would still answer "I woke up this morning and I have my health". Sometimes just remembering you're healthy and alive is enough to motivate you to "find a way where there is no way".

I have probably listened, willingly, to more gospel over the past ten years then I did the the first two decades of my life; proving that often appreciation comes with age. Moreover, it comes when we are at our lowest. No surprise that I "discovered" the power of gospel when I was no longer under the protective wings of my parents and forging my own path in life.

Because in life a little rain must fall, there are those moments where we question, doubt, second guess and fret over our lives and our choices. Fortunate are those who have family, friends or lovers who can bear some of the load and to lend a sympathetic ear. But at night, when those doubts come creeping back, as they inevitably will, hearing someone sing "I have decided, I'm committed, that I'll run even though at times I may get lost" (Smokie Norful), somehow puts things in focus.

It is definitely not religion for me. But is it spirituality or perhaps a philosophy? I don't know, but the soundtrack is unmistakable, the same powerful soundtrack of slaves in the field, of my grandparents in the Jim Crow South, my parents working to give their children all the advantages in life they never had, and now me at a moment of self-doubt despite being on this incredible journey. There is nothing like gospel, songs of joy, hope and praise during such dark times to reassure me, that "he never gives you more than you can bear, this too shall pass" (Yolanda Adams).

Musings on Ferguson

I am really saddened by the news I am reading related to Ferguson and other senseless violence against black people in America. From where I sit in Dakar it has been thrown into stark relief how divided America still is, in ways that are hard to explain to non-Americans. The image of white police forces facing off with black protesters reminds people of the Civil Rights Movement, good in the sense that people are fed up and ready to confront power, but sad that little has changed in 50 years. As a black man who has been to quite a few places I can tell you racism and prejudice exist everywhere, but I can also tell you that it has been a relief to spend the last 9 years not having to deal with American-style racism. There is a weight lifted that is hard to explain, but it is a freedom that I am loath to give up.

America is a great place full of amazing people, and at times I miss it so much, but I know America can be better, and I want America to be better. I sense that America is falling behind as other parts of the world are leaping forward and that fear reveals the tenuous peace that exist between different communities. I read a black person saying how it feels to always be a suspect, to have to teach your children how to not get shot by the police (interestingly many of these boys were following their parents advice when they got shot), and what it feels like to live in a police state where you are constantly harassed (the colonist revolted against the British for less than this). These are conditions that the white majority would never accept in their communities. And then to read a white man saying the media should realize how dangerous it is to be a cop, as if these things are mutually exclusive, with total disregard for what your fellow citizens are trying to tell you about their every day existence. In their communities it's "my taxes pay your salary buddy", in the black community it's "please don't shoot, I don't have a gun".

So when people ask me is America still racist, I have to answer, yes, extremely. There is no scenario where two large groups can have two diametrically opposed views on the world and have two separate lived experiences when it comes to power and the state without those groups, for the most part, living completely separate lives, and for no other reason than skin color. However, what inspires me, is that there are so many good people, of all races, faiths, national origins, sexual orientations and economic background who see this elephant in the room, and in big and small ways want to change a system that finds it so easy and justifiable to take black lives.

Evil happens when good people do nothing. It is possible in today's America for people to say they are not racist, and be sincere. But the racism that may or may not be in someone's heart is not my concern, was not the concern of the Civil Rights Movement and of little concern for most black people in America. You cannot police people's hearts. The problem is the system of power that oppresses black people which is mostly still intact. From chattle slavery, to Jim Crow, to redlining to subprime mortgages, there is a system of power, often invisible to those who benefit from it, and all to obvious to those on the receiving in, that needs to addressed.

I recently heard a good quote from Jane Elliot: "Racism exists because accurate history is not taught." I will leave you with that succinct phrase, because that accurate history to unwieldy to unpack here. But I implore you to read Ta-nehisi Coates article, it's long, The Case for Reparations http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations/361631/, and check out this documentary Blue Eyes Brown Eyes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQAmdZvKf6M, which is eye-opening (pun intended).
 

Walk a Mile

I used to work for ATD Fourth World in Paris, which also has teams in the US (NYC, DC, Appalachia, New Orleans, Gallup), and this story makes me tear up. Because it reminds me of so many stories I heard from around the world during my time with ATD, whether it was the West or the rest, First World or developing, democratic or autocratic, the well-off's treatment and (mis)understanding of people living at the margins was disturbingly similar. I do not believe in conspiracy theories but there is not a place or time where the wealthy do not refer to people living in poverty as lazy, irresponsible, dangerous, unfit, dirty, liars and thieves. And there is another aspect that comes through clearly in this article, and I have seen it with racists and homophobes, there is no need to talk to certain groups to get their perspective on their own lives. 

You meet a rich man and you ask him, what his parents did, what school did he go to, how did he become so successful, what amazing things does he do with his free time. You meet a mother in a desperate situation in a dentist chair and you tell her if she is not going to take this seriously then get out. You tell parents working long hours for minimum wage with limited education they are irresponsible for not taking an interest in their child's education, while also assuming the worst of their child because of how he comes dressed to school. There was a very important equation I learned while at ATD, and as a lover of math, it was a succinct way for me to visualize the struggle, and understand why poverty eradication is so difficult.  Poverty = material deprivation; extreme poverty = material deprivation + social exclusion. 

This equation is the shorthand for explaining the "Ramen fallacy" in that eating noodles and pasta your freshman year does not in anyway give you insight into extreme poverty or the solutions for getting out of it. But the equation also underlines a sad fact and that is poverty is man-made, it does not have to exist. People who work full-time and yet never seem to accumulate wealth or even make it to the end of the month are being deprived, the parent who is lectured by their child's teacher and not treated as an equal is being socially excluded. For the employer who deprives, or the social worker who excludes, there is no sanction, yet the person who inevitably remains in poverty is blamed for not being able to stand up to the boss, or the teacher, all of whom, in a myriad of ways, make it perfectly clear that certain people's opinions and needs are not relevant.

The boat analogy is apt, because when you are cut off from society and have few resources and the only people who you can turn to are in the same boat, this results in entire neighborhoods being excluded and deprived. Communities that are so deprived that when politicians demonize, when yuppies gentrify, when police criminalize, they are powerless, insecure in their political rights, housing, employment and personal integrity.

Though it will not be easy, instead of looking at a family who is less fortunate than yours and wondering what these people did wrong and if they are unfit to be parents, maybe you can ask them, where did you grow up, or what amazing things do you do in your free time.  But instead we ignore and consider everything said as suspect.  As a nation we decided that will not make energy policy without the oil companies, or attempt healthcare reform without the pharmaceutical industry, or change food policy with agro.  But when making policies that are meant to "help our poor" the voice of those most concerned and the real experts on what it means to live in poverty is deafeningly silent.  We have always been told, to understand someone's life you must walk a mile in their shoes, but  before you can walk that mile you first have to ask them how they got here.

Do Everything Right and Be Rich Like Me.

This article nearly moved me to tears (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-irwin/20-things-poor-people-really-do_b_4533691.html). ATD France published a document refuting commonly held stereotypes about people living in poverty and it is nice to see someone did an English version. There is no other group that has been so maligned regardless of location or era. This demonization of people with less is as old as time. It was no small thing that the Bible continually mentions the poor and what they can expect and what the rich can expect. But I have never witnessed so much ignorance concerning those in poverty; a total lack of credible information from the source. A rich person opines on the habits of the poor as an Englishman opines on the habits of the Frenchman. And shocker, neither likes what they see, they can only see how their side is abstractly better, more moral, more hardworking, and the other is irredeemably lost, and what is worst... happy being French. Of course I jest, because this analogy is imperfect as the Frenchman likely has similarly strongly held views about the Englishman and in the end both are biased but neither is truly harmed, and can meet as equals. But people in poverty do not have their own books, and TV shows, and blogs that can counter the daily defamation heaped upon them by the rich, and they may even believe the things that are being said about them. Disfavored groups often believe the caricatures that outsiders paint of them. But there are consequences to these harmful and dehumanizing views, and it is particularly heinous when they are lies. "Our" representatives can say boldly that if you do not work you should not eat in a debate on SNAP, at once, overestimating the benefits received and assuming that if you receive them you necessarily do not work.

I once spoke to a man who claimed that it was too easy to be poor in France, that they have it so easy, and I asked him, if it is so easy, then why isn't everyone doing it. He replied, some people have values and morals and some people do not. I did not really know to make of that at the time, but now it makes sense. How do you justify extreme wealth and privilege? If it is a societal issue, than those with the most power in society are to blame and will be responsible for solving the problem. But your other option is to blame the poor and their morals, values and choices. In this scenario even providing assistance can be considered immoral, if you have listened to any conservative politician, you are actually making people living in poverty lazier and more immoral by trying to give them a leg up. So cut the benefits and do drug testing. I tried to find a list of the 20 worst habits of the rich on Google. Needless to say, I did not find one, but that would certainly make an interesting read or better yet, the 20 worst habits of the rich towards the poor. When all your assumptions about a group are negative that should be a red flag that it is a crude representation of that group, and most likely way off the mark and completely missing what is really behind a particular action. If a business leader can sit in a class to learn how to do business with the Chinese, would it hurt to do the same with people living in poverty. The first thing you learn with dealing with foreign cultures is that you do yourself no favors by judging another culture by grafting your values and habits onto it. What constitutes a good decision is as culturally rooted as it is personal. An American decides whether or not to take a vacation, a Frenchman decides when. A more privileged individual can decide to take more risks in the comfort that if it goes wrong they will not lose any of their privilege, or can decide to just sit comfortably on their wealth and privilege with little fear of losing it. Our realities determine what choices are even possible for us, and what may be a good choice to take is out of the realm of possibility for some.

I will leave you with a story that stuck with me from my time at ATD. A woman in Guatamala who lived in a slum was asked why she had bought a big TV and should she not have used that money in a "better" way. And she explained how she lived in a violent slum, with rampant gang activity and bad schools. She believed that the TV would not only occupy her children so that they would not fall victim to gangs but it would stimulate their minds and give them a leg up. She made the best possible decision in her circumstance based on her means. That is what we all do, and sometimes the gamble works out.  Just my two-cents, but I think that more work to needs to be done to demystify poverty. That said, I will leave you with this quote.

“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed.” Herman Melville

What You Do for the Least Among You

I have to stop reading the comments after reading a well thought out article on any subject, I am starting to lose my faith in humanity. I don't know if it's just sport for some people in the US, or if comments are a fair representation of how Americans think, but if I read an article on reforming our prison system, or on transgender rights, or racial profiling, or gay marriage or anything about Muslims or Islam, inevitably the majority of comments are so hateful, so bigoted and more importantly so callous. I use to think these comments were from trolls trying to get a rise, but when so many are saying the same thing and having a conversation among themselves, I fear the worst. I like to read these comments and articles from many sources as I don't want to be in a bubble where people aren't racist, homophobic or transphobic, have Muslim friends, see women as human beings, and can imagine that even though someone may have committed a heinous crime and should be imprisoned it is not the job of the state to torture them in perpetuity. I am not a Christian, in fact I am atheist, but I try to live by two quote from the Bible, and I wish, if America is going to call itself a Christian nation, it too would live by these passages.

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

But I love this one even more, as it's a duty to humanity, a call to action that guides me in my live and the work I try to do and is an important quality that I admire in others.

Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me.'" Matthew 25:41-45

The easiest impulse of an individual is to treat those most like them with compassion, empathy and understanding and those most different with disdain and as less human, those who everyone treats that way, those who appear flawed and thus deserving of our contempt and ill treatment. That's easy, and we all do it. But let's be better. Let's be better than that natural impulse, let's do the hard work of stepping outside of ourselves, our comfort zone and imagine what it's would be like if you were a teenager being followed on a dark and stormy night by an armed stranger, even if you were black, black people get scared too, or what it would be like to be imprisoned and to not have seen the sky or another person in 10 years, or to be a man who knows deep down you are a woman and puts on a dress and goes to a party and ends up brutally murdered by a mob. Or positively, to find out that you just got the right to marry in your state.

What touches me in these examples, and they are varied, is the idea of justice, whether the lack there of or its realization. And the opportunity, if only on paper, to step out of myself and my comfort zone. To learn that there are so many ways to be whole and fully human in this world, and that variety is what makes life so fascinating and exciting. But it seems that so many people cannot even do that. On comment on the prison piece stood out to me, a lone voice in a sea of callous indifference, one person noted that being in prison is the punishment, the physical and psychological torture and abuse by guards and other inmates is not suppose to be apart of that punishment. To say that criminals should be punished and treated humanely are not mutually exclusive. In fact, in a just society both are required. I am still encouraged by the people I know and read about who are reaching out the least among us and doing Jesus's work, they go to places both physically and mentally that are difficult places to be and sometimes even access and they struggle and are tested, but they keep at it, and that gives me hope and motivates me. I cannot say much about Jesus's many fan clubs, but I for one will do my best to always stand with the least among us.