LIVING FOR CHANGE

WORK WE CAN PUT OUR HEARTS INTO

By Mike Wimberly

Michigan Citizen, Sept.2-8, 2007

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and his civil rights colleagues.

The SCLC gave eloquent testimony of the power of love and compassion. A similar commitment is now needed to move the U.S. African American community, and in turn, America, to a new plateau of thoughts and beliefs concerning work and local economies.

The truth is that no one is going to bring 100,000 "good-paying" jobs to Detroit. And because most auto jobs are so dehumanizing, it is probably best that those jobs don't come. Dehumanizing jobs, where you put a panel into a slot over and over again, are not what people were born to do. We were born to be impassioned workers. Everyone needs work we can put our hearts into. Too often people break their hearts by working unfulfilling jobs. What Detroit needs are people who listen to their heart and pursue what it tells them to pursue.

That's where the techniques of the SCLC come into play. We could start now to hold meetings for the improvement of work and community. At these meetings we would develop practices comparable to the civil rights movement. We would sing songs, make posters and institute strategies that speak to the longing of the community to perform work that matters, work that means something to our citizens, work that is locally produced to serve local needs .

The Rev. King knew he was meant to be a preacher. His father, his grandfather, were preachers. Listening to his sermons you hear a person living in line with his heart's desire. One of the main causes of stress and health problems is that people's hearts are not in their jobs.

Without tapping into our hearts' desires, we are destined to be consumers of products and services that are mostly a waste of our time and money. We think these products and services will take away the pain and stress of not pursuing our talents. They don't. And they rob Detroit of its potential. Detroit needs its talented people to step up and be counted. That means everybody. Everybody has a talent.

Just look around at Detroit neighborhoods and you see how underserved our city is. Detroit needs companies and individuals who make furniture, clothing, hair care products, food. Virtually every year some organization does a needs assessment. And every year we need the same types of companies and services.

The Motor City is open to independent business owners. A few years ago the men's fashion magazine, Gentlemen's Quarterly, did a story about shopping in Detroit. GQ came to Detroit for its boutique clothing stores. Many other cities have gone the same-old chain store way. Not Motown. Detroit has viable stores and service providers that specialize in all sorts of things.

Independent stores set the stage for business people who are not attached to chain stores. A single shop has credibility when it opens the door in this town.

Detroit has a rich history of African American owned businesses. Each year Black Enterprise Magazine publishes the top African American owned firms in America. Each year the Motor City tops the list. The last BE Top 100 featured 20 Michigan-based companies,. most within a two-hour drive of Detroit.

It is disturbing that Detroit does not have enough eateries, shops and service providers. Residents have to go to the suburbs to meet their consumer needs while Detroiters numb their heart's desire to be producers with drugs, alcohol and food. Northeastern University Professor Andrew Sum did a study several years ago about the dismal prospects of employment for African American men and women. The vast majority of Blacks over 60 are unemployed. And for teens the numbers are probably worst. Nobody wants a person without any work experience. You don't get work experience if nobody hires you.

In "America Beyond Capitalism" University of Maryland Professor Gar Alperovitz estimates that 60% of goods and services are locally produced. The high number includes government, dry cleaning, retail and food production. So for all the discussion of globalization, much of consumer supply and demand is still local.

We are the ones who have to create the answers. And we are well-able. Nobody is going to save us but us.

There are no easy answers; but if we work out the solutions together, we will not only be much happier and more helpful. We will also build Detroit into a city of Hope.

Mike Wimberly is executive director of Friends of Detroit and a member of the Boggs Center board.

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