Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers

I think it started with some random-a$$ article I read that didn't sit well with me regarding something with the city whatever, whatever. So, I decided to write something. And then it grew. And then - lo and behold - they up and decided to print it. Go figure.

"Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers."

Those words, excerpted from a biblical passage, still hold true in 2008. The Boston I know is one of quixotic wonder. It seems almost everything under the sun is both idealistic and unrealistic. For the short gains we do make, missteps always pop up. Leaders rise to prominence because of vision, charisma and capability. And even still, we hold their feet to the fire when either our interests wane or their impact lessens. Well, at least we should.

I have grown tired of the clergy being seen by the media as the only seemingly legitimate source of black leaders and opinion. I have grown tired of the mayoral machine and its retaliatory tactics to subjugate power and authority. I have grown tired of grown men casting blind eyes to the power of their actions and words. I have grown tired of youth having their voices muted. I have grown tired of boarded-up homes and closed commercial sites. I have grown tired of thugs, young and old, preying on my peoples.

Yet my weary body cannot stay down. Solutions to any of these issues will not come easy. They have to come from the people. Simple handshakes and "daps" of acknowledgment are mere steppingstones, but true community is forged through relationship building. That, to me, is the single and simplest way I envision us turning the corner.

They say history repeats itself. I say we are doomed for a fate much worse if we do not take these lessons learned and cultivate meaningful, tangible change. The immediacy and urgency cannot be diluted or else we may as well stop voting, stop dreaming and stop thinking we shall overcome the enemy within.