Fight the hype: Many people have self-respect in Trenton
A Back Talk entry on Sept. 19 broad-brushed Trenton residents and youth with generalizations regarding sagged pants, young females who dress scantily and trash problems.
The verbal offering suggested those situations showed a lack of self-respect, plus pointed to an article by former Trenton police Lt. Rolando Ramos who seems to think that respect should flow from residents to law enforcement only. No reciprocation. Such thinking parallels the downward gravitational movement of crap.
The Back Talk article continues an assault on urban areas. As a black man living in the City of Trenton and working for The Trentonian, a ginormous disagreement occurs when broad-brushed bigotry gains publication as anonymous trash.
People who deliver such bigotry should feel brave enough to put their names on this garbage. Man or woman up, slip into your Big Boy pants and be counted.
“In Trenton, and I am quite sure in other inner cities, I watch folks sitting on their front porches with trash piled on their sidewalks and in the street. I watch young male adults with their pants hanging below their buttocks showing dirty, stained underwear. I watch young girls dressing like prostitutes and allowing their male counterparts to call them out their name. I watch all types of Trentonians walking down the street, eating out of a container like they are at a restaurant, throw the container on the ground when they finish. How can people respect cops, or any figure of authority when they don’t even respect themselves? (A reader).
Insinuations about city youth frequently disregard the fact that many of our young people succeed in school, attend college or find employment. A recent golf outing brought together members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the Trenton Kappa Foundation, learned men who enjoy all accouterments of education.
Other ways exist to succeed in life and God bless those people who get up every day to make an honest living. Many inner city people, Latinos and African-Americans, work two or three jobs just to make ends meet.
My mornings usually begin with coffee at the Trenton Transit Center where human interest stories abound. With thousands of commuters moving through this city asset daily, there’s always something or someone that proves interesting.
Just about everyday a young African-American man passes dressed in work gear. He always offers a greeting. Most of the time he says, “L.A. Parker. Whats up?”
His acknowledgment happened again on Friday which sparked a chase after him. He had about a 40yard lead. Caught him just as he crossed Raoul Wallenberg Ave. in front of the Trenton Transit Center.
He introduced himself as Andre then listened to my appreciation for his morning greeting. Being acknowledged by almost anyone, especially during the morning crush, matters. By the way, when we recognize homeless people then outreaches follow to support and help them.
Andre works at the Trenton Housing Authority and just his disposition assures that he could be successful in any line of work. His attitude and willingness to engage outshines many of the supposedly “popular” people in the City of Trenton. His everyday showing up for work dispels those generalized notions that young people have no self-respect.
A visit to any Trenton Central High School athletic event that features this school’s dynamic cheerleading squad showcases self-respect. Attendance for any past Trenton High Chess Club found a discovery of self-respect. Football team? Self-respect. Softball team? Self-respect.
The Back Talk contributor seems to gloat about some people who need redirection and if my mind were in a darker mood then this space could focus on the negative aspects, struggles and misdirection of people living in the suburbs, portrayed as enclaves of perfection when everyone knows that living produces difficulty.
Bottom line, anything can be discovered if that’s what a person seeks. When people disregard their humanity then it’s easy to kick back after benefiting from all the historical travesties of the United States and disrespect other people.
If people eating lobster and jumbo shrimp can find no satisfaction with their meal unless it’s placed next to the plate set in front of a food insecure person, then they need a refresher course on being blessed.
Like so many other people who understand the been there and done that aspect of poverty and struggle, friends and neighbors who made do with a pot of beans and corn bread, or a bowl of pasta fagioli and fresh baked bread, potato soup, or a plate of beans and rice, we have appreciation for gifts that God places before us.
As the well-informed mother Ella Melba Parker offered, “Don’t down the man (woman) who’s down today, help him in his sorrow. This ol’ world is a funny ‘ol world, you may be down tomorrow.”