I wanted to write a more detailed analysis but I am going to
shorten this in order to quickly get out my thoughts....Why do you think that
something as sorrowful as death brings forth more division than unity? For
example, when a family member passes away particularly in the black family,
turmoil is the first to follow...Instead of banding together to ensure our
loved ones rest in power peacefully, there is usually petty arguments,
scavenger relatives who ransack through the deceased belongings and
of course the financial woes about how to pay for the funeral or who will get
the insurance settlement....Such a sad reality that many of us are familiar
with....
Unfortunately, this seems to be a similar situation within our
communities....Now, my blog readers know me, I am always smiling and spreading
that #GreatinEnglewood news to help shift the negative perception of
my neighborhood, but this post is different because we as a
community recently lost two elected officials....
In February, Englewood lost the 16th Ward Alderwoman/Committeeman, Joanne
Thompson and a week ago many of us were in attendance at the funeral of the 6th
District State Rep, Esther Golar....Both of these strong and courageous women
played a large role in the political landscape of Englewood...And although one
served on the city level and the other served on the state level, they pretty
much served the same constituents....The Residents of the Englewood
Community....
Now one would think that this would be a time that the community would band together and work in unity to move forward some of the initiatives they had on their plate to ensure that their work was not in vain....But nooooo....Just like many black families, turmoil has been the first to follow....Folks talk all the time about the division in Englewood but with these two untimely deaths of our public officials, the division is more apparent than ever...
On one side we have #TeamJoanne #TeamEsther who wants to ensure that their legacies live on, and on the other side we have folks that feel this is the perfect opportunity to shake some things up in Englewood....Not that any of these approaches are wrong but it just highlights our division and some of the political dysfunction of Englewood....
With the recent lost of our state rep, the lens is back on the 16th Ward again....Why you may ask? Because when there is a vacancy in the house the ward committeeman of that said party is tasked with appointing someone for that seat....And guess who had the most votes in the 6th District....Yep you guessed it...The 16th Ward...And guess who is the current committeeman for the 16th ward? No one - because unfortunately the democratic committeeman (Joanne Thompson) is no longer with us and no one has been appointed since May...Crazy right? So just like that black family who loses a love one, we as a community are running around like those crazy relatives....
There are about 10 people announcing that they are running for the 6th District Seat about a handful looking to be appointed, and although the 16th Ward plays an important role in this appointment, no one from this ward will be able to have a say in this decision....This is a mess, a complete mess! Now this is the time for us to put aside all of our agendas, personal gripes in order to unite and figure out the best way to move forward. I would think that with something so drastic as not 1 but 2 deaths that we as a community would pull it together, take some time to reflect, then work to identify the best people to serve in these vacant roles...
But no instead we are already throwing out hashtags of
#Teamthis vs. #Teamthat...And frankly in my opinion it's so many teams trying
to play in the game that no one is winning
and ultimately our community is losing...I would suggest in dire
situations like these, that a "family" meeting is called....We look
at all the pieces to the puzzle then decide how we should move as
one....However, the problem in most black communities is that everyone wants to
be "THE ONE" vs. "WORKING AS ONE"....This situation just further
confirms that even when faced with a death - our elected officials, community,
faith based, and business leaders refuse to get on ONE page for the betterment
of our community...Then we wonder why Englewood is in the condition it is in
today....Til Death Do Us Part...Yeah right...
I will end this post by simply saying Rest in Power
Ald. Joanne Thompson and State Rep, Esther Golar, we know your spirits will
continue to watch over the beloved community of Englewood...I pray and will remain hopeful that we will eventually get it right....Til Death Do Us Part....
