Belonging and Community

and how that can lead  to Justice.

“I’ve had enough of the propaganda…. I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for WHOEVER and WHATEVER benefits “community” as a whole.”  Malcolm X

Community is defined as “a group of inhabitants in the same place collectively in the context of social values and responsibilities.”

Justice is defined as “the ethical, philosophical idea, that laws are insured that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law, and arbiters of the law, and that laws are to ensure that no harm befall another” (Cornell Law school).

The goal of community should be a collaborative process that engages everyone, and the community’s greatest asset is diversity of thought. No one person gets to decide who belongs and who does not. The only thing that is required is to be an inhabitant, and to care about justice for all. It is necessary that all fights for justice be a shared process that takes all voices into consideration to help heal and repair the harm done by inequities, and to not create more inequities by excluding others.

Anytime you get a “group of inhabitants” together, not everyone will think alike or see situations the same. That does not mean there will not be disagreements, but we must learn disagree without being disagreeable, because WE ALL BELONG.

Belonging should matter to everyone, and that ideology is powerful in the fight for justice. If community is going to be effective in this ongoing fight, we need everyone, and every voice to belong. Even those we disagree with. I have sat on numerous boards and committees, and the best ideas and solutions come about through disagreements. It has been my experience that if there are no disagreements, there is usually not much getting done because of “group think”.

There must be an overall understanding that just because someone disagrees with you does not mean you are wrong, or that the person disagreeing dislikes you.

It simply means that people see situations differently. If we can adapt to that, the stronger a sense of belonging to community will be, the stronger the community itself will be, the longer it will last, and the objectives of justice will begin to take root.

We need to understand that equity and justice are only obtained through two methods……either it is built, or fought for and taken. Therefore, the “fight for justice”, is just that….A FIGHT. It has never mattered what the issue is, if there’s injustice, that injustice was never rectified without a fight. This country was built on the premise of a fight for justice against the British, and all the rights and privileges we have, have been fought for.

If I’m in a fight (and I’ve had many), I would want someone invested to fight with me with a skillset that I don’t have so that WE can fight effectively. I would want diverse perspectives, and people who are better than I am in certain aspects.

Those in community who feel a sense of belonging, are invested in the fight for justice. Together, we have those diverse perspectives and skillsets to fight for justice effectively, and substantively.

Community is a team sport, and just like in professional sports, you do not have to like your teammates, but you do need them. In order for our community, or any other community to be effective in our fights for justice, we need to welcome all inhabitants in community with a sense of belonging because it’s a long hard fight, and we need everyone to succeed in achieving justice.

“No one will know who WE are, until WE know who we are.” Malcolm X

About the Author: Darryl Riley grew up in the drug and gang infested communities of Chicago, and was introduced to free base cocaine at 16, Two months later, he and several friends received 3 felonies each for a fistfight over a baseball game at a park. So, at 16, Darryl was already an addict, and a felon.

Drugs and incarceration took up a substantial portion of Darryl’s adult life, but a paradigm shift did occur. Today Darryl owns several businesses including a world-renowned franchise. He is also the co-founder and CEO of the Up From Slavery Initiative ufsi.org. His educational background includes graduating Magna Cum Laude from “Sidewalk University” with a major in trauma and “knucleheadism.” He likes to refer to himself as having a Ph.D. in the streets