Stepping off the Struggle Bus and into Radical Possibility
By Tammie Jones
Those of us who have been working to make things better for children in Detroit know the statistics. We don’t need to look up the rate of children living in concentrated poverty, those failing to reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade, the percentage of students who are chronically absent from school…We know these numbers better than our best friend’s phone number. And we’ve even found new and beautiful ways to display this data, as can be seen in this 2018 New York Times article.
And yet, knowing this is doing little to make things better.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to hear from black revolutionary Angela Davis and equity advancer Angela Glover Blackwell. What stood out for me in their remarks was not their mastery of statistics, but instead their willingness to boldly consider what’s possible. Angela Davis has long advocated to shut down prisons, noting that closure alone is insufficient—that you must get down to the roots of racism in this country and dig them out. Angela Glover Blackwell challenges us to use radical imagination to address our most challenging issues, raising the possibility of police abolition in her podcast.
These incredible thinkers are helping to model for us a different approach to tackling society’s greatest challenges. Instead of telling the story of the communities we serve through depressing statistics, we can frame the work around what is possible. We can shift our language to one that focuses on aspirations and contributions over deficit-driven data.
Trabian Shorters, author and founder of the BMe Community, is one of the leading proponents for asset-framing. He argues that “narrative has a profound impact on identity and behavior,” noting that the statistics that we reference in making our work relevant (and funded) often stigmatizes the population we seek to help. This series of videos produced by The Skillman Foundation give some insight into his inspiring work.
This February, as we are surrounded by the images of incredible black leaders who have helped to shape this country, as we listen to courageous speeches and enjoy groundbreaking music, let us not limit our celebration of these contributions to the shortest month of the year. Instead of devoting airtime to statistics that articulate the despair and deficiencies of our community, let us spread the word on the amazing creativity, accomplishments and unique aspirations of our young people. Through our words, we will demonstrate our care for what really matters—their joy!
As we come more fully into 2020, EarlyWorks is maintaining its commitment to operate in this way, partnering with impact organizations to drive community-based systems change so that everyone has real opportunity to thrive and prosper. As an anti-racist feminist company, we strive to celebrate community assets and we recognize and incorporate the deep expertise in families and neighborhoods into our efforts. Please contact us if you would like to explore how we can support you in advancing systems change work in your community.
