A few years ago (I think in 2004) I was asked to help with an event with Operation Hope, International. It was a rather large endeavor with numerous agencies and Hope (Hope coordinating the event). Then we started to get solicitations for donations. Money, food, supplies and overt pitches for direct assistance to Hope, itself.
The event was an effort in the Spring/Summer 2004 to provide assistance in obtaining "faithbased" funding from agencies. Since the executive order had been signed, the agencies have worked to make it easier for churches to obtain funding despite being openly hostile to different groups of Americans from gays to persons of differing faiths to people who are pro-choice.
We are a multi-cultural, multi-ethinic, multi-religious country. Despite what has been noted by the Right Wing Extremists, we were not founded by Christians to be a Christian society. Our forefathers weren't perfect and made HUGE errors about race, gender and voting rights for the poor, but the best thing they ever did was to look at the Anglican Church and fear the mixing of State and a State sponsored religion. They knew something we seem to have forgotten lately. They knew that faith and governance do not and should never go hand in hand.
Here's the press release I and a number of other neighborhood activists received yesterday:
(Washington, D.C.) - April 11, 2006 - During Mayor Anthony A. Williams' weekly press briefing John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE announced that Operation HOPE will host the first Anacostia Economic Summit on May 3 at Ward 8's recent revitalization effort - THEARC, a state of the art community center. The summit will be attended by Washington, D.C.'s leading financial business, community and political leaders to promote Silver Rights and economic empowerment in the district's community east of the river. The event will be co-hosted by the District of Columbia and GE Consumer Finance and will mark the first anniversary of the Washington, D.C. HOPE Center.
Featured speakers include Mayor Williams, HOPE national spokesman Andrew Young, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), D.C. Council member Marion Barry, D-Ward 8, D.C. Council member Vincent Gray, D-Ward 7, among others. The summit, through multi-session silver rights' panels, will explore ways to encourage developers to invest new commerce as well as reinvesting a portion of their net profits back into the community.
"Development and change are coming to East of the River and the
Anacostia Economic Summit will focus on making the connection from civil rights to silver rights," said John Bryant. "The Summit will emphasize the importance of economic empowerment for those living East of the River and hold plenary sessions on financial literacy, home ownership, jobs, small business, entrepreneurship, health, faith and the environment."
The Silver Rights Movement strives to bring resources, technology and opportunity to low wealth communities by picking up where civil rights left off; integrating the dollar into under funded communities much like the late Dr. King integrated the lunch counter.
Okay, repeat after me, Low Wealth is the new improved and fun term in developing an "ownership society. My neighborhood is not low wealth, it's low income. We can't succeed without the access to better jobs and education. I sat across the tax table last night with a young single mother. She's a college grad and is currently earning $24,000 a year working 4 jobs, one of which is full time. I bought my first house on an annual income of $17,000. There's nothing in my neighborhood she can purchase on her income without a great deal of assistance, if and when that assistance is available.
Now, back to the press release:
Silver rights, through HOPE programs and initiatives, work to create partnerships between government, community and the private sector as a foundation for promoting business development, financial literacy and ownership in underserved communities...
"A hallmark of my administration is increasing economic opportunities for District residents in all neighborhoods," said Mayor Anthony Williams. "I commend Operation HOPE for fostering home ownership and small business opportunities for all Americans and I'm proud to be part of this summit."
I think I'm going to puke. My Mayor makes it east of the river about once in a blue moon and that's when he's been popular. He's cancelled more than he's shown. But hey, now that it looks like gentrification is finally taking off in Ward 8, it's about time for him to show his face!
Washington, D.C. HOPE Center in historic Anacostia has been essential In promoting silver rights to local ward 8 residents, providing programs that help participants establish their own small businesses or purchase their own home.
In 2000, HOPE hosted its first National Inner City Economic Summit in Los Angeles, featuring then U.S. Vice President Al Gore; more than 600 delegates nationwide attended. In 2002, HOPE hosted President Bush's visit with area residents and business leaders in Los Angeles.
So, I'm a little skeptical, it's habit now. I am always digging, it seems.
Hope has a treasure trove of partners from Citigroup to the FDIC. http://www.operationhope.org/...
But there's also a Who's Who of people and offices who serve as partners. Many of which are misspelled and several are no longer in office or are represented more than once. http://www.operationhope.org/... Odd how that worked out. In just a brief scan of these names I found 5 errors. Errors that jump out at me and I spent about 15 seconds.
So, why is this important?
Community.
A few members of my community that received the press release above completely freaked out.
You see, for years now, we've been working toward bringing in a grocery store, businesses and restaurants. We've been pushing for summer jobs for the young and garden areas in blighted spots. We've cleaned up neighbors yards and painted houses for the elderly. We've helped with tax returns for our friends and neighbors and registered voters. There is an oddly strong sense of community in Ward 8. It comes from knowing that there's no other place we can afford to live in the city. It comes from those who've lived here all their lives and it comes from wanting to raise our kids and grandkids in safe neighborhoods with pretty flowers and places to spend our money.
For years, we've pushed for clean up of toxic sights (Camp Simms) and blocked development on a magnolia bog. We've played horseshoes and cleaned up Oxon Run Park. We've played Tennis at the Tennis bubble and we've partied on Junteenth.
But we get a little bit upset when we're told that this is the FIRST economic summit. We are frustrated by those who come in and then push us out. We're tired of being told that it takes someone with connections to take up our cause, when the reality is now that they only want to help because they see our ward as an opportunity to make money while looking like they have a new idea.
Would you like to see some of the e-mails that have flown?
It is nevertheless interesting as to how a fairly new group in our community gets to host an event, call it a "summit" and have everyone in the city, official wise, endorse it...This event on May 3rd is certainly not the "First Anacostia Economic Summit", and it should not be presented as such.
Who says this is Anacostia's first economic summit? I don't like the posturing of this event and sometimes of this organization, though Operation Hope seems to have a documented track record of good work. I am certainly for new businesses and homeownership opportunities in the ward--I just wish some of these "saviors" would open a business in the ward or buy a home in the ward instead of programming all of these efforts. We need to stop being the ward everybody wants to help and be the ward everybody wants to build a life in.
Or my favorite:
Thus it is called what they want to call it and a clear indicator of things to come. John Hope Bryant is a man who can somehow get President Bush to come to one of his events and have Cabinet members facilitate workshops? We can not move as we once did. Let the devastation of Katrina be the metaphor for what is happening. The people knew she was coming but did not know what to do and thought they could weather it out. The leaders knew they had to do something but didn't imagine that level of devastation. The signs are clear and even if the storm isn't that serious we REALLY need to be prepared.
My first run in with Operation Hope was in 2004. My opinion of them has not changed in the past two years, instead, I have become more skeptical and even more curious about their funding and projects. Is this simply a newly powerful man who is generous and really wants to do good, or is there something else going on here? The fact that this will be held at TheARC tells me that there's a great deal more to it than generosity.
I plan to be at this meeting. I look forward to hearing what they have to say, not because I plan to point out all their errors and flaws, but to see if they honestly want a better life for my friends and neighbors or if it's still more of the same; a push to divide us. I want to have a better understanding of how they can possibly get Wolfowitz or Bernanke to attend any event in Ward 8, unless of course, I'm right, and this is just the kick off event for this election season and our faces and names are really just back drops to be used for fundraising or to support the status quo.