I'd like to discuss low-cost, high-impact solutions to violence and poverty in the black community. To spark things off, I will quote two posters from another post.
I disagree, although I'm sure you won't hold it against me, so long as we agree about the important stuff (like pizza).Originally Posted by Chris
While cultivating individual excellence is necessary and important, and must play a role in addressing these issues, the simple fact is that most people are not exceptional (by definition). They are not particularly capable of rising above their circumstances, and that is true of any race, nationality or ethnicity. We are now living in a time where socioeconomic mobility is at an all-time low. Wealth inequality is also quite high, for many reasons, including government stupidity, but also rampant human greed (as a result of a widespread acceptance of unhealthy and narcissistic materialism).
In order to change this, we need to be talking about a multi-pronged approach. It isn't enough to try and make all people into exceptionally motivated go-getters, primarily because it will never happen. Most people, regardless of education level, regardless of what they are taught or what they experience, are not suited for levels of responsibility beyond working a steady job and perhaps raising a family. Even then, that relies upon having access to a fair degree of stability. So to expect that blacks will be able to improve themselves solely by looking inwards is, I think, a big mistake.
One of the best examples of a simple change we could make, in my opinion, is nutrition. Black urban youth are not eating well. They are not eating well from the time they are born to the time they are mature. These nutritional deficiencies result in drastically worse academic and personal performance. They are getting the calories they need, they aren't going to starve, but they aren't getting all the nutrients that proper development requires. The reasons for this are multiple - because cheap food is cheap, because they were never taught any different, because they don't have time, etc. So, in my opinion, one of the best and cheapest ways of helping people is to create secure community gardens, giving out free, fresh food from those gardens, teaching people how to cook cheaply and healthy, and using that as a means of building the community. Make schools serve fresh and healthy food, rather than french fries and hot dogs. Get kids eating well young, and they will probably eat well forever.
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/chil...tion-6555.html
This is just one example that would have a drastic impact on social outcomes for the black community. There are tons of others. We often look towards these "big changes" - like addressing wealth inequality, or ending mass incarceration, etc. as how we should do it. And that is definitely part of it. But it doesn't tell the whole story. There are tons and tons of ways to go about improving the lives of black children, which will have immediate result. Gang intervention and prevention is another sound strategy.Data taken from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed children with poor nutrition are more likely to miss days of school and be required to repeat grades. When a child does not get the required amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for health, it could lead to lethargy, a lack of energy and a general failure to thrive. The World Bank notes an association between improper childhood nutrition and lower IQ levels as well. These children are also more likely to be suspended and have difficulty maintaining friendships, in part due to their behavioral problems. A failure to thrive academically and socially, resulting from improper nutrition, can have lasting impacts throughout a person's life if it's not corrected early.
https://www.researchgate.net/publica...e_Most_At_Risk
What other ideas do you guys have?The current study helps to fill this void in the literature by examining the relative risk of youth targeted for prevention and intervention services with a comparable sample of youth from the general school population in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Results suggest that youth targeted by the program under study were significantly less at risk in three of the four risk domains examined, and in seven of the twelve associated subdomains. Further, the nontargeted sample had higher accumulated risk than the targeted sample, which is a robust predictor of gang involvement.