Courage in the Face of Adversity; Pushing past fear in Richmond

By Jovanka D. Beckles

Vice Mayor

Jovanka Beckles

Richmond City Council

Greetings good people,

It has been said that "Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life." In Richmond, some of us have been preventing life for too long. It's time that we face our fears. When we avoid facing our fears, nothing changes. When we face our fears, we make a fundamental change within that has powerful ramifications all around us. Our future in Richmond is bright and full of promise, as long as we face our fear of change. Unless and until we do, we cannot realize our individual and collective potential. We will remain vulnerable to those who have the power and resources to impact change (or fight against it) in ways that exploit, rather than benefit us.

We move forward building a thriving, healthy Richmond when we do it together moving in the faith that something better than we have now is possible and even inevitable.

It is too well kept a secret that Richmond is at the forefront of a number of positive forces for change in the areas of innovative policy making, environmental awareness and activism, social justice and technological advances - to name a few.

We are fortunate in Richmond, that in addition to the names that make it into the press for their courageous stands and forward thinking, there are many local unsung heroes who have made, and continue to make exceptionally valuable contributions. Many of these individuals are often the children and the grandchildren of migrants and immigrants who chose Richmond as a settling place. Some of them are likely members of some of your families. The ones who came before us know something about struggle and sacrifice.

When African Americans migrated north from the south, they faced their fears of leaving the unfamiliar and coming to a new place called Richmond, California. They had no idea how their lives would turn out, but they faced their fears. Many endured hardships, and many succeeded in creating better lives for themselves and their families as they co-created new communities. Years earlier, their forefathers and foremothers faced their fears when they either dared to run away from slavery, or were later emancipated. A "free" life was full of its own set of dangers, and these ancestors were forced to face their fears head-on.

This is the Richmond story. This is the immigrant/migrant story. This is the laborer story. Sometimes desperate, always courageous people of all races and a great number of ethnic backgrounds leave one place to go to another in search of a "better" life. This "better" life always requires some sacrifice and an adaptation to a new environment. Many are successful, where others fail. The courageous know that failure never need be an end in itself; rather it can be a stepping stone to success.

Some Latino members of our community have faced the horror of crossing the dessert into California. They were willing to face their fears in order to have a better life. Others more fortunate have made less grueling crossings, yet all have had to find the courage to endure adapting to a new environment that has not always been welcoming.

It is up to each and every one of us to create hope for one another as we show our young people what real courage is. It isn't bullying. It isn't carrying a gun. They don't have to live in fear. They don't have to be afraid to grow up feeling hopeless. They don't have to pretend to be fearless, when fear is a legitimate response. We must create an environment in which they no longer have reason to fear a hostile present or an uncertain future.

As Gandhi is so often quoted saying "We must be the change we wish to see".

In a year with a homicide rate that continues to come down, on April 15th, two young people were shot in the Target parking lot on Macdonald Avenue. On Tuesday April 8th, another youth was shot in Crescent Park.

We must change the conditions in which young people live in fear of violence. The lives and well being of our residents are far more precious than anything else. Although we've reduced the number of homicides dramatically, one lost life is too much.

What more needs to change to continue to reduce our homicide rate? What do we need to do? There are a number of actions and solutions to facilitate that effort. There is always room for more.

One simple thing that each of us can do today, is to emphatically express the value we have for life to our children. Not your children. Not my children. OUR children. Each of us is responsible for all of the children of Richmond. They are all OURS to take care of.

One of the things that we adults can do for our children, is to face our own fears. In fact, it is critical if we are to help our children face theirs.