FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Money, money, money. It’s on everyone’s mind these days as we collectively witness one of the greatest transfers of wealth in the Black community in over 80 years.

While money and resources wields significant power in helping “Build Black Better”; from empowering Black families to restoring Black infrastructure in the US; we must first address our foundational realities which inform any and all momentum experienced within our community. A windfall can quickly take us to our own demise without a purposeful blueprint in place or the capacity to effectively apply the bounty that is long overdue. Much in the same way that a building is not constructed starting at the 15th floor, the foundation of our communities must be properly prepared or the structures built upon it will fail.

When addressing the foundation of the Black community, no conversation can be had without the conversation about generational trauma and how it informs our daily reality. As Black author and healer, Javelin Hardy, points out in an article contained within these pages, “Healing from the Roots”, we carry the journeys, triumphs and traumas of the past 3 generations in our blood, our bones, our DNA. Generations of families broken by racist ideologies, systemic injustices and economic slavery have created an internal blight that is reflected externally in the trials and tribulations playing out in our communities today.

As many in mental health circles are painfully aware, throwing money at these problems will not fix them. It will only create a new ground for the problems to continue to play out, as unhealthy people with wealth carry the poverty of their spirits into the next stages of their experience, regardless of the circumstances. If we are to heal and recover on a foundational level and reach our pinnacles of capability, significance and influence, it is critical that we prepare our foundation to ensure more than fleeting success. Examples of the principles of preparation include a spiritual foundation, self assessment, philanthropic/humanitarian purpose, self love and compassion that leads to enlightenment. Through enlightenment, one will recognize that when it comes to abundance, you can’t keep it if you don’t give it away. To leave anyone behind is to fail the collective because in the end, we are all one body, one family.

While I continue to feel a growing sense of hope and anticipation, I can not, in good conscience, ignore a disturbing sense of fragmentation and siloing growing within our ranks. Not all boats are rising. Front line warriors that have been fighting for the Black community in Oregon over decades are noticeably absent at these newly formed tables.

These threats are not always obvious and like a trojan horse, can come cloaked in forms such as white benevolence offered via backroom dealings and covert decisions carried out with zero public scrutiny. Constructed agendas seemingly designed to separate the younger Black Portland generation from its well known elders and leaders in the community has me deeply concerned for several reasons. I am concerned with the fact that Oregon’s newly formed Black economic engines are claiming to fill a pre-existing void while replicating and recycling decades of work previously and currently being done on behalf of the Black community by historic, roots-level community organizations and nonprofits. I am concerned that fully resourced, predominantly White led/occupied agencies with no history of Black inclusion have taken it upon themselves to stand up these organizations on the heels of cultural and economic unrest with no public input or vetting process.

I am concerned and deeply troubled at the idea of my people being blackwashed through a constructed agenda that does not engage their participation and is carried out with little to no external oversight or membership involvement. I am concerned by the lack of equal representation of historic Black Business serving organizations of Portland at these tables and deeply uncomfortable with unfamiliar, in-state and out-of-state leaders being installed as overseers without a fair and democratic election process.

The historic Black community is entitled to a better disposition than it is currently receiving and we must all come to the table to sift through the chaff and grain to grow and sustain the economic and social welfare of Black families. You can’t just slap a Black name on an organization and expect it to perform to the benefit of those it claims to serve, especially when it has no history of service to the state’s Black communities. You can, however, use tried and true applications of democratic accountability to stand up leaders and organizations with demonstrable history of making great strides locally and statewide.

Such leaders and ideals are on full display in this magazine and I am proud to be a part of a movement of such forces that are making it possible for us to leverage the long overdue reparations coming our way. Raimore Construction is laying foundations for economic recovery by offering unprecedented opportunities in the trades and through the landmark I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. Attorney Bryson Davis and Soul District Small Business Navigator, Alex Gebraeb, present roadmaps to success for Black entrepreneurs in the City, while political leaders like our Governor, Tina Kotek, U.S Senator Ron Wyden and activists like Jeanette Ward-Horton and Dr. Rachel Knox take on the systemic challenges and complex opportunities for Black families in our State. Here at the Soul District Business Association and Flossin Media, we are excited to be rolling out our new mobile podcast unit designed with our logos and District Identity, the Black Rose.

At the end of the day, I am reminded of the importance of choosing carefully which stars we are following in our quest to arrive Home. As Al Sharpton warned, “Beware of snakes in your family, your business, your social life. Be careful of cunning people that play all sides, they aren’t loyal to anyone. They can be dangerous or they can just be snakes wiggling around, either way they don’t advance you and they can’t be trusted.” The best of what we can create is in front of us, but it begins and ends with all of us. Let us lean whole heartedly into a renewed perspective and let’s arrive and hold dearly to the things that inspire us to greatness. When we come to the table with the best of ourselves, we Build Black Better.

John Washington CEO Flossin Media