Viola Davis’ story from her only childhood photo unjarred many emotions I thought were long forgotten. Davis’ life before Hollywood all too familiar to the poverty I’ve known through both experience and second-hand accounts.
Then came Dr. Ben Carson’s confirmation as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), whose only experience with housing development is from living in low-income housing and receiving government assistance as a child.
Dr. Ben Carson arguably one of the most brilliant neurosurgeons of our time not Surgeon General, but secretary of HUD. At that point I didn’t know whether to clap or to cry. However, in the midst of it all I saw the parallels between the worlds of privilege, poverty, and power in these two and the implications for people of color on the either side.
I've seen “the poor” evolve in the Black community in a multitude of frameworks in my lifetime. Not that long of one, but still a lifetime nonetheless. I come from the kind that saw my mother bust her ass at two jobs to take care of two kids not to give them the world, but to give them a life. One where we were always near the brink of poverty for awhile and used assistance when it was made available to us. I also saw the kind where the parents worked themselves to the bone, worked off and on, or not at all and the children wore the brunt of it, much like Viola experienced. I further recall the kind where the parents were “working poor” and gave their children everything, especially when things like a financial wind-fall (income taxes) arrived. Possibly those parents trying to make up for something they never received. Yet no matter the version outlined above each child was and is recipients of either repelling or drawing further to the life they had modeled for them. The cycles repeated generation after generation.
I'm in no place to judge any perspective, often the one chosen seemingly like the only option for survival. The patterns and the disconnect is one that calls for further examination. Patterns of generational wealth inequality, social policy behavior reenactment, feelings of helplessness, uniformity of financial choice, and whole communities of color forgotten. One of the many disconnects that occur is when those that learn or have the opportunity to no longer live in poverty leave those behind that are still there. Either they don't teach the others how to access privilege, inappropriately use their power or conveniently forget the poverty that’s propelled them forward. The ones still in poverty so bruised no longer in position to listen. Whose responsibility is it? Those in privilege or those in poverty? Those that teach or those that listen?
A little bit of both. One of my favorite lessons from my grandmother I take with me daily is: The one thing nobody can take away from you is an education. No one can take away what you know. In other words, the only thing that's stopping you from creating the life you want is what you make yourself available to both learn and listen to. The only thing that may be stopping you is your mindset. What you choose to believe not what's given to you. IF YOU KNOW IT NO ONE CAN TAKE IT FROM YOU. They may can take everything else from you but they cannot stop what's inside of you.
So why tell you all of this? About Viola and Ben? About my grandmother's lessons? How does this all connect? Both Viola and Ben during their time in poverty were given the opportunity to see beyond their circumstances through education. As was I, a product of formal education and informal wisdom. We have to recognize that many people that look like us and share our experiences are never afforded this privilege. We have to know there is a weight of poverty and privilege. And there is a factor called power that makes privilege worthless. Viola Davis had to be twice as good and work as twice as hard just to win her long over due academy award. Even Ben Carson an impressive neurosurgeon school’d from the best of the best fell prey to the power he’ll never be able to access White privilege.
People of color that have experienced poverty cannot embrace privilege without the former. I like numerous of you am not too far removed, nor too far above from poverty. Yet, we all have to identify our own privilege when we look at each other and especially when we judge. Privilege and poverty can be seen in diverse lenses that aren't just economics and not easily visible. We must dig deeper. Teach with our actions and not just with our words. Reach back for those we've left behind. And as the person with power and privilege be willing to listen as student for the lesson we truly need to understand.