Community
Community is a group of people that live in the same demographic/area. I believe I am only a part of a community in which I reside in. I cannot be a part of multiple communities because that would consist of living in multiple places which is possible but not realistic. I believe when trying to bring a community together or help a community it involves awareness, time, dedication, and knowledge. I think that why I say it’s important to live in the community that you are trying to serve because in doing so you find out the real deep issues as opposed to the surface issues. Let’s get a deeper, my community are the people that live in the same area. The area in which the problems faced are affecting everyone within the community whether directly or indirectly. For example, I am not aware of many issues that affect the people that reside in the town of Amherst, if any, because I live in the city. Which brings me to my next point communities are very different when it comes to city and the suburbs. Why do you think that is? In this play called Notes from the Field a woman stated that suburbs are “racially exclusionary”, and I believe that she was right. When communities are not given the same attention as others it shows. There are many communities that are full of poverty, drug use, gangs and etc. People within those communities sometimes lack the resources to effectively create change because it has been down for so long. Education within those communities are not up good standards which leads to a cycle of poverty, drug abuse and violence. Community matters more than ever now. Communities are the helping hands that many may need. Communities are the roots of a person. It is very easy to fall short when your community is falling short. Growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood I saw firsthand the shortcomings of a community. I remember attending a community gathering and I didn’t even see my friends on my street, nor did I see anyone that looked like me. Now my family and I was one of a handful of minorities in my community, but I remember asking my mom where everyone was. How can we come together if everyone does not know about it.? Everyone within a community should be aware these things. In this time of protest and uproars community is something that we need to put time into and build from the ground up. Getting involved in the community is very important. For example, I have volunteered at food banks, I feed the homeless, I will volunteer to help children after school, and I attend block meetings and/or parties. Not so much now because I work and go to school but any free time I have I try to help my community. Community is something that I value because I believe that it affects many people more than we think. Having a community of people that rally together to create change, help those in need, build up the neighborhood and invest in the community is blessing that will solve many problems that we still face today.
