Building a community

Could Cape Girardeau lead the way in overcoming the deep political divisions in our country? Could we develop into a model community that reaches beyond class differences and race? I think so, and I'd like to share my thoughts on how this might happen.

My focus is on poverty because, as a Christian, this issue is central to my personal sense of morality. I should clarify that I am in no way proposing that religion be forced into the public arena. I am only noting that, while there are many good reasons for tackling poverty, Christians in particular have a clear, moral mandate in regard to the poor.

We human beings have a powerful tendency to divide our thinking into this or that. Nowhere is this more evident or destructive than in perspectives on the causes of poverty. Liberals point to inadequate wages and inequalities in education and opportunity. Conservatives point to a breakdown in culture and lack of personal responsibility. After many years of working as a social worker and studying and teaching about poverty, I have come to the conclusion that both views are right.

Taken alone, however, either view is wrong and inadequate.

There is no doubt that people must take responsibility for their actions and their lives. At the same time, however, as a society and as a democracy we have a collective, moral responsibility to make sure that all people have the opportunities and resources to see their efforts -- their taking responsibility -- lift them readily from poverty and into a modicum of dignity.

I believe such opportunities and resources are currently inadequate in Cape Girardeau and in the nation.

Are there irresponsible people? Sure. But it's just as certain that in Cape's poorest neighborhoods the cards are stacked against success. There are too many parents struggling to raise kids on dead-end, low-wage jobs. There are not nearly enough good jobs. We have woefully inadequate public transportation and a problem in the area of affordable day care. Apparently, access to primary health care is also about to erode in a major way. All of these factors are highly destructive to low-income families which daily face hurdles unknown to wealthier people.

Wealthier people can easily ignore all this. It's easy to stereotype the poor from a comfortable distance. It's easy to lump large numbers of people into simplistic categories like "cheating welfare mothers" or to parrot the latest right-wing pundits with their ever ready proclamations. It's also easy to point to isolated cases of people lifting themselves out of poverty with hard work or education (and generally a lot of luck) and then imagine that everyone has the opportunity to do the same.

These erroneous beliefs provide an excuse for avoiding personal, moral responsibility for helping solve the problem of poverty.

In my experience, nothing overcomes such self-serving maneuvers better than regularly going out and meeting poor people one on one. So this is at the core of what I'm suggesting more people in this town do.

At the community level, one problem is the disconnection between Cape's wealthy neighborhoods and its poorer neighborhoods -- also between whites and blacks (who are over-represented among the poor). In a word, I think that middle class and wealthy people, churches and other groups should increase outreach designed to engage the other half of this town in a personal way and where people live.

What must be overcome in order to do this? First, there is a tendency in our culture to reject civic engagement in favor of entertainment. I'm suggesting that wealthier people stop watching television and do more one-on-one volunteer work.

Second, stop thinking that charity is enough. Charity is important, but it also has a destructive side. All too often those who give remain disconnected from those who receive. Be generous with your money, but also make human relationships a priority. That's where real learning and true community will occur.

Third, if you think that you are somehow better than poor people, stop it. At the core, you're no different or better than anyone else. You just have more stuff.

Finally, many of Cape's neighborhoods that are commonly labeled "bad" are actually safe. East St. Louis -- now that's a dangerous place. By comparison, there are virtually no "bad neighborhoods" in Cape. So be careful, but get over it.

I would remind all Christians that if Jesus were here today, he'd be spending pretty much all of his time with drug addicts, prostitutes, the mentally ill and prisoners -- in addition to struggling single moms, the homeless and other poor folks. He'd also be living at a very basic level in terms of material wealth. So, yes, following such an example is challenging, but that's the deal.

I personally believe that we are all made in the image of God and that everyone is a brother or a sister. But whether you are religious or not, Christian or not, work to see the common humanity of everyone in this community. Also understand that we all share in the common problems of this town and we all have a responsibility to work on solutions.

If more middle-class and rich people were to reach out in a personal and ongoing way -- if they would also curtail their judgments, and rather work on understanding the complex nature of poverty -- I believe their views of the poor would change and new, homegrown solutions to poverty would emerge. Not only would this build real, inclusive community, it would also provide a much needed reality base for understanding and evaluating poverty policy at every level of government.

So I'll make it personal: Do you really believe that watching television is as important or moral as tutoring a little girl, or helping with food distribution for impoverished seniors at the Family Resource Center? When you look back over your life at the end, how will your choices appear? OK, I'm preaching, but I think some people probably need it. If you're already volunteering, just ignore me.

I can do no more here than outline the problem and point in the general direction of a solution. There are existing opportunities for one-on-one involvement. These include Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, Project Hope, the Salvation Army and other churches, the South Side Optimists and especially the Cape Area Family Resource Center, which has a fantastic new director and a dedicated board but not nearly enough money or volunteers.

We need more programs. Especially important are those that work to link people together: wealthy and poor, and black and white. We need a committed community task group to work on an action plan in this area. But most of all, we need those who are blessed with material wealth to reorder their priorities, leave their comfort zone and become personally acquainted with more of the very real human beings around them.

So this is one liberal Christian's vision of how to overcome our political differences and build real community while pursuing what I assume are widely shared moral values.

Robert Polack Jr. is an assistant professor of social work at Southeast Missouri State University.