A day late and a dollar too short
By Robert Lilly
This article, like many of our efforts in the African American community regarding youth violence, may feel a bit overdue. I had planned to publish it days ago, but I encountered unexpected challenges that delayed its release. Unfortunately, I found myself involved in two recent community responses to the tragic deaths of young people.
Robert Lilly
For years, I have urged our people to take action before lives are lost and a young body lies lifeless on the ground. It doesn’t matter if this is due to police violence or harmful acts inflicted on ourselves and our community, we owe it to ourselves to defend our people against any threats, from within or outside of our fold. A threat is a threat.
I currently reside in Central Texas, but I have lived in West Texas for 37 years. I have been incarcerated four times in Abilene, Texas. I don’t consider this a badge of honor; instead, I view it as a testament to my accountability. I am a co-owner of the challenges we collectively face in our great state of Texas, despite my being born in a Northern state. Texas is now my home, and the problems here, are my problems to solve.
We have the power to change. We have the power to confront the challenges we face, whether they arise from our youth or from the systems that drain our resources. We possess a certain degree of agency in these matters. I reject any theory or philosophy that tells me that we are fated to face defeat.
I refuse to believe that we are powerless. For years, I have searched for ways to overcome the obstacles in my life that made me feel like life was not worth living. Addiction and the allure of the streets seemed to ensnare and bind me. For a time, it felt inescapable. However, I eventually realized that my fundamental error was assuming I had to overcome these blockades on my own, without the support of others.
I used to believe in the Western Euro-centric ideas of individuality and exceptionalism. However, I realized that these concepts were foreign to the historical experiences of the Black community, which has a rich legacy of survival and achievements that span from the shores of Africa to the early colonies.
What we are faced with today in our communities: from the drugs to the gangs, the guns, the high dropout rates, incarceration, poverty, and political isolation; all of these things are challenges that are created by forces, that if responded to with a combined and defined community response, we could mount an adequate counter-attack.
However, for many of our communities, our efforts are often reactionary. We tend to wait for problems to arise instead of taking proactive steps. We should not wait, especially when we already see what needs to be done.
During my time in prison, I observed that many of the young men, along with some older individuals, had stories similar to mine. Most had either been in juvenile facilities or were products of various systems, such as child welfare and foster care, or had experienced repeated out-of-school suspensions — the list goes on. Learning this allowed me to rethink how I viewed myself concerning my community and instilled in me a sense of belonging. I recognized our shared struggles and accepted that we faced a common destiny. In essence, what had happened to me had also happened to others, which meant that our challenges were not merely individual problems but rather collective manifestations of social issues.
When will you finally recognize that you are part of a larger community and that we are all in this together? I sincerely hope it doesn’t take the loss of another life in our neighborhood to make you see this, because that life could easily be yours or someone you care about. By the time you realize the urgency, who will be there to help you? It will be too late to change anything, and it will be too little too late.
