By Mansfield Frazier
My favorite spot to have lunch these days is Bridgeport Café, on 71st and Kinsman. It’s part of a larger complex built a few years ago by Burten, Bell, Carr, Community Development Corporation, which has its headquarters a few doors down.
In between the two spaces is Cornucopia, a teaching kitchen where high school students and neighborhood residents can acquire skills in healthy cooking … a critical need in not just black neighborhoods, but throughout the country. The space also serves as a meeting room that can hold up to about 50 people, and is increasingly being utilized by all sorts of groups from around the city and county. If you’re planning a meeting you should check it out.
The other week while lunching at Bridgeport with a longtime friend, I looked over through the glass wall into Cornucopia, where there were 15 or so people conducting a meeting … but the noticeable thing was, they were all white … which is somewhat unusual considering the location. Not that I thought a Klan meeting or anything untoward was going on.
My lunch companion, a well-connected individual who just happened to be white, noticed me looking at the gathering and, knowing some of the folks at the meeting, casually said that the group was representatives from various philanthropic agencies and foundations around town, and it was his understanding they occasionally get together to plot out overall strategies. They all want to insure the dollars they commit to projects are having the maximum impact.
Which, to me, begs the question: Why was everyone in the room white when most of the needs and problems they’re attempting to impact on are among persons of color? Now, this certainly is not to suggest that anyone at the meeting is not compassionate and competent in his or her field, but I am suggesting there are cultural considerations that might escape even the most dedicated and educated white person in the room. Considerations that come from actually being black, rather than simply studying the problems of economically disadvantaged individuals. But knowing what’s good for others is part and parcel of the “Great White Father” (in this case, “Mother” too, since most of those in attendance were female) Syndrome.
By way of example, a few years ago I was asked to serve on a committee being formed by an organization that houses low-level offenders referred by the Courts. They discovered that some of their residents had no place to live upon exiting their program and decided to try to do something about it. I suggested they look at a very successful model named TROSA, in Raleigh/Durham, NC.
They did, liked what they saw (that is, except for the number two person at the agency who, being risk averse, wanted nothing to do with the program) and, in spite of his opposition, decided to start a program to house the men after they left their facility and to teach them how to rehab houses.
At one of the committee meetings the topic turned to who should train the men. The well known and much loved Catholic priest who, years prior, was instrumental in establishing the organization, suggested that City of Cleveland firefighters (since many of them have successful side businesses in construction) would be a good choice.
When I respectfully disagreed, virtually everyone in the room turned to look at me as if I had loudly passed gas during Mass. No one ever disagreed with this kindly and knowledgeable priest.
Nonetheless, I was given the opportunity to state my opposition to using firemen. Mixing low-level drug offenders and petty criminals and city firemen would be akin to mixing oil and water. There would be little respect on either side of the equation. I suggested instead that it would be better to have someone who was a former addict in remission or someone who had personal experience with the criminal justice system (but also knew how to rehab houses) would be a much better choice since they could peer mentor while teaching construction trades. The good padre totally agreed with me.
My point is, if I (or someone else with firsthand experience in such matters) had not been in the room, a costly mistake could very well have been made and the program would have been unsuccessful.
I think the same thing applies when a group of whites get together to solve the problems of persons of color: Costly unintended cultural mistakes can unintentionally be made.
But I know that not one of the people in that room would willingly give up their seat at the decision making table to a person of color; that rarely, if ever, happens in America. But the least the group could do is to have someone of color in the room when the decisions are being made to assure that issues of cultural competency are not overlooked.
Fortunately, there are a number of supremely qualified — and very bright — young blacks and Hispanics in the greater Cleveland area who work in this arena and could fill this role; the trick is to convince the decision makers they need someone to help them make culturally competent choices.
Now, I already know that when my first editor (I make so many mistakes I need two), who also happens to be my wife, reads this she’s going to fix me with what I call the “evil eye,” as if to say, “have you taken leave of your senses?
The issue is, in addition to writing a weekly column or two, and doing a Sunday radio show, we also run a non-profit organization, Neighborhood Solutions, which installs vineyards, builds BioCellars and is in the planning stages of putting a solar panel farm on site, and looking to build a major fish farming operation on another adjacent site that will employ a half dozen or so local residents and produce 25,000 pounds of fish annually.
Why then am I kicking the folks who could fund our very worthwhile endeavors in the shins? This is a perfectly logical question.
The way I see it, if I can cause this group of fine folks to consider the points I’ve attempted to make, and this results in better outcomes for other agencies engaged in non-profit work around town, then risking not receiving funding for our organization is a small price to pay. Additionally, if these funders are so small-minded my honest version of the truth offends them … then I really don’t want their money anyway. We can’t miss what we’ve never had.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
3 Responses to “MANSFIELD: “Great White Father” Syndrome”
Chuck Mintz
This is 100% correct in that, no matter how well intended or competent, there are some situations where it matters to have been there. You might be surprised at how many of these non-proifts are aware of the problem. They just don’t know (or think they know) where to look to find the right people. We have an organization that recruits and connects people with non-profit boards and whatever their merits, is successful. Maybe we need something that does the same thing for people coming who are part of these populations we want to help to connect them with jobs and board positions. Not going to happen by accident.
Kate Klonowski
It doesn’t count as making enemies when you are making valid points about what needs to be happening at decision-makers tables. Too often we are so blinded by what we think are ways to “fix” things instead of asking how we can be better members of the community. We are all wise to think of ways we can communicate better with each other and keep opinions and ideas open to all people–regardless of race, economic level and other categories we’ve self-devised to separate our humanity. This is a beautiful and important message to consider and one I take to heart. Thank you.
fran carey
why do all parties concerned feel the need to compartmentalize people. the only requirements should be a desire to help and the ability to impart that knowledge. your’e both wrong! stop trying to put all people in boxes and look at the big picture! stop trying to protect your own turf and look at the big picture. actually helping these people.