How Are You?
Volume 2 Number 29
How are you? No, really. How are you? If you’re anything like a majority of Americans, you’re probably up to your eyeballs with challenges to outwit, outplay, and outlast this season of COVID-19. From the coronavirus to record unemployment to deaths of loved ones to homelessness to loss opportunities to twin hurricanes beating a path to the Gulf coast to whatever surprises we wake up to tomorrow—everyone’s doing the best they can to survive.
When I think back to the times in my life when I threw my hands up in the air in resignation that I was truly overwhelmed and no answers on the distant horizon (my family losing our home, the death of my father, getting unceremoniously laid off from one the most exciting jobs I ever had, et al), the thing that got me through was faith. Well, yes, I am referring to the Divine, but I am not giving you the hard sell here (that’s a much longer post, yet to be written). . . but stay with me, you’ll see what I mean. I had faith that things would get better. I don’t mean full-blown fireworks lighting up the night sky hope. I’m talking about one of those tiny, little votive-sized, flickering flame that would go out if you so much as looked at it. And mine did go out, more than once. But I re-lit it again. And again. And again. I trusted that despite as unspeakably hard, as gut-wrenchingly awful as the circumstances were, things would get better. I believed that the shit storm I was moving through would end as long as I kept moving forward and some day it would be over.
You need to believe that, too.
This is a phase. A crappy and unjust phase, but a phase none the less. The pain, the ache, the sorrow, the all-consuming grief, it will end. Hold tight to the bright spots, the little things that give you hope, and hold them close in your heart. And if you don’t see things that give you hope, practice gratitude. See, the thing no one tells you about these two simple approaches to life is that they give your mind a break from your current woes.
If you’re finding yourself at your wits’ end, here’s a little something for you: a free copy of my book, 3 Things I Know: Facing and Embracing Life’s Challenges (for iPad, Nook, and Kindle). Follow the links and simply download it. Yes, free. As in “no charge.” Wait. Want an excerpt? I can do that. Voilà! My hope is that it gives you a brief respite from whatever it is you’re dealing with and maybe provides a smile or a laugh or two. Better days are coming.
This week Our Human Family writers BFoundAPen and William Spivey take on America’s affordable housing crisis and the riveting story of historically Black colleges and universities. (I bet you didn’t even know there was such a thing as an HBCU. Truth be told, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a PWI before reading William’s article.)
Enjoy this week’s articles and don’t forget to snag a copy of that free book.
For Jim and all who mourn.
New This Week
“America’s Chronic Affordable Housing Crisis”
by BFoundAPen
A reminder pops up on my phone at the same time as my alarm goes off.
AAHC will accept applications for placement on the Housing Choice Voucher and Affordable Housing Program waiting list from August 3, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. through August 31, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. — Ann Arbor Housing Commission
I was sitting at my computer waiting for 9:00 a.m. to hit. I had already logged in, so all I had to do was refresh the page.
We are sorry, but we are not accepting applications at this time. All of our waiting lists are currently closed.
This is the message I got for thirty minutes until they finally made the application live. The good thing is it only took two to three minutes to fill it out and I was one of the first to fill one out.
There is a Section 8 and Housing Choice Voucher in every county. Thousands of people desperate for a roof over their heads fill out an application to be added to the wait list. Then, only 500–600 people are chosen in a lottery-style, random pick. For those lucky few, they are one step closer to a more permanent home.
But it’s not the web forms and waiting lists that are the problem. It’s the lack of available places to live for those too poor to rent. (continued at Medium.com)
“The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities”
by William Spivey
The history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) doesn’t begin with the founding of what is now Cheney University in 1837, twenty-eight years before the Civil War ended. To understand HBCUs, you must understand the environment in which they were founded, whether it be The University of the District of Columbia in 1851, Lincoln University -Pennsylvania in 1854, Wilberforce University in 1856, Lemoyne-Owen in 1862, Virginia Union in 1864, Bowie State, Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University, or Shaw University in 1865 after the Civil War ended and a number of Black colleges in 1866, including Fisk University, Lincoln University of Missouri, and Rust College.
America then, with few exceptions among religious groups feared the education of enslaved people. The fears were twofold; escape and rebellion. A Black person who could read and write could forge travel passes; Black leaders could organize a revolution. (continued at Medium.com)
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Love one another.
Clay Rivers
Our Human Family, Founder and Editorial Director
