Equity and compassion. I feel comfortable stating that these two ideals drive all of us volunteering with OpenDoors of Asheville. I would venture to guess those same ideals are important to each of you taking the time to read this newsletter. Regardless of our walks of life, the hope (and reality) is that the impact we make is far greater than the donations we provide or the time we volunteer. We give in a multitude of ways because we know that young men and women in our community matter and we are positioned to give to those in need within our community. This sense of community is part of what makes it all the more tragic when violence impacts individuals here in Asheville. In my time with OpenDoors, we have remained committed to breaking the cycle of poverty. For years, that has involved being fortunate enough to meet and work with exceptional young men and women, each with their own inspiring stories, accomplishments, and dreams. This week, it has meant accepting that these lives are too often cut short.
I will not speak on gun violence generally. Rather, I encourage everyone to take a second to consider how we internalize these events. Each of us is generally aware of what stems from systemic poverty: housing crises, food deserts, basic needs being left unmet, and more often than not, violence. I’ll offer a non-controversial premise: no child deserves to suffer violence. As a community, de-contextualizing that fact with questions that shift blame is irresponsible. Does living in a specific neighborhood reduce the importance of a child’s life? Should we grieve less for those have been impacted by the symptoms of the systemic poverty we seek to eradicate?
I would challenge each of you, as we process our loss and communicate with those closest to us, to remove the judgment implicit in our language. We give not because we require perfection from those we wish to help, but because there’s intrinsic moral value in helping our community. The internal motivations and understanding that leads us to fight for change and to attempt to break the cycle of poverty is not conditioned on perfection. As we navigate this unique pandemic holiday season, I request that we take a moment to pause and focus on our community; a community of individuals each with our own needs. We can elect to focus on judgment and what separates us. We can focus on convictions, terms such as “gang-involved” or any number of factors to ultimately blame the victim. Or, particularly in this holiday season, we can elect to see the humanity and need in our community and be present for one another. Let’s choose to be compassionate. Let’s strive for equity.
