In 2003 and in 2006, the Census Bureau reported Cleveland to be the poorest big city in the United States. Poverty directly causes hunger, malnutrition, inadequate housing, emotional anxiety/depression, deterioration of the city’s physical infrastructure, and death. Indirectly, poverty contributes to street crime, disease, domestic violence, drug use and abuse, family stress, teenage pregnancy, and low academic achievement. But after a few newspaper articles were printed and discussed, our city has proceeded with business as usual. Neither, our governor, our city officials, major organizations, or various interest groups have declared Cleveland’s poverty to be a crisis. If poverty is not perceived as a crisis, then there will be no meaningful response to remedy the situation.
(Data taken from Social Indicators of 2003 as reported by the Federation for Community Planning and United Way Services.)
When the Cleveland Browns football team left Cleveland in 1996, people felt devastated socially, emotionally, and economically. Public officials, entrepreneurs, emotional fans, and the average citizens who needed a professional team to enhance their social identity declared the team’s relocation to Baltimore as a crisis. The perception of a crisis evoked a multifaceted response. People of every socioeconomic strata responded. Locally, people responded by signing petitions and participated in demonstrations. City and county government passed legislation to help finance a stadium. The corporate and non-profit sectors of the community provided seed money to financially respond to the crisis. Various religious organizations offered their prayers and spiritual guidance for those affected by the crisis. Nationally, there was a congressional hearing to investigate the circumstances that led to the relocation of the Cleveland football team. Many people attempted to personify others as villains and conspirators who may have contributed to the “crisis.”
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region of our nation in 2005. The hurricane brought massive property destruction, homelessness, loss of income, destruction of business and industry, social/emotional disorder and death. The overall quality of life for the region was threatened. Hurricane Katrina was said to have created a massive crisis. The response was far from adequate to meet the need of the devastation. However, the response was national in scope. The state of Louisiana as well as Mississippi enacted emergency assistance legislation. The federal government responded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There was also federal legislation and involvement through the Army Corps of Engineers. Religious organizations of every faith responded with prayers and by sending millions of dollars to relief organizations. Some religious organizations sent volunteer workers or missionaries to work directly with the victims of the crisis.
It seems the nation and our people will respond to an immediate disaster, but not respond in kind to ongoing disasters such as crime and poverty. A crisis is not perceived as a crisis unless there is sensitivity to the unfulfilled needs. The negative impact on the health and well-being of thousands of people represents a testimony concerning the devastating reality of poverty in Cleveland. The devastation and despair deserves an immediate and comprehensive response.
The American Baptist Churches, USA have acknowledged the reality of poverty as a crisis in our midst, and have adopted Children In Poverty as our commitment to fight the war on poverty. Nationally, American Baptist Churches, USA (ABC) has member churches with members. Locally, the ABC is represented by the Cleveland Baptist Association (CBA) which has 37 diverse congregations and approximately 20,000 members.
Our acknowledgment is more than an attempt to sensitize others to the social reality of the crisis. We are pledging to create a mechanism to respond to the poverty crisis. We are urging other religious organizations to join the fight against the various contributors to the problem.
Our theological perspective mandates us to seek to develop a just society. We are concerned about the vulnerable people who are considered to be expendable pawns in a global market-place which emphasizes profit more than compassion and justice. Many politicians and public administrators seek to communicate with religious institutions during an election year but too often disregard our interests after the elections.
Therefore, we are reminding all public officials that the homeless, hungry, unemployed, underemployed, those without adequate health care insurance, those without prenatal care, those who need job training, those who need programs to help with recovery from addiction, those who suffer from domestic violence, and those who are victimized in other ways by the cycle of poverty are our constituents. We are speaking on their behalf.
Therefore, we challenge public officials to do their part, as we members of the clergy are pledging to do our part. Our multifaceted approach includes the following:
We do not need any more “poverty summits” which serve as photo opportunities. We need public officials, elected and non-elected decision makers, to describe what they shall do to respond to the poverty crisis in Cleveland.