I am so extremely and abundantly blessed to have a connection to New Orleans, Louisiana.
New Orleans is a city that stole my heart at a young age. New Orleans is the city that taught me how to fall in love with life. New Orleans captivated me and showed me what life is truly about. New Orleans taught me the importance of family, the importance of making memories, and how to live life largely.
New Orleans is also the first city to break my heart; the first city to make me weep because another young life was ended much too soon; the first city to make my insides physically hurt because another headline screams in my face informing me of another murder, another robbery, another shooting.
It is with a heavy heart that I write these words because I am choosing not to ignore it any longer, but to stand up for the problems our city is facing and to cry out and beg for peace.
Every day, our young people are dying. Not just dying, they're being killed... by our very own. Violence in our city does not discriminate. The rich are victims; the poor are victims; males and females both are victims; every race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background are victims. The hard-working, loving, outgoing, kind, beautiful, determined, those who had a bright future ahead of them and those who just overcame addiction- they are all victims to senseless crime every.single.day.
We need change. We need to take care of one another. We need to look after one another. We need to stop these problems before they become problems.
But, how?
Our city is rich in culture. You can hear it in the music you hear downtown. You can see it in the artwork of the local artists. You can feel it in the rhythm and beat to the music. You can smell it in the kitchen. You can taste it in the hearty gumbo on a cool fall day.
How can a city so rich be so poor at heart?
Our children don't receive the education they need- the education they deserve. We incarcerate too many of our people instead of rehabilitating them. Our families work three jobs to put food on the table, and sometimes it still isn't enough. We love our city, but do we love our people just the same?
This problem has gotten too big to handle. I don't have a solution and I can't fix it all. My heart will break more every day until there is peace in our city.
I truly believe poverty is at the root of our city's pain. Again, if I knew how to solve poverty, I would scream it from the mountaintops.
All I can tell you is to do all things in love. If you love others, they will always remember that about you, no matter what. Do things in love, respect and kindness. Volunteer your time. Give to those less fortunate than you. You can't fix it on your own, but if we all loved each other a little bit more, imagine the city we could rebuild.
