By Steven Jamison

I came from a hardworking, socially conscious family. Born in North Philadelphia’s 16th Ward. Raised in the Raymond Rosen Housing Project at 25th and Diamond Street. It was a 10,000 residential group of eight high rise buildings with row homes and athletic fields.

My Grandmother was the ward leader in the 16th Ward. While my father was an enlisted man in the Navy my mother and my oldest brother Matthis raised us to be educated, have self-respect and much work ethic.

At nine years old I was the youngest Bulletin paperboy to deliver and collect money throughout the neighborhood.

Like the movie Cooley High, this Project was straight out of the movies. It created all types of individuals and gangs. The latter was named 25th and Diamond Street Valley Gang, which Mayor Rizzo said at the time had 500 members throughout its syndicate of Valley Gang-connected members. Our chief rival, 21st and 30th Norris St Gang and syndicate, was rumored to have the same.

I rose from those ranks to become Kangaroo Counselor and Leader of our gang, eventually becoming their elected Democratic Committeeman. This job I loved. I held the record for registering to vote over 120 people in one day. It was not hard…they knew I was one of them. I wanted the best for them. All of them, even my enemies. Because growing up in that environment taught me to respect everyone big or small educated or skilled.  I/We needed all hands-on deck to survive. We still do.

In the 50s and 60s civil and human rights were being fought for. At election time the Kennedys, MLK and Muhammad Ali would all come to court our vote. It seems everyone wanted to be associated with us. So much so the project was named ‘The Promise Land’. From the likes to name a few came Dawn Staley, Hank Gathers and a Rhode Scholar.

We prided ourselves on Strength and Order. Controlling our destiny was always top of mind. It wasn’t long before we became socially conscious, instituting a ‘Crime Free Zone ‘ while we were still a warring gang. No one was allowed to do petty crimes like burglaries, robbery, pocketbook snatching or any other nuisance crimes.

This is when my life took a turn for the better. Judge Klein after the courtroom laughed at how hard I worked to keep my gang and neighborhood intact. He felt sorry for me. Instead of sending me based on my criminal record to a maximum type security prison, he sent me to a boarding school called St. Gabriel’s Hall. From there I graduated from Germantown High. Afterward I studied Psychology and Business at CCP and Temple University. This extra schooling made a life-long difference for me – the kind of education I would like to see for everyone.

Judge Klein mentored me for years afterward. He even officiated my wedding. He saw what I instinctively knew about myself and my friends and family. We were good people. We were Great people. We like MLK and others before him would, given the right mindset and education, always honor building Greatness through Service.

We stand on the shoulders of our elders and ancestors. Our friends of our elders and ancestors. Our coalition of big and small, white and black, rich and poor, Educated and Skilled.

While We have much work to do. We have made significant progress.

I need your help to make more progress towards our ultimate goal.

I need your help to elect Kamala Harris President and Tim Walz Vice President.

We all know a Team that operates with a divisive, negative and hateful policy is not sustainable. Especially one that only has a “concept of a plan”.

We can’t act like we don’t know the truth in this matter. Not when so much in our lives is hanging in the balance.

There is hope.

For all of our problems there are solutions.

Yes. Plans are at the ready.

Parents ready to guide their children in a progressive way. Teachers ready to educate in a holistic way. Caregivers ready to nurture and care for our sick and elderly. Clergy, Social Workers and our general workforce ready to earn Greatness through Service. Scientists and Technology workers ready to make our lives easier and less expensive to live. Yes, we have a Plan. It is a plan of this Team pulling together and caring for each other.

That is not just a dream.

It is reality. VOTE for it.

Vote for Kamala Harris for President.

No ship is perfect. Especially large ships like the U. S. of A.

As the saying goes to turn mega vessels it has to be done in increments.

Through all our personal hardship and crisis we still have a ship to keep afloat. Global warming, AI technology, wars and everything else can be depressing especially to our young and the mothers who shoulder most of the burden.

We can’t be below deck feeling dark and bitter about our chances in this fast-changing environment. We have to “man’ our places. Take our positions in an ‘All hands-on deck’ time in our history.

Victory

On

Team

Effort

Spells VOTE

This is the fourth quarter. Two-minute drill.

We have to play our part.

Don’t let the TEAM (Humanity) down.

Put aside our personal needs for the needs of the TEAM.

We can’t discuss changes if we let our ship go down.

Vote for Kamala Harris.