The Old Man's Corner. E.L. Winston

Rochelle J Photography

THE OLD MAN'SCORNER

E.L. WINSTON

I’ve had several conversations lately with my nephew, Benji, about the state of our community and the world. He often refers to those who’ve come before him ‘foundation builders’. Those words weigh heavy on my soul like the weights on a dumbbell. It is the recognition that this journey in life is not just about us as individuals. It is the greater responsibility of the generations to follow that makes me question myself. Have I done my due diligence? What is my reasonability and does it ever end? Do I wake up one day and no longer feel responsible for the development of the young ones? I have to ask myself if my peers and I are failing them in some way. In an age where social media is King and our younger generation seems more interested in likes than in change, shouldn’t we contribute to the changing of the narrative. We seem to be lacking in passing down the knowledge of the struggle and the successes. Historically, this is how we impressed upon our young people the richness of history and heritage. Our community is being attacked, our rights and liberties being stripped away, and our culture is being ignored.

It is vital that we pass on to the youth that there was a time when living as your true self from our community was unheard of and that in order for us to not slide back into that closet, we must meet our adversaries in the very places that they don’t want us. We must be present in the voting booths, the judges’ benches, the political offices, and anywhere else where we can directly impact the change we want to see. To have a say in what happens to us we must be in places of power. We, the ‘foundation builders’, must engage in those conversations with our future foundation builders and more importantly, we are going to need to show them. Show them that we can not be apathetic in our journey. We should never stop sharing the history of the struggles, the successes, and the culture of community. We must handle the treasure correctly. I’ve learned a lot in these past few months by talking to my nephew and I pray that he’s learned some things from me. Do an old man a favor today, if you’re one of the youngins, have a sit down with an older person whom you respect and ask them to share some of their pearls with you. And if you’re a foundation builder, find a youngin’ whom you see yourself in and ask them to share with you about the journey they are on. The time for a bridge in the gap is much more important than the width of our differences.