Empowerment: Empowering Others as a Vehicle for Helping Others: a Life in the Making

By Xlibris US

My story is about the struggles I faced growing up in the bricks feeling scarred and alone. Disparate to belong, fit in, and be loved but diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 23, I thought my life was over. Because I had strong encouragement and support from my family and extended family, I realized I had to be my own self motivator and it has been a struggle. Strike one is being a single mother and strike two is my illness, Multiple Sclerosis which is constantly present. Both of these issues, I have had to challenge them face-to-face and convince myself that if others can do it so can I. I came to a realization through education that there are other people in this world that have encounter many more and even worse adversities, there is really no reason for me to give up on my dreams. This is my story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493197323

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Moniek Richardson.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014907138

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4931-9733-0

                 eBook           978-1-4931-9732-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/02/2014

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

Chapter 1

• Newark in the 60’s

• Poverty, Inequality, The Projects, and Overcrowding

• The Effects of Race and Racism

• Jim Crow Comes to Newark

• African American Muslims and Militants

• The Uses and Misuses of Power: White Power-Black Power

• Government Corruption and Police Corruption in Newark

• Crime and Drugs Hey Man… . You got some sh*t?

• Police brutality and Cover-ups

• The Newark Riots, Disorder, and Casualties

Chapter 2

• A Child is Born: The Life of Moniek

Chapter 3

• Georgia Comes to Newark: Karen Richardson

• Stanley Collins/a.k.a, Sharif Mutah Muhammad

• The Harris family

Chapter 4

• The Power of Empowerment

• Inspiration As a Life Journey

• Encouragement: Motivating Children and Young Adults

• Appreciative Life and Inquiry

• People Who Serve Others

Chapter 5

• My Future (Goals, Plans, and Education)

• Helping Others to Empower Oneself

• A Foreword on Life

• Works Cited

Chapter 1

Newark in the 60’s

I was born in the decade of the sixties in Newark, New Jersey, where the city was becoming more and more deteriorated with each passing year. In the sixties, Newark witnessed corruption, violations, racism, crime, drugs, murder, and poverty that the city is still struggling with today. Racism during the sixties was blatant in the African American communities and they suffered tremendous effects due to ignorance. It was a time of great leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and President John F. Kennedy who were murdered for their beliefs. These men were political and peace activists that sought to make a change for a better society. During this time, some African Americans were changing their religious beliefs to Islam under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad. Crime was present but became an occupation for some and they felt society was against them so they would take frustrations out on others. Drugs entered into neighborhoods at a rapid rate destroying families, communities, minds while bringing death and destruction. The Vietnam War was taking men away from their families and protests were happening disputing the war. Corruption and illegal activities in the city was invisible to the African Americans residing in Newark and showed no signs of stopping. During this tumultuous time, Newark received an abundance of negative attention, with the black community at the brunt of it.

Poverty, Inequality, The Projects, and Overcrowding

Poverty is something that poor people know all too well and does not discriminate; anyone can be affected by it. Poverty originates from the haves and the have nots creating a huge disparity of inequality in society. In marginalized areas such as Newark, poverty was only getting worse in the sixties and living conditions triggered a rent strike among the residents. Poverty can be traced to healthcare, unemployment, lack of education, crime, high drop-out rates, corruption, gang violence, single parent homes, dilapidated housing, and substance abuse in the black community in Newark. There was a great amount of African American migration from the south to the city of Newark; my maternal grandparents were a part of the influx of individuals seeking a better way of life. Housing was a huge problem in African American communities since most owners and landlords didn’t reside where they posses property. Property owners must have felt black people didn’t deserve decent housing to live in because most apartments were roach and rat infested. These property owners either would not or simply did not want to waste their money fixing up property for suitable living conditions because black people weren’t worth it, thought of as the inferior race. Slum lords just collected their money and proceeded to their nice homes out of Newark. Black people were considered second class citizens by most of the white population in New Jersey. The residents in these slum lord areas decided it protest by having a rent strike and demanded the owners repair their apartments. Also, some people are part of a working class or the unemployment class struggling to make ends meet. Then poverty branches off into the homeless community where individuals’ have no shelter, food, or in some cases clothing. Poor people are viewed as lazy and good-for-nothing and have creating their own situation but this is far from the truth since circumstances can deliver poverty in various methods.

The nick name for Newark is brick city because of the projects that housed low income individuals. The projects were a relief for those citizens living in decrepit housing. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol are some of the causes for destitution in urban areas. Moreover, the history of drugs and alcohol in can be discovered in the mid 20th century as an introduction to a population, mostly minorities, that had minimal money to begin with