In a nutshell: “Society benefits when the maximum number of human beings are living the best possible life, and this should be the goal. The end.”

How about this for practical? I'm just spit-balling but that's where all great ideas start. If there is cultural damage due to slavery or prejudice or exclusion, then let's brainstorm how to fix that.

1. Work on persuading the black community that education isn't white, that it is the thing that expands your universe, your options, and your possibilities - even your very humanity. Billboards? Websites? Other types of advertising? Use pithy slogans. How about: Don't hate, create! Too direct? (too bad because I own the domains for this slogan but have never had the time to build the website and media for a campaign plus I need a writer). How about: Get your mind on. How about: What do you wish you knew? I could go on. If these positive challenge messages surround black youth enough they will be influenced and over time their perceptions would change. Maybe they would begin to fight for themselves.

2. Provide free education for low-income people - whether in academia or trades - as a form of reparations.

3. How about a hotline - Ask me anything - that allows black youth to call a number and ask questions privately?

4. How about a problem-solving class using real-world examples that would build these skills in black youth or even adults?

5. How about free cooking classes? Free handy man classes? Free classes in anything that a parent typically teaches but which wisdom black youth don't receive because their parents are either working 3 jobs, drugged out, or otherwise unavailable to teach them. Create self-sufficiency and pride in oneself.

5. Provide free trauma therapy for anyone living in a poverty dominant zip code.

6. Provide free quality of life, money management, and/or family planning classes.

We could channel money into any of the above and get better results. These are just rough ideas and of course it would be challenging because - details. Plus, not everyone would participate, even at first. But some would. And as the successes mounted, it would spread. Also, some efforts would fail. But, good ideas have a way of achieving critical mass over time.

I'd rather see any of these initiatives tried than what's out there right now. Although, to be fair, there are some grassroots efforts that are having some success - see 1776unites.org for examples. Fund more of whatever is working.

Ignorance amplifies bias and leads us to make bad choices. We have to open ourselves up to new information if we want to better our situation. I don't see why we can't find a way to do at least some of the above of some of something else (don't care if it's my ideas just that it works). Just throwing money at the problem hasn't helped. Perhaps our approach needs to be more curated.

Most of my ideas are about teaching someone to have faith in themselves. I was a victim, I was hurt, I lost faith in myself. The way back was for me to lean on other people's faith in me until I could restore my own faith in myself. They had faith in me because I showed up and did the work. That's what it takes.