Brave neighbors: Changing our future is really in all of our hands

There are many definitions of a hero — and there are people who redefine that term just about every day.

And those residents who stood up to speak at this week’s city of Goldsboro neighborhood meeting on Holly Street near Franklin Bakery might not have fit the normal definition of the term.

They were just regular people — neighbors — who gathered to talk to city officials about what it would take to make their community better. They were not asking for anything for themselves. All they wanted was a better chance for the children who lived in the homes around the area.

They wanted their children to be able to walk to school without worrying about being accosted by drug dealers or other criminals. They wanted to be able to enjoy being outside their homes at night without worrying about who might assault or rob them. In short, they simply wanted to be able to live in their neighborhood peacefully.

Standing up and saying just that is not easy, especially when, after the city officials are gone, you are still there with the drug dealers and the criminals.

So, in the strictest sense, the people who live in that neighborhood are indeed, heroes.

And they are not alone.

Anyone in the city or county who stands up for what is right and demands to take back their neighborhood from criminals or who demands a better life for not only their own, but everyone else’s children, is part of what makes and will continue to make this community strong.

There will be much talk over the next few months about how to solve some of the issues facing Goldsboro and what is in store for its future.

Nothing that will be said by any official is nearly as powerful as what those who actually live in this city say about where it is going and what it will take to get there.

More of us should take the time to be part of that solution — and to support those who are brave enough to say what is true and right.

Maybe with a little effort from all of us and a whole lot of honesty about the real issues this community faces, we can make life better for families of all races, neighborhoods and circumstance.

It is a goal certainly worth striving for.

Published in Editorials on April 28, 2006 11:29 AM