Wolemba Kevin Jefferson ndi Eric Arnold, Urban Releaf
Pa chaka chino Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service (MLK DOS), tinathandizira Urban Releaf kubzala mitengo pa G Street ku East Oakland. Apa ndi pamene takhala tikugwira ntchito zambiri miyezi ingapo yapitayi. Derali likufunika thandizo lalikulu; ndi imodzi mwa midadada yoipitsitsa mu mzindawu ponena za zoipitsa ndi kutaya kosaloledwa. Ndipo monga momwe mungayembekezere, denga lamitengo yake ndilochepa. Tinkafuna kukhala ndi chochitika chathu cha MLK DOS, chomwe takhala tikuchita kwa zaka zisanu ndi ziwiri zapitazi, pano, chifukwa ili ndi tsiku lomwe nthawi zonse limatulutsa odzipereka ambiri, ndipo sikuti timangofuna kuti odziperekawo abweretse mphamvu zawo kudera lino, tinkafuna kuti awone kuti n'zotheka kusintha malo omwe palibe amene amawasamala, kuti abweretse thandizo linalake kuti athandize anthu ammudzi.
Izi ndi zomwe MLK DOS ikunena: kupanga dziko kukhala malo abwinoko kudzera muzochita zachindunji. Kuno ku Urban Releaf, timagwira ntchito zachilengedwe m'malo omwe tikufuna kuti tizikhala aukhondo komanso olemekezeka. Odzipereka athu ndi akuda, oyera, Asiya, Latino, achinyamata, achikulire, ochokera m'mitundu yonse yamagulu ndi azachuma, akugwira ntchito yopititsa patsogolo dera lomwe makamaka limakhala ndi anthu omwe amapeza ndalama zochepa. Ndiye pomwepo, mutha kuwona maloto a MLK akugwira ntchito. Monga a Freedom Riders omwe adayenda ku Deep South kuti apititse patsogolo ntchito ya ufulu wa anthu, chochitika chodzala mitengochi chimabweretsa anthu pamodzi ndi chikhumbo chofuna kuthandiza anthu onse. Ndilo Amereka amene Dr. King ankawaganizira. Sanafike kumeneko kuti adzawawone, monga tikudziwira, koma tikupangitsa masomphenyawo kukhala enieni, midadada ndi midadada ndi mtengo ndi mtengo.
Munjira zambiri, chilungamo cha chilengedwe ndi gulu latsopano la ufulu wachibadwidwe. Kapena m'malo mwake, ndikukulirakulira kwa zomwe gulu lomenyera ufulu wachibadwidwe limaphatikizapo. Kodi tingakhale bwanji ndi chiyanjano pamene anthu akukhala m'madera oipitsidwa? Kodi aliyense alibe ufulu woyeretsa mpweya ndi madzi aukhondo? Kukhala ndi mitengo yobiriwira pa chipika chanu sikuyenera kukhala chinthu chosungidwa kwa oyera ndi olemera.
Cholowa cha Dr. King chinali kusonkhanitsa anthu ndi chuma kuti achite zabwino. Iye sanangomenyera nkhondo anthu a ku Africa ndi America, iye anamenyera chilungamo kwa madera onse, kuti pakhale kufanana. Sanamenyere nkhondo chifukwa chimodzi chokha. Anamenyera ufulu wa anthu, ufulu wa ogwira ntchito, nkhani za amayi, kusowa ntchito, chitukuko cha ogwira ntchito, kulimbikitsa chuma, ndi chilungamo kwa onse. Akadakhala kuti ali moyo lero, n’zosakayikitsa kuti akadakhala wokonda zachilengedwe, makamaka m’madera a m’kati mwa mizinda kumene Urban Releaf imagwira ntchito zambiri za pulogalamuyi.
M'masiku a MLK, amayenera kulimbana ndi tsankho lodziwika bwino, kudzera mu malamulo a tsankho a Jim Crow. Kulimbana kwake kudapangitsa kuti pakhale malamulo odziwika bwino monga Voting Rights Act ndi Civil Rights Act. Malamulo amenewo atakhala m'mabuku, panali lamulo loletsa tsankho, kupanga anthu ofanana. Izi zidakhala poyambira gulu lazachilungamo.
Ku California, tili ndi udindo wofananawo wokhudza chilungamo cha chilengedwe, kudzera m'mabilu ngati SB535, omwe amawongolera zothandizira anthu ovutika omwe akuvutika ndi kuwonongeka kwa chilengedwe. Izi zimakwaniritsa cholowa cha Mfumu cha chilungamo cha chikhalidwe cha anthu komanso chilungamo cha zachuma, chifukwa popanda zinthu zimenezo, tsankho la chilengedwe kwa midzi yamtundu ndi anthu otsika kwambiri zikanapitirira. Ndi mtundu wa tsankho lomwe silili losiyana kwambiri ndi kugwiritsa ntchito kasupe wina wamadzi, kapena kudya kumalo odyera ena.
Ku Oakland, tikukamba za timapepala 25 za kalembera zomwe zadziwika kuti ndizoyipa kwambiri m'boma pakuipitsa chilengedwe ndi EPA yaku California. Mapepala a kalemberawa ndi osagwirizana malinga ndi mtundu ndi fuko-chizindikiro chakuti nkhani za chilengedwe ndi nkhani za ufulu wa anthu.
Tanthauzo la MLK DOS ndiloposa kulankhula, kuposa mfundo yolimbikitsa anthu ndi zomwe ali nazo. Ndi kudzipereka kuyang'ana zomwe ziri zolakwika kapena zosagwirizana pakati pa anthu ndikusintha kuti zikhale zabwino. Ndizopenga kuganiza kuti kubzala mitengo kungakhale chizindikiro cha kufanana ndi kusintha kwabwino kwa anthu, ndikukhala kupitiriza kwa ntchito za munthu wamkulu uyu, sichoncho? Koma zotsatira zake zikunena zokha. Ngati mumasamala za ufulu wa anthu, za ufulu wa anthu, mumasamala za chilengedwe chomwe anthu amakhalamo. Uku ndiye nsonga ya phiri, phiri lomwe Dr. King adatchulapo. Ndi malo achifundo ndi kuganizira ena. Ndipo zimayamba ndi chilengedwe.
Onaninso zithunzi zambiri za chochitikacho Tsamba la Urban ReLeaf la G+.
Urban Releaf ndi membala wa California ReLeaf Network. Amagwira ntchito ku Oakland, California.