Let’s travel back a few hundred years….

Throughout the history of all mankind, unity has proven to be a powerful force when it comes to progressing communities, states, and nations. In the city of Cincinnati during the 1800’s there were state laws in place to try and prevent the flourishing of black families, yet the city’s black community continued to grow. During the civil rights movement churches and civil rights organizations unified their voices to fight for equal opportunity in jobs, education, housing, and government. Racial tensions are still evident today, but there has arose a new evil. Prejudice and hatred within the black community itself has fueled crime rates among our own people.

The same faith, oneness, brotherly love, and cooperate strength it took to overcome the enemy of racism is what it will take to overcome the enemy of black crime.

Where do we go from here?

On March 20^th, 2010 the One Love Unity foundation was set in full motion. Inspiring words from community leaders Pastor Ron Evans, Councilman Cecil Thomas, and the Honorable Judge Fanon Rucker to name a few, stirred the hearts of the people. Pastor Evans let us know that marches and chants alone will not generate all the power necessary to overcome the issues in our communities. However, if we inject these activities with prayer and faith toward God, we believe that lives can be saved. The direction of our youth can be veered in a positive direction. The hopes and dreams of our ancestors birthed hundreds of years ago can be achieved within us today.

Overcoming a great task sometimes starts with one small step.

No longer can we look away and inward. Every case of murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, robbery, etc., effects us all in one way or another. One small step can begin for all of us Saturday April 24^th, 2010. The One Love Unity Foundation will march from the corner of Linn and Banks street to Washington Park at 2:00 PM. Join the foundation, walk hand in hand, praying and singing praises unto our God who is able to keep us from falling.

Along this short journey through the city of Cincinnati, members will be talking one on one with residents; asking questions and offering solutions. There is no time like the present to make a change for the betterment of this city. There is no better place to begin than with the man or woman in the mirror.

For more information about the One Love Unity Foundation join our fan page on Facebook (http://xrl.us/bg23kz) and follow us on Twitter( http://twitter.com/oneloveunity)

One Love Unity….Now

Yours in oneness, love, and unity

Candra Brightwell

The concept behind the One Love Unity T-Shirt was developed by Pastor Ron Evans and the congregation of Greater Community Church, which is located in Cincinnati, OH at 301 Dorchester Ave, 45219.

The shirt was designed to represent unity not only within the black race, but as a nation. The different shades of the hands on the shirt represent an end to the “light skin / dark skin” divide that has been plaguing the black community for generations. The purpose of the shirt is to create a bond, and sense of connection among the people as the shirt is recognized within the community. The shirt will promote a message of unity in the community.

In the year 2008 alone, there were over 20,000 crimes reported in the city of Cincinnati, and over 70 of those reported were murders.

The number of these crimes that are committed not only in the black community, but also by members of the black community against other members of the black community are alarming and disturbing. Between the years of 1976-2005, 94% of black homicide victims in the US were killed by blacks. Black men (28.5%) are about six times more likely than whites(4.4%) to be admitted to prison during their lifetime. Among women, 3.6% of blacks and 0.5% of whites will enter prison at least once. ( U.S. Department of Justice) The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimated that while 12 percent of drug users are black, they make up nearly 50 percent of all drug possession arrests in the U.S.

• In 1992 there were more Black men in prison(583,000) than in college (537,000)
• One out of every four Black men will go to prison in his lifetime
• 30% of Black men aged 20-29 in Chicago were arrested in 1993
• 42% of Black men aged 18-35 in Washington, D.C. were under some form of criminal justice control in 1992
• 56% of Black men aged 18-35 in Baltimore were under some form of criminal justice control 1992

A majority of the black murder victims were relatively young-between 17 and 29. Black people represented an estimated 13 percent of the U.S. population in 2005, but were victims of 49 percent of all murders and 15 percent of rapes, assaults and other nonfatal violent crimes nationwide.

• Never-married black people were more likely than all other blacks to be victims of violence.
• Poorer black people were at a greater risk of violence than households with higher annual incomes.
• Black people living in cities were more likely to be violent crime victims than people living in suburban or rural areas.

The social ills within the black community, whether it be economically disadvantaged young people, or the huge gap between the haves and have nots, will keep us forever divided, and our division will keep us oppressed, whether we realize it or not. The movement to unite this nation has to start at the neighborhood level, with the help of our local churches and community organizations. Our unity will not only help us to end the high numbers of violence within the black race, but also help create a better, stronger sense of community for future generations.