From Civil Rights to "Silver Rights"
By Carlton R. Van Lowe
WI Contributing Writer
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Seeking to pick up where the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left off, Operation HOPE kicked off the day-long Anacostia Economic Summit last week, addressing economic and financial empowerment for under-served and low-income communities.
Arguing that while the civil rights movement integrated the lunch counter and ensured other rights, participants said John Hope Bryant’s Operation HOPE seeks to provide "Silver Rights" – access to resources, technology, and opportunity in low-income
communities through partnerships between the government, community, and private sector businesses. "You cannot legislate goodness and you cannot pass a law to force someone to respect you, but the means to social justice in a capitalistic country is through economic parity,” Bryant said. “What good is integrating the hotel room if you can’t pay for the suite?"
Hosted at the Town Hall Education, Arts, and Recreation Center (THEARC) in Anacostia, the summit focused on financial literacy, home ownership, education, and jobs for low-income residents in Anacostia.
Attended by community notables such as Councilmember Marion Barry, Mayor Anthony Williams, Dr. Dorothy Height, as well as Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, the summit brought high-powered sponsors from around the scope of the business world such as E*Trade Financial, Citigroup, General Electric, Toyota, First American, Verizon, and National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC).
Bryant said not enough progress has been made in the past 50 years. "Fifty years later we are still a fractured nation, and 50 years later the capital of this nation is still divided along economic lines,” he said. “So there has to be a new movement, a movement that can bring hope to communities like Anacostia, a movement that can bring hope to communities all over East Washington, a movement that’s bigger than just a piece of legislation, a movement that’s bigger than just a conference, a movement that means something to communities here in Washington, D.C., a movement that’s about a community finding its voice."
Mayor Williams added, “Not through something abstract but through real action. And today all of us share a combined vision about what can happen across the Anacostia River. So let's have a dream. Let’s talk about moving from civil rights to ‘silver rights.’ Let’s talk about moving from fighting in the streets to fighting in the suites. But what ever we do, let’s make sure that dream is turned into real action. Roll up your sleeves, get to work. Let’s get something done. Let’s make this a community that is truly for all people.”
Echoing this sentiment of action over rhetoric, Councilmember Marion Barry, whose ward includes Anacostia, agreed that it’s time to roll up the sleeves. "I’m so glad…that this is the ‘get it done summit.’ I’ve been to many, where we talk and talk and sound eloquent and intellectualize the problem, and go home and don’t do a damn thing. But we’re going to do something today here, aren’t we? We’re going to roll up our sleeves and continue to work as hard as we can to reach out, reach over, and reach back to the people of the community."
Participants applauded the dedication of Operation Hope, and the focus on economic equality that it strives to bring to the Anacostia area. "I’m hoping that the people of Anacostia get enriched and empowered to be more home owners, to create wealth, and I’m hoping that Anacostia becomes a viable part of the District,” said Deborah Chin, a real-estate investor attending the conference. “Anacostia is like our nation’s capital’s undiscovered gem."
