Is This Community on Life Support

“Is This Community on Life Support” By Armah O. Dashiell

First let me clarify for my readers that this is just my opinion and the outlook I have on some things within my community. Take no offense to some of the things I may express as you read on. Things have to be said from the perspective of someone who was born and raised within this community of Dorchester County.

As an official resident of the county being born at Dorchester General Hospital back in 1976, I have seen some major changes happen within my community right before my eyes within my life. I’ve seen the community as a whole go from good to bad, and then back from bad to good. But for some reason, history seems to be repeating itself all over again. Let me explain to you the reader what I mean. 

As I grew up here in the City of Cambridge I can remember hearing stories that many of us don’t care to share let alone touch. So out of respect of those individuals, I won’t touch those stories either. I will on the other hand express the fact that the results of some of those stories still exist amongst us today. We literally pay for it because the historical residue still lingers.

Many may not understand what I am saying so let me take it a step further for those of you who question my opinion. As I grew up here in the City of Cambridge, I can remember the community showing signs of togetherness. We interacted on programs, projects, events, shopped together and etc. Everyone for the most part knew one another and had some form or respect for each other. I could walk into one location and they could tell me what the other location was h

osting or had to offer me while doing it unselfishly. It wasn’t much selfishness within ones character back then. It was more of an “Us” mentality than it was a “Me” characteristic. Many people cared more for their community back then over how they’ve begin to show it now. This is where we begin to lose our community focus

As the time has passed us, we’ve left many positive characteristics behind us. We’ve forgotten about how it takes a village and not just a dictator to raise up a community successfully. We must hear the voice of the people speak louder then we have allowed them. Our community use to speak; we use to have a voice, but somewhere we’ve been silenced. We’ve been closed out to our creative ideas to helping uplift our City. I’m not attacking any Officials or City leaders by writing this article. I had to make that clear before someone took this article the wrong way. But I am asking for more community interaction. We the community deserve the chance to speak our minds and share ideas. Of course we know how to filter those opinions that display the “Me” mentality, and honor those ideas that express a “We” mentality. Let’s move forward Cambridge or else our city in my eyes will stay on life support. There is no “I” in “We”.