Op/Ed Resurrection

 “Stonecrest’s woes are simply bumps in the road… It will survive.”

By Kathryn Rice, Ph.D.

The Rice Report

Stonecrest’s woes have come to light. Several have taken the opportunity to jeer at the concept of forming a city and say, “See, we told you that forming a city was not a good idea.” Nonsense.

Why is it that Stonecrest is not a harbinger for what can befall another city in southern DeKalb? Simply put, what happens to one person, one entity, or one city is not a foregone conclusion for what will happen to another. You have brothers and sisters who grow up with the same father and mother in the same household yet their lives turn out very differently. Atlanta is in the southeast like other cities yet it has turned out to become the center of the south while other cities have not fared as well. Cities have formed in DeKalb County yet each is different. God has created each human different from all others. God is so miraculous that every snowflake that falls is different from all other snowflakes. How dare we say that because something happens to one that it will happen to you or us. How dare we think we cannot do something when we’ve been told “these and greater things you shall do.” We are children of God with God’s power to create and do wondrous things.

Why do we immediately turn to thinking that we cannot do something? Because people fear. As Marianne Williamson from A Course in Miracles said “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us (full quote below).” I look around the world and see skyscrapers that touch the clouds, automobiles travelling at 100 mph, airplanes that with a mere 10 inches of barrier fly me through space, and bridges that span a great water divide. I smile at the amazing grace that God has given us. And I think with understanding of the great fear my people, Black people, have of what they can accomplish. But that fear should no longer be tolerated.

Since 2014, southern DeKalb has tried to form a city. Why? Because cities generally afford an area the opportunity to get more services, higher quality services, and more economic development. This brief article serves as the first in a series in explaining how each of those statements can be true. And as an aside, Stonecrest’s woes are simply bumps in the road that each new city in DeKalb has encountered. It will survive. Just a few days ago, Mr. Allen unveiled his plans for a new Black Wall Street in Stonecrest.

COVID has been a time of isolation and worry but it’s also been a time to ponder and to grow. It’s time to help bring back the light and open the possibilities. Part of that is that we should no longer tolerate being denied the right to have a discussion and a vote on what could be a great future for us – a new city. I won’t. Why are you?

The Rice Report is independent, informed writing by Kathryn Rice designed to educate, encourage, energize, engage and empower people to take action on issues related to economic development, quality of life and the proposed city in southern DeKalb. The views reflected here represent those of Dr. Rice and not any organization or individual with which she may be affiliated.