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Can some sense of agency about homicides occurring in the Black community return to Black Indianapolis?
Over the last few years, the Black community has experienced a pandemic that disproportionately impacted Black people, an economic collapse that disproportionately impacted Black workers, and surging homicides at unprecedented levels within the Black community.
Even before the pandemic, Black community leaders noted a sense of community-wide depression and despair as the Black community seemed to be dying economically, physically and spiritually.
There was a decade of double-digit unemployment from 2010 to 2020 in Black Indianapolis, even as the economy improved broadly and was not nearly so severe for other racial and ethnic groups in the city during the same period.
Escalating homicides within the Black community should’ve shocked the entire community. In 2021, 186 Black people were killed in this city; for much of the city’s existence, there hasn’t been a total of 186 murders. That year, there were 675 non-fatal shooting incidents and 759 victims. While non-fatal shootings declined in 2022, 486 out of the 663 incidents, or 73%, involved Black people. Both the number of non-fatal shootings and percentage impacting Black people are too high.
Surveying the Black community in Indianapolis in recent years found that mental health was a top community concern. And a key finding from the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative Community Opportunity Assessment revealed that the statement “No one cares about us” was a statistically significant sentiment among survey respondents.
And so, even before the murder of George Floyd, Black leaders developed an agenda for improving the community.
Homicides and community violence occurring within the Black community have continued to be a community concern. Marches, prayer vigils, community meetings and panel discussion, and the development of support groups have grown as the problem of homicides in the Black community has escalated.
But there has also been an increase in other activity—from policy advocacy and reforms, to increased artistic expression, and a surge in focused philanthropy aimed at the Black community, and even some institution-building (for example, relaunch of the Indianapolis Commission on African American Males).
And while the pandemic caused substantial business destruction, Black entrepreneurship has surged.
While I have noted that a renaissance is occurring within Black Indianapolis, this social and cultural progress aimed at collective progress and new modes of thinking and action with the Black community does not necessarily mean other economic and community challenges will disappear.
We have too many Black people murdered in this city—especially Black males.
The economic realities of declining Black homeownership, a low Black median income, high Black unemployment, low Black business formation and a low number of Black businesses with employees continue to be major challenges. They also present potential opportunities with the right kind of leadership. While I remain optimistic, we absolutely must do better.
Recognition of Black agency and self-help efforts continue to remain necessary even as there is an increasing recognition of the role government, business and even civic leaders in the past played in producing significant disparities within the Black community that challenge us today.
Homicides and non-fatal shootings remain a problem, but perhaps we are seeing improvement because the Black community is reclaiming its agency.•
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Wolley is president and CEO of Black Onyx Management Inc. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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Why not also encourage two parent families and fathers who take responsibility for the children they father?