Silver Lining of Hope

Silver Lining of Hope

The Silver Lining of Hope is an organization committed to stop the unnecessary killing of young black men by other young black men. From 1984 to 2010 approximately 18,000 young men both African-American and Latino have been killed in gun violence. It’s gotten to a point where the community and the clergy in the inner city have decided that enough is enough. Too many young lives were cut short by senseless acts of violence and “keeping it real.”
Too many young men who live in hopelessness and a world of low expectations are lost to the mean streets of South Central and inner cities all across America. Many of these young men are often innocent bystanders who are students, brothers, fathers and neighbors. Many are cut down before they are allowed to realize their full potential. It is the hope of many inner cities, and the south-central area of Los Angeles that if the community mobilizes it can make a difference, and stop the killings.

In an atmosphere of poverty, unemployment and hopelessness dreams die hard. Too many mothers are crying at the funerals of these young men, who had been taken too soon. Many in these inner-city communities realize that if they do not take a stand, who will? The cemeteries are all overflowing with young men who are being buried in an early grave. We all know that we have to die, but dying in the streets of the mean inner-city at such a young age is not the way to go. Many of these young men have been promising students who have one academic scholarships to universities, many of these young men could have been future doctors, lawyers and productive tax paying citizens.

The silver lining of hope is aggressively tackling the problem of youth violence. The clergy has taken the lead on this endeavor to promote and educate the community on stopping the violence. There is a partnership with the Mormon Church and inner-city clergy who all have a vested interest in stopping the needless bloodshed. If any of you who is reading this article would like to get involved, you can contact your priest, pastor, or rabbi to donate your time and mentor youth, who so desperately need it.

In the end, this violence impacts all of us. Those of us in the suburbs who are fortunate enough to not be witness to such carnage should do what we can to help this very urgent cause. If this violence is left unchecked, it will eventually come full circle where it does affect those of us, who feel that it just can’t happen here. Granted there are troublemakers and gang bangers, who obviously don’t want to see success come from the efforts of the Silver Lining of Hope. We can make a difference.

Many times we think of death and its inevitability, we often think of it coming in old age. For so many young men in these troubled neighborhoods, surviving past the age of 20 is quite an accomplishment. Any of us in civilized society would see this as a crying shame. No one should have to live with the expectation that they would be denied living to a ripe old age. For those of you who would like to make a difference, get involved, reach out and mentor a young man or woman who may not have a father figure or other positive male role model. If we all get involved, in some little way, we can make a big difference.

© Planner