A&P Committee Meeting Results and Conclusions

So the results are in for how much money was allocated to us this year for advertising and promotion.
If you would like to know what that is please be present at the January meeting of Juneteenth I am too embarrassed to tell you here what were given. But I understand why.
Let me give you my thoughts and then you make your own decision ok?
First off I have been emailing people about the A&P meeting for about two weeks. Not only that but this town is too small for people to so call forget or otherwise about this event when I myself was told about it filled out the paperwork and submitted it so we could be in for November's meeting.
Now I do understand there are those that are not able to attend because of work or other duties which really are none of my business but you must know this.
I have a seven month old and a four year old. I knew that if I did not go that we would not be able to ask for city support until January. I also knew no doubt that if I did not go no one would be there to represent us. I HAD TO GO. So I packed diaper bags, wipes, car seats, strollers and trudged up to the Municipal Building. Lili was one side KJ was in the aisle in his stroller on the other side of me. I sat there and watched as the press rolled in and then the lovely non black folks came in with their requests and other proposals for the city. Mind you my little ones were quiet as a mouse! I think it was because of the white people who knows? Lets just say I was there with my babies in tow trying to get the 10k we needed for funding.
Well first the Daffodil Festival representative gets up and speaks. She asked for the same thing they got last year and they got it. Did you know that one of the committee members is part of the Daffodil Festival Committee too?
Then they got to the local ad guy that did the Christmas commercial for CAMDEN. Ok cute then he submitted his bill and submitted other info to the committee.
Then it was my turn. I walked up there with KJ in one hand and Lili in the other and someone was kind enough to pass out our papers to the committee. I began my speech about how we were going to bring money to the city and how we were going to do this family reunion this year. What all we were going to do then I opened my mouth and asked for the 10k. I felt as if I was on the chopping block waiting for my neck to be sliced in two.
We were denied that amount the committee stated that they just did not have it. We would get less. Ok I figured that much but I should ask for what we said we would ask for. So I did.
Then a gentleman in the audience interrupted and said that there was no more money and here was why....there just was not enough money being spent in SE Ark to logically give out any more money mmm ok
Then the Boys and Girls Club group got up and asked for more money. They had provided the city with days of restaurant goers and fun seekers who ate locally, slept locally and did business locally. They got 3k more than they did for the Softball Tourney that brings in teams from various states to Camden and surrounding cities for lodging. Then the gentleman in the audience chimed in and said "I think we need to really look at how much business the community gets in the weeks before and during the event they sponso. We should be able to find funds for them to help bring more people here so many businesses can benefit from this event locally.
KJ started to cry and I got up to leave. Almost in tears because at that moment I realised something. As long as Juneteenth is not bringing dollars to Camden they will never "have enough money for us"
We did not prove to them that they would benefit from Juneteenth. That this African American event was a money maker for the city bottomline. I couldnt even begin to make my face to lie and say that it did because we LOST money not made any.
Something else that I learned today too is that while we are sitting up saying that "Those white folks don't want us to do nothing they dont want us to have anything here"
You know what? Thats not the case at all. It's about dollars with these people. Dont you all realise that these business owners are terrified that Camden is not ever going to recover and they may lose their whole lives? So why would they give us any more money for anything that is not going to boost their bottom line? I know I wouldnt. And let me tell you something they recongnized the lack of support today. Don't think they didnt. They know that when Juneteenth rolls around we as black folk are not patronzing their businesses cause we are not here we are in other cities celebrating and spending money there.
So when we meet again please know this up front we need to be able to generate revenue for Camden to get their support. I know we want to be able to talk about our freedom and our accomplishments as a people thats great but no movement was done completely alone (even Harriet Tubman had help) nor without some kind of financial support.
This even is about getting our children scholarships.......can we do that this year coming up? Can we make this "Queen City Family Reunion" bring the revenue to Camden and for us? I think we can.
My last thoughts on this is this.
We don't need to complain about what we see or what is being done to us because right now we are doing it to ourselves.
Stand up. Stand up.

til next time,