10 SQUARE BLOCKS AND THE GRANDMOTHERS By William Thorpe

What I'm about to outline is a sketch, a concept for others to get all into it and build up on it. The idea is simple, its a means, a mechanism to fund, provide Capital for enterprising minds and hearts in a typical Black majority environment, who despite having a relatively promising entrepreneurial thought have (take your pick) of why funding is difficult and stressful to come by. Secondly there is ownership in this idea, no one understands and is more honest about assessment than People we live and exist with. If familiarity breeds contempt, then it also, albeit begrudgingly develops recognition of ability and respect of ones base Personality, which are requisite for investment in that future outcome. Okay enough of stipulations and let me get to the basic idea of 10 SQUARE BLOCKS AND THE GRANDMOTHERS. The number 10 is base, the decad, that foundation of affirmative support, qualifying a completion while also pulsing with anticipation, expectation and potential. The Grandmother in any Black Community be it diasporic or on the Continent of Africa, is also base, foundation, affirmative support and a completion and Black existence is without value without the stability of the Grandmother. Of course our other Fraternal heritages across our shared human condition have like understanding of the Grandmother, but my focus is on the Black American experience. So with that said: we begin by divvying up any recognizable Black community into, 10 square blocks. We can either give it a numerical designation or a proper name. Collect the names of willing participating Grandmothers from the ages 55 through 75 and use any of a varied existing lottery means of selecting 5 names and they will for (whatever cycle the community agrees upon) make the necessary and practical assessment of proposals for project funds by individuals from that specific 10 square block. The metrics for assessment will, again be determined by ALL of the participating Grandmothers, in other words, after collecting the names of willing Grandmothers within the age range, they will assemble in whatever manner of their choosing and decide upon all rules and provisions that will constitute and enable their work. The objective is how to make accessible funds for entrepreneurship within the community. What I suggest is donations from all willing community members of each 10 square block. In other words the average Church or house of worship doesn't have any issue with exacting "tithes", from congregants, while turning a blind and apathetic eye to the systemic terms of existence of their congregants. Yes, some Churches based on their biases and presumptions provide certain services for communities. But the human business of existence cannot become cogent on biases and presumptions. Black People are taxed as all other Americans to all sorts of varying degrees. Yes, the systemic terms that have defined our American experience notwithstanding its dysfunctional narrative also brings along with it all sorts of potential. Our work is to okay, we see its nature in itself, now we change it. So, for example if we allow that contempt from the familiarity with the dysfunction we see in each other to assume absolute facts at the expense of how we also recognize that which is extraordinary in our being and stuff we do, then naturally we will simply be on that treadwheel of "self-fulfilling prophecy", with that fat faced tithe grasper doing the prophetic indictment. IN STRENGTH PEOPLE. 

 By William Thorpe