Miami Transformed: Rebuilding America One Neighborhood, One City at a Time by Manny Diaz

Author:Manny Diaz [Diaz, Manny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regional Planning, Public Policy, Social Science, Political Science, Urban, Sociology
ISBN: 9780812207637
Google: o8GEcPiiKjcC
Goodreads: 16468996
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE EFFORT TO create prosperity had to include the faith-based community. It was president George W. Bush, a Republican, who promoted the idea of engaging churches and other faith leaders in social matters. The fact that mayors—most of whom are Democrats—were receptive to this notion goes back to the nonpartisan nature of mayors. When mayors see something they like and think can work in their city, they adopt it. It doesn’t matter from which side of the aisle the idea originated; if it makes sense, use it.

Mayors had traditionally worked with faith-based organizations, such as the YMCA. If there was new incentive to further work with faith-based organizations for after-school programs or other community-based activities, then it made sense to expand these relationships. Our work with the faith-based community began with the effort to inform residents of the EITC. We asked religious leaders to help us get the word out. Places of worship now became an integral part of our efforts to attack poverty. Through our quarterly Pastoral Roundtable breakfasts, we developed an active, ongoing working partnership that proved useful in other circumstances where it was necessary to have a level of trust between government and religious leaders that wasn’t centered on a crisis.

Most often, when there is a police shooting, for example, the typical scene is one at which a member of the clergy holds a press conference, and asks for calm and God’s help for the family. Then the politicians and police meet with the family and the clergy, hoping to defuse tensions. Everyone then goes home. This does not build trust. There isn’t a real familiarity based on a working relationship. But now, because of the work of the city government and the faith-based communities, there is a partnership based on something other than a crisis.

This partnership helped me to form bonds with an incredibly diverse clergy. Miami’s diversity of population brings with it diversity of worship, even within a specific ethnicity or race. This became clear when I served as a principal spokesman against the repeal of Miami’s human rights ordinance, one that also protects sexual orientation. Evangelical Christians mounted a petition drive to repeal the ordinance, which I strongly opposed. Needless to say, at my next meeting with faith leaders, I had some very unhappy Evangelicals in the room. We clearly disagreed. In the past, an issue like this would have become personalized, political, polarizing, and difficult to resolve. But that didn’t happen. I think part of the reason is that we knew each other. They appreciated the fact that we were working together in so many different ways to help the members of their churches. This partnership far outweighed our disagreement on one issue, no matter the emotions on both sides.

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