Privileged in an Underprivileged Land

Let’s see if anyone from Camden, NJ remembers in the early 2000’s the theme song that use to play on the school districts television station. I will give you a few seconds………..times up! The song was a colorful anthem of hope and promise that echoed lyrics of Camden, Camden, Camden, New Jersey. Camden, Camden, Camden, New Jersey. Just in case you needed a refresher; here is the video link of that catching song, with a distinct beat. { https://youtu.be/jxewu8ldS0s } The song covered by a video, highlighted smiling faces of young and old; going to school, going to work, and being active in their community of the underprivileged Camden. I must have been living in a fairy tale, because you couldn’t tell me that Camden wasn’t Bel Air and my friends and I weren’t being educated at the top-ranking Bel Air Prep (Cooper’s Poynt) the best school in the city. I was growing up privileged in an underprivileged world.

 We entered school dressed in navy blue and white uniforms; ties tied and bows tight. We were among the elite and no one could prove us wrong. We were driven in cars that were fresh off the lot and drape in jewels that were bigger than rocks. We were cool! Underprivileged we dared not to perceive ourselves as to what many wanted us to be. We were blindly privileged growing up in a land that was underperforming, low in economic status, and just hopeless. We had no clue. We were just Camden students who were privileged to receive the best in education, a community that loved us, and parents who never showed us their everyday struggle of life pursuits. For that….we were privileged.

 I know many of you are saying mOOdee this sounds silly. You lived in Camden and for decades hope and privileged could never grow from that. LMBO….I can prove you wrong. Have you entered our schools that are led by Camden residents, whose passion for the city is why they still work here? I can take you around the corner and show you our elders who still take pride in cleaning their communities. Just look at me one who grew up in North Camden, who was told by the media I would end up dead in this land. I grew up blind to all that faced me and knew I was privileged because of those who dared to care for me.

 You see privilege to me isn’t about material possessions it’s about the privilege of having a community that cares strong enough to make you feel you worth is always nurtured. Privileged is being in a learning environment where you are challenged to compete against the best of the best and succeed past the standards that are set before you. I was confident in knowing that my test scores and those of my classmates were of the highest of state from 2nd to 12th grade. We were privileged and didn’t expect less of ourselves in a world that expected so much less. We were clean, intelligent, driven, and creative kids who wanted nothing more than a piece of the dream that wasn’t designed for us to achieve. We were privileged beyond circumstance. We knew who we were and believed that we had all the tools needed for post-secondary educational and professional success. We had it all.

 I found it comical, no downright intolerable that a student graduated a year before me for another local high school didn’t have that same since of being that Camden provided me. He blamed the district and community for not providing him the skills he needed to successfully compete academically in those college seats on his campus land. He spoke and highlighted his struggles in college, but failed to state that he neglected to gain the knowledge. To me he was far more privileged than myself; he was a leading athlete and had tons of opportunities that many of us only dreamed of. This gentleman had the privilege of Ivy lead schooling and free rides to exceed expectations, but he was underprepared for he did not take his privilege serious. He was privileged, but didn’t take advantage of the essential privileges of his environment. Instead of class he sat in hallways and laughed as others students wanted to pass. He got by on stardom and later found out the privilege of education was no longer a joke. He was privileged, but on what the standard of privileged means; to get by on just name sake only, what a waste of a dream.

 We grew up with peers who were city, county, and state title holders. Scholars who received national recognition at science fairs who became doctors and surgeons. Talented youth who performed with State orchestras and cast members of films and movies; to now seeing Camden residents the forefront of national movements. We were privileged kids living in an underprivileged world. We were privileged with so much more than Jordans, fast money, and bros. We had the privilege of a world class system that developed us into greatness and I will never ever destroy the people that it made us. You see growing up in Camden I was privilege to many, who worked as a team to build up a generation. A generation I now see leading and fighting to raise up the next generation we keep inspiring. Camden maybe underprivileged, but we saw the privileges that Camden would bring us.

 So remember Camden, the city of hope. For many see beyond what meets the scope. Replay that song in the back of your head, for when prevail and continue to stand. Thank you Camden for all that you gave me for I was privileged in an underprivileged land.