Charles Steele’s nerves were being cattle-prodded as he witnessed the ceaseless bloodletting in the community. After watching scores of consumers’ dreams being exterminated 
“When you bring it back home to economic development and the crisis that we [face] – in terms of the mortgage crisis [and] entrepreneurial opportunities – it’s a civil rights crisis . it’s a civil rights issue,” Steele declared during the annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit in New York. “We must treat it just like we treated the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. Our people are being murdered. It’s a terrorist act in terms of the mortgage crisis in black America.”
But as with most adversities, opportunities sprout. While the nation comes together to eradicate unethical mortgage lending, Steele says it presents an opportunity for estranged generations to close the gaps that exist between them. Lack of communication and cohesion is another major reason for stagnation, if not regression, in the African American community.
“The hip-hop community approached me. They said, ‘We’ve been afraid to come out and ask for support and then lend support to you … you all haven’t been kind to us because we look different. But we want to be a part of the movement. We look the part and have the material possessions, but we’re empty on the inside,’ ” Steele revealed. “They said, ‘Please give us leadership. Please give us guidance.’ So, we said, ‘We’re going to connect [with] the hip-hop community.’ We want to go to the college campuses and bring about the training [that will benefit] our people.” – terry shropshire
