Culture!!!

Some conversations are uncomfortable.

Talking about culture is one of them.

When the topic of Black culture in America comes up, people often get defensive, or they think you’re criticizing your own people. That’s not my intention. This isn’t about blame. It’s about growth.

Because if we want better outcomes in our communities, we have to be honest about what needs to change.

There is a lot to be proud of. We are resilient. Creative. Faith-driven. Resourceful. Our history proves that we can survive anything.

But survival alone isn’t enough.

After decades working criminal investigations, I’ve seen both the strength and the cracks in our culture. I’ve walked crime scenes. I’ve interviewed grieving mothers. I’ve questioned young men who made one bad decision that changed their lives forever.

One case has always stayed with me. A teenager told me he carried a gun because “everybody else does.” To him, it wasn’t wrong — it was normal. That’s when it hit me: behavior follows culture. When something becomes normal, people stop questioning it.

And that’s where fragmentation hurts us.

Too often we don’t move as one community. We don’t always support our own businesses. We don’t always protect our neighborhoods. We sometimes glorify fast money, violence, or shortcuts instead of education, ownership, discipline, and investing.

Those small cultural messages add up.

Culture shapes choices. Choices shape outcomes.

If we normalize learning, saving, starting businesses, mentoring our youth, and respecting each other, crime drops and stability rises. I’ve seen it happen in real time.

We can’t control everything in this country. History and systems are real. But we still control what happens inside our homes and neighborhoods.

We control what we teach our children.
We control what we praise and what we correct.
We control whether we build or tear down.

Real change doesn’t start in politics. It starts in culture.

One family at a time. One block at a time. One example at a time.

If we strengthen the culture, the community follows.

And that’s power we still have.

Marvin Dixon/Founder

vmgreview.com, Verifacts Investigations, and Frontline Investigator Training Academy.