Hilton Head is awakening to its obligation to help the poor, beginning with housing shortage
I had just arrived to Hilton Head and my congregation’s Social Action committee along with a consortium of churches and non-profits sponsored a community-wide program on poverty in Hilton Head.
It was an eye opener between two radically different views of Hilton Head. Elected leaders on the panel explained to us that they weren’t aware of poverty on Hilton Head. They went on to remind us that Hilton Head was a limited town government. I had no idea what that meant but as the years passed I came to realize what they meant. Limited town government means low taxes and low compassion, especially for the working poor.
Are we now seeing a change in this bedrock principle of limited town government and a turn in the direction of respect for people of color and the working poor who have been basically ignored?
Are the community and business leaders drawing down into their well of compassion? How many employers are complaining that they can’t find staff for their businesses? Now a local developer tripped the wire and pasted on every resident’s door at Chimney Cove apartments a 30-day eviction notice. Then the prairie fire began.
All of a sudden the Town Council is making this a big issue. Will the mayoral candidates have a plan to work with town government to develop a long-term plan for the workers in our community? Will the Chamber of Commerce join the team or sit back in the bleachers?
The leading force that brought this issue out has been the interfaith community — Pastor June Wilkinson and her committee of concerned clergy. These community leaders believe in that old adage, “To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” The faith community knows full well that government has to come to grips with its duty to work with and help the poor with these fundamental issues. Less emphasis on building new parks and more stress on building housing, giving people hope that our community wants them to stay. The real question is, Has the time of limited government ended?
Yes this is a time for asking difficult questions, especially for all our citizens. This time of year for the Jewish community worldwide is also a time of intense reflection about our obligations to our community. Sunday begins the Jewish new year and ushers in the holy day of Rosh Hashanah and then 10 days later the Day of Atonement — Yom Kippur. It is a time of spiritual renewal and confession of individual and communal transgressions. We ask God for forgiveness and we ask our neighbors as well. One teaching from our tradition states that God will not forgive our sins until we ask our neighbor first to forgive us.
One other point is that in our liturgy we recite prayers of confession always in the first person common plural “we” when we acknowledge our sins. It is not because we committed all those sins but we recite them as “we” as if we provided a safety net for those who may have transgressed. But one of the most important communal sins is ignoring the poor and being deaf to the call for help by those less fortunate and prosperous than us.
Should town leaders reexamine their own moral compass regarding moving forward toward making Hilton Head a town that respects its workers? It is not just a town that has the best beaches but a town where there is a unity of thought about the value of all people of color and economic status. Those who want to work and who want to live here should be considered an asset rather than a burden. The idea of limited government may have had its purpose to make Hilton Head attractive years ago, but today it is insufficient for the people living here today.
The Jewish translation of the Hebrew term for sin-hatah literally means missing the mark. Are we missing the mark when any property owner and developer can evict communities of hard-working people like in Chimney Cove just because they can? Is there no responsibility to treat people with respect and value the work they perform from working in the hotels, landscaping the homes, washing dishes in the restaurants?
If the town can hire staff to promote cultural arts, then why can’t they hire social workers to work with communities and invest in communities that live on our island to help them improve their lives? Will that not make our communities safer, and provide a workforce that remains here and enjoys the fruits of their labor? Isn’t that part of the American dream? The sin of indifference to the poor is what I am speaking about. This is the time to act and to make a difference in people’s lives.
Shanah Tova — A Happy New Year.
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 9:00 AM.