Speaking Out - Find Your Voice

The concept of "Voice" is complicated. There is the literal interpretation, that mere aspect of us that is emitted from our vocal chords (hopefully in a discernible language). Beyond that though is the metaphor, "voice" is drawn into many issues.

Self-confidence: Voice is our ability to speak out, at all, ever.
Appeasement: It is what we want to say rather than what we do say.
Justice: Reacting to stop something you know to be wrong, despite personal danger.
Self-worth: Acknowledging that your input is as valid as another's.
Biblical: That spark of the divine.
Force: The angry lilt of control, like an irritated parent.
Passion: That echo of proof that rings when someone speaks outwardly.

Psychology, Sociology, English, Speech and Philosophy all dabble in this realm and they do so because of its unique quality of being undeniably a part of the human experience. We praise our orators for the skills which rely on much more than lines on paper and we emote with our musicians who seem to reach into us to stoke our fires, or calm our sorrows.

If we set aside the metaphysical though and refocus on the here and the now I would like to address a recent opportunity where I had to use my voice.

My friends and I gathered at a local restaurant and encountered a variety of petty issues. Issues that alone would not have been cause for much if any particular displeasure, but when compounded it turned what could have been a perfect evening into a shade less. There is the cursory tradition these days of having a manager walk to every table to make a nominal gesture of asking "How was everything this evening;" a situation that is usually so brisk that the patron never finishes swallowing their bite of food to answer before the manager leaves.

This was not the case for us because I specifically requested the manager. It can be difficult to break out of that expected behavior, for which sociology calls normative behavior, and into new territory. Facing the manager was tough despite how brief it was for even though they are the person not my boss they are "in charge" of the restaurant at that time which is given its own measure of respect. However, my complaints were valid and we had spend a not insignificant sum (though the cost of the meal should not be a factor) so I informed the manager of my opinion of waiter, high, and of the issues pertaining to management such as few waitstaff, long waits despite unused tables, poor problem solving, as low.

The outcome was positive for us patrons, both physically and emotionally. Yes we received some complimentary desserts and appetizers, but the true win was in the emotion battle where several of my companions wanted to let it pass and some did not. They felt it was "too insignificant" that there was a level, a barometer of badness, that needed to be met that somehow had not been.

To them and to all of you, I want to make it clear that you will neither get your way nor influence, in this case the restaurant, to make changes if you don't make an effort to provide your opinion. Do not think I speak only of being critical, if there is an aspect of a place or a thing with which you have fallen in love then let their manager, their owner, their creator know. Make an effort to find your Voice and I promise you it will serve you well.

The Face of Beaumont - Demographics

If we're going to spend anytime at all talking about Beaumont then I think it is imperative that we have a solid handle on just who lives here and where they fit into the machinery of daily living.

So let's look at the straight data, as provided by our wonderful U.S. Census, before we get too in-depth:

Beaumont's 2000 Census Data

General Characteristics	Number	Percent	U.S.
Median age (years)	34.5	35.3
18 years and over	83,014	72.9	74.3%
65 years and over	15,219	13.4	12.4%
White	52,826	46.4	75.1%
Black or African American	52,206	45.8	12.3%
Asian	2,827	2.5	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	9,028	7.9	12.5%
Average family size	3.12		3.14
Housing Characteristics	Estimate	Percent	U.S.
Total housing units	48,815
Occupied housing units	44,361	90.9	91.0%
Owner-occupied housing units	26,557	59.9	66.2%
Renter-occupied housing units	17,804	40.1	33.8%
Vacant housing units	4,454	9.1	9.0%
Social Characteristics	Number	Percent	U.S.
High school graduate or higher	57,383	80.6	80.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15,301	21.5	24.4%
Disability status (population 5 years and over)	24,078	23.2	19.3%
Foreign born	6,482	5.7	11.1%
Economic Characteristics	Number	Percent	U.S.
In labor force (population 16 years and over)	52,051	60.0	63.9%
Median household income in 1999 (dollars)	32,559		41,994
Families below poverty level	4,815	16.4	9.2%
Individuals below poverty level	21,760	19.6	12.4%

Beaumont's 2006-08 Census Data

Social Characteristics	Estimate	Percent	U.S.
Average family size	3.03		3.20
Population 25 years and over	70,581
High school graduate or higher		82.6	84.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher		23.5	27.4%
Economic Characteristics	Estimate	Percent	U.S.
In labor force (population 16 years and over)	54,673	63.4	65.2%
Median household income (in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars)	40,521	52,175
Families below poverty level		16.9	9.6%
Individuals below poverty level		20.2	13.2%
Housing Characteristics	Estimate	Percent	U.S.
Total housing units	50,573
Occupied housing units	44,032	87.1	88.0%
Owner-occupied housing units	25,814	58.6	67.1%
Renter-occupied housing units	18,218	41.4	32.9%
Vacant housing units	6,541	12.9	12.0%
General Characteristics (ACS Demographic Estimates)	Estimate	Percent	U.S.
Median age (years)	34.2		36.7
18 years and over	82,973	73.9	75.5%
65 years and over	13,562	12.1	12.6%
White	49,492	44.1	74.3%
Black or African American	52,939	47.2	12.3%
Asian	3,520	3.1	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	11,538	10.3	15.1%

The most recent 2010 data is not published, we will revisit this topic when that occurs.

Wow. That's a lot of quick data, but what does it tell us? On the face we have a quick overview of who's living here and where they stand.

Certain statistics are immediately noteworthy: we don't fit the standard U.S. distributions of race, education, poverty and housing. Beaumont is more of a mixing pot than many cities, but we're lagging a bit behind in HS and Bachelor's degrees, sadly we are almost double the national poverty rate.

Let me say this again for emphasis 1 in 5 people in Beaumont is below the poverty line which is defined as less than $9,570. For families 1 in 6 is below the poverty line which would be $16,090 if we calculate it according to the stated family size given here. One more time: 20% of Beaumont is BROKE. Desperately so.

Comparing the two data sets we can see that the city has lost about 1500 residents in total, but that make-up of gains and losses is telling a story of white flight. About 3000 people identifying as white left the city, with a mixed gain of 1500 spread across the other classifications. Some factor is pushing and pulling our citizens, but that is an exploration for a future post.

Housing is a curious side note, despite the notorious low cost of living in Southeast Texas we rent more often than the nation average and own less houses than the nation average. Fortunately, our ownership rate didn't swing wildly, only a few percentage points downward in a bit under a decade.

On education Beaumont has actually gained more high school graduates and college graduates according to the percentages, but we're still behind that national average. Let's dig deeper though, we're not provided with specific numbers on this and we know two things, that a large number of people left the city and that there was a smaller influx of new residents. It could be that uneducated labor left the city, perhaps chasing jobs, making the ratio of degrees to non-degrees tip. It is also possible that something drew in a lot of new talent to the city, that the influx of residents were knowledge workers or skilled craftsmen.

Other curious notes is the number of people on disability in the city as measured in 2000, we're higher than the national spread but that's to be expected given the industry presence in the city. Also, despite the supposed lack of jobs more people in the city who are of age to work (16 years+) are now employed, but I wonder if that will hold steady for the 2010 numbers.

All in all this is just a cursory glance at Beaumont, but it already tells us so much. One the positive side there is a strong mix of cultural/ethnic backgrounds, a steady rate of home ownership, and a currently rising number of degree holders, however on the negative side, there is a slow bleeding of residents and a already high rate of poverty that is continuing to grow.

What can we do but face this, swallow it down, and keep it in our minds as we go about our business. This is OUR city and these are our glories and our failures, as a community.

Stepping Forward

This is it, the very first post on this new endeavor. On this inaugural post I want to welcome you because it is YOU who I am trying to affect.

That's right, you heard me. I want to manipulate you! I want to cajole you, pester you, pinch you, move you, nag you, spur you, and encourage you to make changes to your life and your business. Everyone knows that change is often difficult so I want to push and push until you're either convinced or so fed up you'll do anything to just get me to shut up.

We'll cover the little things that aren't so little anymore like balancing your pocketbook or paying down your credit card, but also trickier subjects like digging deep into the city's issues such as how the green movement may affect the refineries or the relationship between oil and our rail yard and docks.

Beaumont is a city moving at its own pace and I want to help pitch in and provide people with the knowledge they need to make it a successful city. As the city changes I know that there will be many opportunities for people to help the city by helping themselves and I hope to point these out with every spare breath.

Let's explore the city, its needs AND ours to make a better today and a greater tomorrow.