PASTOR COREY BROOKS: The power of building always beats the power of politics

I'm on the South Side of Chicago. Here's how teaching trades to youth creates builders instead of dependents and can prep our community for transformation.

Though our kids come from very humble beginnings through no fault of their own we want them to have every advantage in the world. A community of builders is far more desirable than a community of dependents. Pastor Corey Brooks, known as the "Rooftop Pastor," is the founder and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the CEO of Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), the church's local mission. He gained national attention for his 94-day and 343-day rooftop vigils to transform the notorious "O-Block," once known as Chicago's most dangerous block, into #OpportunityBlock. Learn more at ProjectHOOD.org.

James’ comment surprised me because I have always been a builder. I grew up in a small country town in Tennessee and we were always building something. I can remember how I learned to use a hammer and how I had to train myself to hit a nail flush. If we weren’t building, we were always repairing something from farm equipment to the toilet in the house.