Okay Mr. Holder, I Hear You...So What Are You Going To Do To Help It?
I am referencing this article: http://www.mainjustice.com/2009/12/14/holder-calls-on-black-fathers-to-take-responsibility/
So US Attorney General Eric Holder, in a speech before the congregation of the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Queens, N.Y., made a call for black men to step up and raise their children. He stated that “Too many men in the black community have created children and left them to be raised by caring mothers. It should simply be unacceptable for a man to have a child and then not play an integral part in the raising and nurturing of the child.”
Now on the surface, this sounds good. Men should step up and be involved in their families. Women should never have to go it alone. However, speeches like this...and the ones made by Obama and Bill Cosby before...leave a bad taste in my mouth.
We all KNOW there is a problem with absentee fathers in the black community. There are deadbeats out there. Got it. But let's look deeper. The Bill Cosby style "Lets go rant and rave about what niggas aren't doing" approach doesn't help or solve anything and just alienates people more. The whole notion that talking shit to someone is going to spur them to do better just doesn't work. Speeches are nice. And they may even be accurate in their sentiments. But if Eric Holder wanted to do something, then he needs to go talk with his boss, our President, push for funding for more parenting programs, mentoring programs for teenage and young adult fathers. Do SOMETHING. Our president is bailing out banks, maybe be can break a little bread off to fund some programs that can help teach some of these young men the ins and outs of parenting. Maybe they can take the lead in a positive way and implore professional black men to reach out and mentor and set an example.
I's real easy to look at people who are down and state the obvious. One reason why Bill Cobsy's rants never impressed me. Another reason why I yawned when Obama said the same thing. Talking about a problem without searching for any answers comes across as waste (and please don't come with the Clarence Thomas "pull yourself by your bootstraps" shit as an answer. Some folks are in a cycle that has been going on for multiple generations and need help breaking it.)
So the next time a Black figure wants to tell Black people about themselves or talk about what Black folks aren't doing, here's hoping they have a plan to actually make the situation better.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
The Tiger Woods Saga
At this point, I really just want this story to go away. He’s been caught, allegedly beaten up and embarrassed. He has had his private life stretched out across the blogosphere and the media. He has admitted his infidelity and sworn to come back from it to be a better man. To me, it’s done. However the media can’t get enough of the salacious details of Tiger’s trysts. We get reports of his voicemails, his alleged endowment and other T.M.I. facts as a flood of women continue to come forward.
In the media’s thirst to uncover details, there is one detail they have allowed to fade into the background. And that is the most interesting, and bothersome, part of this saga. This entire story started with an allegation of domestic violence committed against Tiger Woods by his wife Elin. The full detail of that encounter never came about due to Tiger’s refusal to talk to the authorities. However, it seems that Tiger was running from a beating when he crashed his car that night.
Now, how did the media react to this back story? Do they probe deeper into these allegations? Do they ask if there is some prior history of her acting this way? Do they consider whether or not she has a temper and if that temper has revealed itself in this way in the past? No. They are largely silent on the issue. And when they are not silent, they turn the issue into a joke (See the recent, unfunny, Saturday night live skit - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/tiger-woods-accident/1182383/ ).
This is the same media that has spent the past few months telling us that violence in a relationship is never okay. The same media that has been telling us that Chris Brown is the antichrist (and no, I am not defending him in the least). The same media that turned Rhianna into a martyr is now turning Tiger into a joke. One victim of domestic violence receives sympathy, the other is lampooned.
Ask yourself a question, all things being equal (acts of infidelity), if the story involved a man finding out that his wife cheated and allegedly beating her and chasing her with a golf club, would the media be so quick to drop that part of the story? Would people be making jokes about a woman getting beat down after her husband caught her cheating? Would his alleged violence be considered an afterthought as people focused solely on her unfaithful ways?
Here’s another twist: If the woman in question were a woman of color – for example, a woman who looked like Mo’Nique – rather than a small, petite, attractive blond haired, blue eyed woman, would the media be so quick to take a pass on the issue of violence?
There is no justification for Tiger repeatedly going outside of his marriage. He was wrong, and he rightfully stood up and took the blame for his philandering. But if the allegations are true, and Elin Woods did physically assault her husband, she is wrong as well. However, she is getting a pass. Why? Because she is a woman? Because she is white? Because she is attractive (and fits the traditional Eurocentric standard of beauty)? All of the above?
Clearly there is a double standard at play and it’s not right. But no one wants to talk about it. Everyone is so obsessed with how many women Tiger was with, or what race those women are, or what he said to them. They are too busy making bad jokes at his expense (Okay the “Cheetah” Woods and “Lion” Woods jokes were funny the first 50 times, but enough people) and laughing at him.
If we as a society are going to acknowledge that domestic violence, putting your hands on someone or acting in a terrorizing way is always wrong, then we must hold both men and women to the same standard. None of this campaigning to end a guy's career for being violent, while women make songs about "busting windows out your car" that not only become hits but are treated like they are some form of empowerment. No more hooting and hollering and laughing when a woman punches a man in a club, then acting like it’s a horror show when a man does the same. No one would have dared to have made a comedy skin featuring a bruised and battered Rhianna, so no one should have made one featuring a bruised and battered Tiger. And just as the media probed for every detail of Chris’s Brown’s behavior, so should they have probed deeper into Elin Woods’ behavior.
Tiger Woods fell on the sword to keep his wife from getting in trouble. He refused to talk to the police and instead of having her arrested, chose to try to save his marriage. That is his choice and his right, but it doesn't make what she (allegedly) did any less wrong or does it makes the reaction of the media and others any less shameful.
At this point, I really just want this story to go away. He’s been caught, allegedly beaten up and embarrassed. He has had his private life stretched out across the blogosphere and the media. He has admitted his infidelity and sworn to come back from it to be a better man. To me, it’s done. However the media can’t get enough of the salacious details of Tiger’s trysts. We get reports of his voicemails, his alleged endowment and other T.M.I. facts as a flood of women continue to come forward.
In the media’s thirst to uncover details, there is one detail they have allowed to fade into the background. And that is the most interesting, and bothersome, part of this saga. This entire story started with an allegation of domestic violence committed against Tiger Woods by his wife Elin. The full detail of that encounter never came about due to Tiger’s refusal to talk to the authorities. However, it seems that Tiger was running from a beating when he crashed his car that night.
Now, how did the media react to this back story? Do they probe deeper into these allegations? Do they ask if there is some prior history of her acting this way? Do they consider whether or not she has a temper and if that temper has revealed itself in this way in the past? No. They are largely silent on the issue. And when they are not silent, they turn the issue into a joke (See the recent, unfunny, Saturday night live skit - http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/tiger-woods-accident/1182383/ ).
This is the same media that has spent the past few months telling us that violence in a relationship is never okay. The same media that has been telling us that Chris Brown is the antichrist (and no, I am not defending him in the least). The same media that turned Rhianna into a martyr is now turning Tiger into a joke. One victim of domestic violence receives sympathy, the other is lampooned.
Ask yourself a question, all things being equal (acts of infidelity), if the story involved a man finding out that his wife cheated and allegedly beating her and chasing her with a golf club, would the media be so quick to drop that part of the story? Would people be making jokes about a woman getting beat down after her husband caught her cheating? Would his alleged violence be considered an afterthought as people focused solely on her unfaithful ways?
Here’s another twist: If the woman in question were a woman of color – for example, a woman who looked like Mo’Nique – rather than a small, petite, attractive blond haired, blue eyed woman, would the media be so quick to take a pass on the issue of violence?
There is no justification for Tiger repeatedly going outside of his marriage. He was wrong, and he rightfully stood up and took the blame for his philandering. But if the allegations are true, and Elin Woods did physically assault her husband, she is wrong as well. However, she is getting a pass. Why? Because she is a woman? Because she is white? Because she is attractive (and fits the traditional Eurocentric standard of beauty)? All of the above?
Clearly there is a double standard at play and it’s not right. But no one wants to talk about it. Everyone is so obsessed with how many women Tiger was with, or what race those women are, or what he said to them. They are too busy making bad jokes at his expense (Okay the “Cheetah” Woods and “Lion” Woods jokes were funny the first 50 times, but enough people) and laughing at him.
If we as a society are going to acknowledge that domestic violence, putting your hands on someone or acting in a terrorizing way is always wrong, then we must hold both men and women to the same standard. None of this campaigning to end a guy's career for being violent, while women make songs about "busting windows out your car" that not only become hits but are treated like they are some form of empowerment. No more hooting and hollering and laughing when a woman punches a man in a club, then acting like it’s a horror show when a man does the same. No one would have dared to have made a comedy skin featuring a bruised and battered Rhianna, so no one should have made one featuring a bruised and battered Tiger. And just as the media probed for every detail of Chris’s Brown’s behavior, so should they have probed deeper into Elin Woods’ behavior.
Tiger Woods fell on the sword to keep his wife from getting in trouble. He refused to talk to the police and instead of having her arrested, chose to try to save his marriage. That is his choice and his right, but it doesn't make what she (allegedly) did any less wrong or does it makes the reaction of the media and others any less shameful.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Wow Maybe The Democrats Have Balls After All
Thank you, Alan Grayson.....As someone who gets so completely disgusted with the Democrats tendency to lay down in the face of right wing attacks, and who is disappointed in the President's attempts to play "nice" and "civil" with forces who mean nothing but ill will towards him, its nice to see that someone in the party actually possesses a spine...and is willing to come out and say what a lot of us out here have been thinking for some time...
Mr. Grayson, you are hereby anointed my favorite member of Congress...
Please watch the link.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery7RZ4tZ2Y
Thank you, Alan Grayson.....As someone who gets so completely disgusted with the Democrats tendency to lay down in the face of right wing attacks, and who is disappointed in the President's attempts to play "nice" and "civil" with forces who mean nothing but ill will towards him, its nice to see that someone in the party actually possesses a spine...and is willing to come out and say what a lot of us out here have been thinking for some time...
Mr. Grayson, you are hereby anointed my favorite member of Congress...
Please watch the link.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery7RZ4tZ2Y
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Activism and the Modern Athlete
I’m back…
I am a big fan of the HBO series “Real Sports”. I have always believed that sports do not exist in a vacuum. Sports are a microcosm of society. Sports are so much more than just games that are played. They mirror the most profound social phenomena in our society, as issues such as racism, sexism, commercialism, greed and exploitation play out along with the exhibitions. And the well paid athletes who perform in professional sports find themselves facing these issues both on the field and off.
That leads me to the recent interview done by Bryant Gumbel on Real Sports (who does not get his proper respect as a great journalist) with Jim Brown and Bill Russell. It looked at these two amazing men, now in the twilight of their lives, and exhibited their great accomplishments. Both of these men on the field of play are regarded by many as the greatest ever in their respective sports. Yet it is what they have both done off of the field/court, using their position and notoriety to act as agents for social change, that has created a lasting legacy. These gentlemen experienced horrible racism at the beginning of their careers. Yet they did not stand by quietly. They stood up and rallied against it. They organized other athletes behind common causes. When Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to comply with the draft, it was Russell and Brown by his side. When Tommy Smith and John Carlos were vilified for their black power salute, these two men led the push to support them. Jim Brown has done amazing work with gangs in south central L.A., his programs taking kids from bullet riddled streets and sending them to college. They were vocal and outspoken throughout the civil rights movement. I have the utmost respect for both of these men, who resisted the push to silence them and took a stand against racism and injustice.
The interview eventually turned to today’s athlete and the lack of activism. Now as much as I love these men, I have to disagree with some of their criticism. Jim Brown went very hard at Tiger Woods. Not let me preface that I am not a Tiger Woods fan, nor do I have any dislike for him. I respect him for his greatness as a golfer and as a trailblazer in the world of golf, but I just kind of just take him as he is. Brown stated this about Tiger: “As an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can’t get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that's his contribution. In the real world, I can't teach kids to play golf and that's my contribution, if I've got that kind of power." Here is where I disagree. Would it be great if Tiger Woods stood up and railed against injustice in his press conferences? Of course. Would it be great if he and other athletes vocally challenged the status quo? Sure. But not everyone is built for that sort of role. Brown, Russell, Ali they were born activists who happened to excel in sports. They had the charisma, the strength to be out in the forefront as leaders. But every great movement for justice needs people taking different roles. You don’t have to be that fist pumping leader to make a difference. And I don’t think you can dismiss a man’s contribution because he doesn’t make a difference in that way. My feeling is this: I just want to see people with the resources that many athletes have do SOMETHING. Do something to help the community and those who are less fortunate. Make some sort of genuine effort. The civil rights movement has amazing leaders who spoke out and galvanized the masses but they also had worker bees that did things behind the scenes to keep the machine going. Not every person who can catch, throw, shoot or hit a ball is going to have it in them to stand up and speak out on all sorts of issues, but if they devote their time, energy and resources to bettering the lives of those in need, then they deserve to be commended and not chastised. As Bob Frantz of the As San Francisco Examiner pointed out, Tiger does a little more than teach kids to golf: “The Tiger Woods Foundation does much more than conduct golf clinics for kids. It funds university scholarships, allows students to study at Tiger Woods Learning Centers, provides millions of dollars in grants to more than 100 charities annually, and “Tiger’s Action Plan” is a program that helps teachers, youth groups and other leaders to help kids reach their fullest potential." Tigers learning centers are currently in the Los Angeles area and he plans to expand them to the DC area.
Some may dismiss that, but I will say this: When an athlete does positive things and does not go out of his way to gain media attention for it, it actually causes me to give them MORE credit. Too often, good works are sensationalized and pushed in the media and that makes me question their sincerity. When these works are done quietly it leads me to think that they are done more for pure purposes rather than photo opportunities and image embellishment. You never know for sure without knowing the person of course, but I can say that Tiger at least does something. And even if he isn’t speaking out about Iran or universal health care or disproportionate minority contact in the criminal justice system, if there are inner city youth who get to college, or who find a safe haven that keeps them from getting in trouble due to his gifts then he has contributed to bettering the world.
I love what Ali, Brown and Russell, among others, did in raising their voice against injustice and discrimination. I do wish there were more athletes who did the same. But I cannot and will not dismiss the acts done by modern athletes like Warrick Dunn (Program that helps single mothers in the inner city buy their first home), Derrick Brooks, David Robinson (Started charter schools for inner city youth) and others just because they are not advocating in ways that others think they should. There is a place for words and a place for actions. As long as someone is contributing one or the other, then we all benefit.
I’m back…
I am a big fan of the HBO series “Real Sports”. I have always believed that sports do not exist in a vacuum. Sports are a microcosm of society. Sports are so much more than just games that are played. They mirror the most profound social phenomena in our society, as issues such as racism, sexism, commercialism, greed and exploitation play out along with the exhibitions. And the well paid athletes who perform in professional sports find themselves facing these issues both on the field and off.
That leads me to the recent interview done by Bryant Gumbel on Real Sports (who does not get his proper respect as a great journalist) with Jim Brown and Bill Russell. It looked at these two amazing men, now in the twilight of their lives, and exhibited their great accomplishments. Both of these men on the field of play are regarded by many as the greatest ever in their respective sports. Yet it is what they have both done off of the field/court, using their position and notoriety to act as agents for social change, that has created a lasting legacy. These gentlemen experienced horrible racism at the beginning of their careers. Yet they did not stand by quietly. They stood up and rallied against it. They organized other athletes behind common causes. When Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title for refusing to comply with the draft, it was Russell and Brown by his side. When Tommy Smith and John Carlos were vilified for their black power salute, these two men led the push to support them. Jim Brown has done amazing work with gangs in south central L.A., his programs taking kids from bullet riddled streets and sending them to college. They were vocal and outspoken throughout the civil rights movement. I have the utmost respect for both of these men, who resisted the push to silence them and took a stand against racism and injustice.
The interview eventually turned to today’s athlete and the lack of activism. Now as much as I love these men, I have to disagree with some of their criticism. Jim Brown went very hard at Tiger Woods. Not let me preface that I am not a Tiger Woods fan, nor do I have any dislike for him. I respect him for his greatness as a golfer and as a trailblazer in the world of golf, but I just kind of just take him as he is. Brown stated this about Tiger: “As an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible. Because he can’t get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that's his contribution. In the real world, I can't teach kids to play golf and that's my contribution, if I've got that kind of power." Here is where I disagree. Would it be great if Tiger Woods stood up and railed against injustice in his press conferences? Of course. Would it be great if he and other athletes vocally challenged the status quo? Sure. But not everyone is built for that sort of role. Brown, Russell, Ali they were born activists who happened to excel in sports. They had the charisma, the strength to be out in the forefront as leaders. But every great movement for justice needs people taking different roles. You don’t have to be that fist pumping leader to make a difference. And I don’t think you can dismiss a man’s contribution because he doesn’t make a difference in that way. My feeling is this: I just want to see people with the resources that many athletes have do SOMETHING. Do something to help the community and those who are less fortunate. Make some sort of genuine effort. The civil rights movement has amazing leaders who spoke out and galvanized the masses but they also had worker bees that did things behind the scenes to keep the machine going. Not every person who can catch, throw, shoot or hit a ball is going to have it in them to stand up and speak out on all sorts of issues, but if they devote their time, energy and resources to bettering the lives of those in need, then they deserve to be commended and not chastised. As Bob Frantz of the As San Francisco Examiner pointed out, Tiger does a little more than teach kids to golf: “The Tiger Woods Foundation does much more than conduct golf clinics for kids. It funds university scholarships, allows students to study at Tiger Woods Learning Centers, provides millions of dollars in grants to more than 100 charities annually, and “Tiger’s Action Plan” is a program that helps teachers, youth groups and other leaders to help kids reach their fullest potential." Tigers learning centers are currently in the Los Angeles area and he plans to expand them to the DC area.
Some may dismiss that, but I will say this: When an athlete does positive things and does not go out of his way to gain media attention for it, it actually causes me to give them MORE credit. Too often, good works are sensationalized and pushed in the media and that makes me question their sincerity. When these works are done quietly it leads me to think that they are done more for pure purposes rather than photo opportunities and image embellishment. You never know for sure without knowing the person of course, but I can say that Tiger at least does something. And even if he isn’t speaking out about Iran or universal health care or disproportionate minority contact in the criminal justice system, if there are inner city youth who get to college, or who find a safe haven that keeps them from getting in trouble due to his gifts then he has contributed to bettering the world.
I love what Ali, Brown and Russell, among others, did in raising their voice against injustice and discrimination. I do wish there were more athletes who did the same. But I cannot and will not dismiss the acts done by modern athletes like Warrick Dunn (Program that helps single mothers in the inner city buy their first home), Derrick Brooks, David Robinson (Started charter schools for inner city youth) and others just because they are not advocating in ways that others think they should. There is a place for words and a place for actions. As long as someone is contributing one or the other, then we all benefit.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Some Words For Mike Krzyzewski
So Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has a problem with President Obama not picking his team to advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. For those who missed it, The President shared his bracket picks with ESPN college basketball writer Andy Katz. President Obama's bracket has the Dukies losing to Pitt in the Regional finals. An Associated Press reporter asked "Coach K" a question about the Pres picking against Duke, to which he responded:
"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."
A cheap shot at the President Mike? Really? Just for taking a moment to make picks like millions of other working Americans? Well you know what, Coach K?...Allow me to apply that same logic to you. You see, as much as I respect you as a coach and what you have done over the past 28 years at Duke, I think that actually getting your perpetually overhyped team to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years is something that you should focus on, probably more than responding to picks made by the President, who, like most of us, had the good common sense to pick against your completely overrated team.
So Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has a problem with President Obama not picking his team to advance to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. For those who missed it, The President shared his bracket picks with ESPN college basketball writer Andy Katz. President Obama's bracket has the Dukies losing to Pitt in the Regional finals. An Associated Press reporter asked "Coach K" a question about the Pres picking against Duke, to which he responded:
"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets."
A cheap shot at the President Mike? Really? Just for taking a moment to make picks like millions of other working Americans? Well you know what, Coach K?...Allow me to apply that same logic to you. You see, as much as I respect you as a coach and what you have done over the past 28 years at Duke, I think that actually getting your perpetually overhyped team to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years is something that you should focus on, probably more than responding to picks made by the President, who, like most of us, had the good common sense to pick against your completely overrated team.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
15 Most Influential Albums of My Life
This is very difficult to do, given my love of music...But after watching High Fidelity for the hundredth time I figured I would give it a shot....
1. Sign O' The Times - Prince.
Best album by the best ever. Socially conscious (Title Track), great ballads (Adore) and the song that formed my perspective on relationships (If I Was Your Girlfriend). Pure Greatness.
2. Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
3. Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde - The Pharcyde
Albums that truly took me from liking hip-hop to truly loving it.
4. A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Greatest Jazz album ever in my opinion. When I need to reflect and clear my head, it always does the trick.
5. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest
6. Best of Sade
I know a "Best of" is cheating a little bit, but this is the perfect compilation. All her top songs. When pulling yourself together from heartbreak, there is none better.
7. It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
One of the major reasons why I became a Black studies major. The best voice in the history of hip-hop inspiring critical and politically radical thinking.
8. Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star - Mos and Kweli
The two of them have never been better
9. Urban Hang Suite - Maxwell
An album that traces a relationship from "Welcome" to "The Proposal"...Pure soul...
10. Illmatic - Nas
11. Resurrection - Common
Two of the most lyrically tight albums ever recorded. The number of times I hit the rewind button while listening to their flow? Too many to count.
12. Purple Rain - Prince
13. Labcabincalifornia - The Pharcyde
Great lyrics plus the greatness of Jay Dee's production = classic.
14. Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest
15. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother
Great satire which showcased just how far hip-hop has fallen.
This is very difficult to do, given my love of music...But after watching High Fidelity for the hundredth time I figured I would give it a shot....
1. Sign O' The Times - Prince.
Best album by the best ever. Socially conscious (Title Track), great ballads (Adore) and the song that formed my perspective on relationships (If I Was Your Girlfriend). Pure Greatness.
2. Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
3. Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde - The Pharcyde
Albums that truly took me from liking hip-hop to truly loving it.
4. A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
Greatest Jazz album ever in my opinion. When I need to reflect and clear my head, it always does the trick.
5. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest
6. Best of Sade
I know a "Best of" is cheating a little bit, but this is the perfect compilation. All her top songs. When pulling yourself together from heartbreak, there is none better.
7. It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
One of the major reasons why I became a Black studies major. The best voice in the history of hip-hop inspiring critical and politically radical thinking.
8. Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star - Mos and Kweli
The two of them have never been better
9. Urban Hang Suite - Maxwell
An album that traces a relationship from "Welcome" to "The Proposal"...Pure soul...
10. Illmatic - Nas
11. Resurrection - Common
Two of the most lyrically tight albums ever recorded. The number of times I hit the rewind button while listening to their flow? Too many to count.
12. Purple Rain - Prince
13. Labcabincalifornia - The Pharcyde
Great lyrics plus the greatness of Jay Dee's production = classic.
14. Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest
15. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother
Great satire which showcased just how far hip-hop has fallen.
Monday, January 26, 2009
A Life Cut Short
This is one of those days.
Those days where, as much as you love and believe in what you do, you wonder if its really worth it...
I believe in young people...
I believe in kids from disadvantaged backgrounds...
I believe in kids ability to be resilient and rise above the adversity in their lives...
I believe it because I know what its like to grow up in a place that people think nothing good comes from. I know what its like to have people doubt your ability to “get out”.
I believe because people believed in me. And now I try to give that belief to others.
But on days like today, days when I hear about a 16 year old kid getting gunned down in the street. A kid that I knew, that I watched grow before my eyes, a kid that had his problems but was just coming of age to a point where he was really working to better himself, only to have those attempts, and his life, cut short.
I wonder...Does it all matter? Does any of it really work?
I met him when he was just a shot chubby little kid charged with a ridiculous “crime”....Disturbing school assembly for a little food fight. I saw him grow up...and the trouble he got into grew as well. Yet he was always respectful to me.
One day his mom came to me...She told me that she needed to get him out of here. That she was worried about his well being in the increasingly violent neighborhood he was in. She worried about the bad influences. She wanted him to move with relatives down south to get a fresh start. So myself and the DA worked together to make it happen. We felt good, like we helped a kid get out of a bad situation.
Last I heard, he was doing well down South...
At some point, he came back. Mom had to move back. He was right back in the same hell he left. Still he went back to school here...and he tried to keep the good progress going.
One day he got into a fight at school...Now when we were kids, you fought, and you lived to fight another day. Today? These muthafuckas kill you if you get the best of them in a fight.
I’m sick of it. I am sick of seeing young lives...too often young black lives...snuffed out before they can begin. I am tired of kids not able to even complete the growing pains of being a teenager. I am tired of people who think that a bruised ego is enough to kill someone.
I knew him. I knew his family. I tried to help. I really did. In the end, a mother still had to bury her child before he could reach the age of adulthood.
And I am wondering if my passion for this work is really worth it...
This is one of those days.
Those days where, as much as you love and believe in what you do, you wonder if its really worth it...
I believe in young people...
I believe in kids from disadvantaged backgrounds...
I believe in kids ability to be resilient and rise above the adversity in their lives...
I believe it because I know what its like to grow up in a place that people think nothing good comes from. I know what its like to have people doubt your ability to “get out”.
I believe because people believed in me. And now I try to give that belief to others.
But on days like today, days when I hear about a 16 year old kid getting gunned down in the street. A kid that I knew, that I watched grow before my eyes, a kid that had his problems but was just coming of age to a point where he was really working to better himself, only to have those attempts, and his life, cut short.
I wonder...Does it all matter? Does any of it really work?
I met him when he was just a shot chubby little kid charged with a ridiculous “crime”....Disturbing school assembly for a little food fight. I saw him grow up...and the trouble he got into grew as well. Yet he was always respectful to me.
One day his mom came to me...She told me that she needed to get him out of here. That she was worried about his well being in the increasingly violent neighborhood he was in. She worried about the bad influences. She wanted him to move with relatives down south to get a fresh start. So myself and the DA worked together to make it happen. We felt good, like we helped a kid get out of a bad situation.
Last I heard, he was doing well down South...
At some point, he came back. Mom had to move back. He was right back in the same hell he left. Still he went back to school here...and he tried to keep the good progress going.
One day he got into a fight at school...Now when we were kids, you fought, and you lived to fight another day. Today? These muthafuckas kill you if you get the best of them in a fight.
I’m sick of it. I am sick of seeing young lives...too often young black lives...snuffed out before they can begin. I am tired of kids not able to even complete the growing pains of being a teenager. I am tired of people who think that a bruised ego is enough to kill someone.
I knew him. I knew his family. I tried to help. I really did. In the end, a mother still had to bury her child before he could reach the age of adulthood.
And I am wondering if my passion for this work is really worth it...
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