It is with a heavy heart I pen this note. These last several weeks have been quite busy. So after a long day yesterday I went to bed at an unbelievable time for ME. For those who know me I had to be ill to be in bed before 2 a.m......so call the rescue because I was down BEFORE 10 p.m. As I was preparing for Saturday Academy..I took a minute to make certain I did not have any special messages from teachers on my phone. What I did see brought me to my knees.
One of mine had been booked on a murder charge. MURDER...I know this kid..he has a good heart...a little goofy....but not a murderer. Well, he was involved----the victim was stabbed and died the next day at the hospital. How much is a life worth? Better yet, how much are 3 young lives worth...so what's the value of 4 lives....$3.00. The victim lost his life and the boys essentially lost theirs for $3.00. If it had been more it would not have made it any better but the 3 bucks is pretty amazing.
I have not been able to think about much else all day. I found peace in going to the school and looking at 60 or so who got up on a chilly, rainy Saturday morning to come to an academy that vows they will improve performance on their high stakes tests by attending. I looked out at their faces and my soul cried out. While waiting to give away the $100 gift card that I give every Saturday I opened a discussion with them. I asked, "OK, your principal has to know. Several of you have perfect attendance (we've been meeting since September) what is it that keeps you coming back?" One said, "I want to win the $1000." Which is an honest carrot....and a fair answer. But the general consensus was "I want to pass the FCAT....I want this to be my last time taking the test...I can tell these sessions are helping me in my classes." My kids are showing up Saturday after Saturday because they want things better than they were before.
I've asked myself throughout the day..."What good does it do for them to pass the FCAT and lose their life?" Our children are bigger than this and they deserve better. Too many of our young men feel that as a "black man" in "America" you have to go to jail.....it's a Rites of Passage. That in order to truly be a "BLACK MAN" you must do a stint in the slammer..from a basic arrest for a suspended license to months or even years. The Black on Black Crime Coalition statistics show that while African Americans make up 13.5% of the population 93% of those killed are Black which represents about the same percentage of Black males in the prison system.
Too many of our young men see violence in the community and believe they have no way around it. While I have mixed emotions about the movie Precious one thing was quite evident, teachers may never really know the real power they have to escort children out of their circumstances.
What's the lesson in all of this? The lesson is clear...adamantly shout to all you encounter..JAIL...a life of crime......does not have to be your destiny. You don't have to have a record to prove you are a man. If you do make a poor choice and get arrested it doesn't have to lead you down a slippery slope. Reach out to the children in your community, in your church, in your school. Talk to them until they hear!! Maybe you won't save them all...but talk for the one who might hear you. Talk for the one who might learn from the mistake of someone else and don't be afraid to help them find alternatives.
It's real and in living color...if you are not going to fight for them then who will?
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