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Your Dream Can Be As Big As You Want, As Long As You Prepare For It

The Plight of African-Americans

Yesterday, during a long walk along the water of Campeche, Mexico, I took my thoughts back home to the United States; more so to the inner-cities of America. I, normally on accounts, am accustomed to taking such walks throughout neighborhoods so this one was no different.

            During the walk, I began to think about the plight of African-Americans in America. For years, spanning decades, America has experienced the strength of blacks. Blacks have been freeing other blacks from slavery and speaking against the injustices of such an institution for many years. We’ve fought in wars, orchestrated protests, revolutionized medicine, and captivated the entertainment world. But now as I look back on all of our accomplishments, I ask myself, “what now?”

            Black progression has come to a halt, and has leveled off, if not declined. I walk through these communities, and wonder such thoughts. I see hopefulness, but I also see content. I see potential, but I also see lack of motivation. I notice gentrification processes going on, yet no one seems to ponder how they are going to be affected.

            Through one lens, I reconcile with the effect that an unjust America has had and, in many cases, still have on African-Americans. Through another lens, I get the sense of a “they made us this way, so deal with it” feeling. This second lens sparks my concern, because the perception that it brings is that we do not aim to achieve more individually, or progressively as a people. Civil right movements and an era of pride did so much for African-Americans only to end up with contentment.

            I’m not writing as a “pull yourself by the bootstrap” republican or “wealth distributing” democrat. I am writing as a person who wants to see his people empowered. I am writing as someone who wants heads raised high instead of turned down. I am writing as a man who is exhausted from hearing his people make excuses instead of making things happen.

            Justifications can be made, never-endingly, as to the state we are in, but the real slavery is a result of the excuses we make. The real jail is the captive mentality we have. The real welfare is the lack of incentive and motivation we give ourselves. The real insight is in knowing that the inability to recognize, along with our inactivity, perpetuates our digression. Opposition will always strike, but offense should not halt.

            In a country where race matters more than any other place in the world, we also make race our own problem. Race is placed upon us, and we place race on ourselves. We allow race to keep us in the rat race. We allow race to keep us content. We let its affect spread to our kids. I recognize the power of race, but more importantly I recognize the strength of my people. Let us not stop trying; let us keep pushing.

            My friend discussed with me a forum she attended celebrating Malcolm X and the question was asked “What do you think Malcolm would think about where black people stand today? Would he be proud?” I think the real question is not whether our ancestors will be proud of us, but if our children and their children will have pride in us.

God Bless

What Happened to the Kids?

During a conversation with a good friend of mine, the topic of Christmas came up. We were talking about (and I sound old saying this though I am 29) the good ol' days when we couldn't wait to wake up and tear through the gift wrappings that sat beneath our trees. But even more anxiously, we were waiting for the moment to take our new toys, bikes, footballs, skateboards, etc. for a showing in the neighborhood. I remember the excitement of all the neighborhood kids, showing off their own Christmas joys, and the pride that came with who had the best toys. Most of all, the important part was just being outside.

As we were talking, the question was asked, "What happened to the kids on Christmas?" My friend responded that it was the video games. Nothing against video games, but the point was clearly made. Each year, as Christmas passes, I notice the trend of not seeing many children outside playing with their toys. This is also something I noticed throughout the year.

We live in a society now where technological innovation is succeeding to keep us inside. It is doing a great job in holding our attention, and preventing us from enjoying the world around us.

However, I also believe that what is just as important to recognize is the time that should be spent getting our youth outside, and interacting with the world.

How can we stop this?

First, through recognizing the impact of enclosure; but even more importantly, mental enclosure.
I believe that when a person is confined, the ability to interact is immensely affected such as adapting to societal changes, interacting with people, and communicating effectively.

I also believe in exposure. Exposing kids to different things by getting them outside of the confines of their homes and from in front of the computer or television is beneficial as well.

Most importantly, spending time as an adult outside with them is extremely crucial. Instead of buying inside gifts, purchase outside gifts that require getting some sun, some air and some exercise that encourage bond building.

Christmas doesn't feel the same, and my old neighborhood does not sound the same. I do not hear the sounds and laughter of the children anymore. Hopefully that can change!

God Bless

Self-reflect Time

Seriously, ask yourself if you are happy with who you are and where you are in life.

Then, seriously act on it!

God Bless

If I Were A Poor Black Kid Article from Forbes Magazine Writer

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/12/12/if-i-was-a-poor-black-kid/

This is a very interesting article that, though hypothetical, may rub people the wrong way, especially since it comes from the thoughts of a middle aged white man who didn’t share the same experiences. I first must say that this article should be read in a manner of objectivity before personal afflictions become involved. He makes a valiant effort in trying to address the problems that impoverished blacks children are facing everyday. However, he falls short in assessing the fact that in order to help people (even if it is giving a little advice), he must understand a people (culture). Before supplanting the thoughts of people with solutions that seem elementary, a keen understanding of the everyday problems that people face must be addressed. This is something I, myself, struggle with and it is frustrating because I truly want to help people. I grew up not having much, and though I didn’t feel poor I was able to put enough scenarios together to conclude that we were poor.

The issue is that in many cases the problems are ingrained into the mindset. So, it can be easy to say that poor black kids, or any disadvantaged child, could do this or that. However, the problem with this is that if the struggle is with the mentality then these ideas just do not register. First, there must be a breaking of the chain that is wrapped around the minds of impoverished children, and show them that there is something out there for them. In order to do this, we as adults, mentors, and leaders must be willing to get our hands dirty and introduce these unknown variables into their young lives.

Newt Gingrich introduced, which to him seemed to be, a simple solution for solving the issues that poor children face. He said that schools should replace the janitors with poor children (under the supervision of a head custodian) and that should in turn allow them to appreciate the concept of learning to be punctual, punch a time clock and earn some money. But what happened to the concept of an education. I'm for teaching the basic issues of responsibilty and work but it doesn't tackle the poverty issue. It doesn't change status; not even a little. There are so many people with answers but these same people are not personally going in to these communities to make a difference. The idea of children working feeds into the lingering philosophy that poor people pass on generation after generation- the survival philosophy. It is disguised in all types of rhetoric; but even in sheep’s wool a wolf is a wolf and this idea in a way perpetuates that thought process.

Some of the ideas given in the article are great for anybody but how are children to have access to this information if they don’t have the necessary tools? How old are we expecting these kids to be before they start this process? I am learning everyday that before I can start imposing solutions, I must first work through the problem. There must be a strong base so we have something solid to work on.

Remove race from the equation for a second. It could be a poor white kid, a poor latino kid, a poor asian kid and even a poor native american kid; but if the tools are not available and the mentality is not set, you can put food in front of hungry people and if it not cooked right they won't eat. All of the ideas in the world won't help if the thought process is not right. This also applies to the rich black child, rich white, rich latino child, etc.

I truly believe that the problem is in first assessing and truly understanding the problem at hand, and the solution is actually in working through the problem. To change poor children and poor communities, we must change poor ideologies first. 

God Bless

Dismissed Information

Preparing to watch the GOP Presidential debates, I just happened to mention to someone what my plans were and the reply was "it doesn't matter, I'm voting for whoever the Democrat is." This response does not come as a shock for it is the answer many people may give whether outwardly or internally, in regards to political, religious, or many other social concerns. Many times, if ideas do not fall in line with our personal sidings, we develop the tendency to dismiss further intel and understanding in to a matter. To counter the earlier quote, a friend responded, "it should matter  because what if your guy doesn't win? You will need to know what your president stands for?"

That rebuttal leads to the important message that I wanted to extract which is that it is more advantageous to be informed than ill-informed, whether you agree or not with the people or issue at hand. The mentality  that 'if it does not apply to me it is not worth listening to' damages a lot of interpersonal relationships between people, closes many doors of opportunity for people, and also prevents people from expanding themselves mentally.

The true battle is between ourselves and our mindset. It's between the information we attain and don't attain. It's between what we deem important and unimportant.

God Bless

The State of America

The state of America as of now is in a dire situation. I am very optimistic about the future. For throughout history, this country has shown its ability to weather many storms, economically and socially. However, the future is too far and the now is too depressing. The land of the free is simply a place where the fittest survive, while some are surviving to just fit. Is it really freedom when people are not free to work? Is it really freedom when we are locked in despair? Is it really freedom when we are trapped in fear? Is it really freedom when our very own politicians jingle the keys to the lock over our heads just to score political points? Our sovereign rights as citizens are merely punchlines in campaign speeches and political debates. But the real punches are the blows that real people are facing each and everyday. Our brave troops are fighting abroad for us to have the right to call this country the "land of free." They are fighting for our freedom abroad, but who are fighting for us (and the troops) domestically. We are fighting a civil battle over capitalism. Our economic woes are becoming our moral foes. People are starving, housing is being lost, and the essence of our economic power is being devalued, physically and ethically.When will it stop? When greed ceases. I watched a report on the news that said the top 1% wealth increased 275% compared to 40 % by the middle class and 18% by the poor over the last 30 years. I'm an advocate for hard work, as well as for prosperity, but I am also for people having a chance. A chance is not a handout, it is merely an opportunity; and  the opportunity is more valuable than the mighty dollar we are seeking.

As a country, we are fighting an up hill battle.  Among the nations our education is suffering, innovation is declining , and competitively we are losing our edge. Who cares who our leader is if the goal is to theoretically encompass our minds with promise only to not actively stand by their words.We live in a country where the American dream seems to be a dependency scheme. The structure of our country is designed to keep people in their places. Tier by tier. The functionality of this country feeds on this. But even more sadly, we feed into it. We feel we need to suckle from the breast of this nation, because that is what we are sublimally taught from the first day we begin school. We are told we could be anything we want, but are being groomed to be workers, mere employees. We are told we can be property owners, but we never truly own our land but are paying for the right to use "our" land. We are taught that an education -that piece of paper- is something that can't be taken away, but it is something that is being taken away everyday because it is devaluing everyday. That paper is less valuable now more than ever, and if there is no actual knowledge acquired and retained, then that paper is worthless.

There is not enough empowerment going on. They occur in pockets, but lose momentum with the masses. Oppression is the cause- mentally, economically and socially. If oppressed people continue to be depressed, then the dependency mentality will continue to exist, and financially there will be someone who reap the benefits. Do we see it? In some cases, yes; but we are stuck in a glass bottle unable to break through. Many people are now seeing how it feels to be on the other end of the spectrum. When things are going good, there is no reason to look back and gain perspective. But when things crumble, the perspective appears right in front of us. This is the state of America in my eyes, we are now facing perspective.

God Bless