The reality of that horrible event is but another testament to the horrible teachings that we, the Black Community, collectively teach our children by failing to teach them to "walk away."
Notice how many people were just standing around watching. The young man holding the cell phone, or next to the person holding the cell phone is a worthless, shameful example of the type of Black youth that society shuns. What kind of young man stands watching with a cell phone within reach (or worse, in his hand) and merely says "Daaaaamn" as another young black man is pummeled with a board, kicked and stomped.
This horrible event isn't a reflection on the mindless antics that this video clip reveals, but rather the collective failure of Black Parents across the United States who continue to fail to hold their children to a standard that is above, or equal to that of any other race on the continent.
Non of us can hold our heads high in light of an event such as this, and each of us are responsible. We are responsible because if Black parents didn't let their young teenage daughters to date undesirable Black men, and instilled a sense of pride, self worth, and a hunger for better in those daughters, then said daughters would not breed with, nor give birth to, pathetic examples of dull minded young men and women displayed in the video. Black women wouldn't associate with violent, loud, ignorant Black men with no aspirations in life. No plan. No dreams. No intellectual tools that are generally required to succeed in life.
There might have been 20 honor students in the street watching the fight that day, but that is irrelevant, because people do not mentally sort out bullies, from "A" students when viewing the video clip. A significant number of people mentally, visually, and audibly process that fight as:
"Niggers in the street fighting.... Again."
When are we going to learn? A young black man suffered, and is dead, because the Black Community failed him. I failed him. You failed him. We failed him.
1. If his friend(s) would've walked (or ran) away, he wouldn't have felt compelled to intervene.
2. If he would've walked away regardless of what his friends were doing- He would be alive today.
3. Jenna 6.. remember them? What would've happened if they would've simply taken pictures of the nooses hanging from the trees, reported the incident, noted the principal's response (or lack of response) and started having interviews with the ACLU, CNN, Oprah, etc., you get the idea. The power of the mind and pen are instruments that change things. The "Jenna 6" chose to resort to violence, which merely leaves all of us blind; perceived as Niggers-that-can't-ever-learn, by a society that is leaving the Black Community behind, in its intellectual and social wake.
Dr. King would be ashamed ... we already slap him in the face and urinate on his grave, every time we use his name, to denote a street in the Black Community that is run down, drug infested, blighted, and satisfied with "just getting by."
I am saddened by what the video reports, however I am even more saddened by the fact that nothing will change tomorrow, because to the Black Community, his death is an acceptable loss- as if we enjoy seeing Black Men shot, run down, incarcerated, shunned, high, and uneducated...
.. as if we enjoy seeing many Black Women raped, talked down to, cursed out, hit, embarrassed, left alone with kids to raise, and not an accomplishment to their name.
16 year old Derrion Albert is dead.
He is dead because we, as a race of people 16 years ago, were quite comfortable knowing that we (as a people) were not shaping, empowering, nor challenging our youth.
Tell me, 6 months after Derrion Albert's funeral- will the parents of those children require their kids to have a B average or give up sports? Of course not. Will the students see themselves as "lacking" and make it a point to do whatever it is to secure a career, a future, a life that can support a family and the emergencies that come with having a family? Of course not. Will the parents of everyone who was in the street that day, make it a point to REQUIRE their children perform socially, and intellectually like their white counterparts that live on the other side of Chicago? Of course not.
Sad isn't it? One could reasonably gather that we like seeing our Black youth lying limp in the gutter.
Kinda makes me want to pick up the phone, dial 312-747-8272 and tell them that "we," all of us, Black parents, teachers, professionals, journeymen, laborers, husbands, wives, friends.. "did it."
I, personally, think that what it all boils down to is a sense of selfishness. We as a people, for the majority, are for whatever reason a selfish race. We hate to help others and definitely hate to see others progress or do better than ourselves. This selfishness also comes into play when parents should be raising their children. After a long days work they just want to go home relax, unwind, and be left alone. So instead of coming in and accurately checking to see if that night’s homework assignments are complete they just ask the simple question, "Did you do your homework?", never checking or verifying if, indeed, it actually got done. I made an extended video about this clip after viewing it. I was instantly brought to tears. Not only because it’s another human whose life was lost entirely too early, but mostly because it was senseless. I’m tired of seeing this scene. At what point are we as a people going to want better for us as a people instead of us individually. That’s the reason drugs are so rampant in our streets because we are selfish. Instead of thinking about how our communities are being demolished or how families are being torn at the seams by the presence of drugs in our neighborhoods the dope boys and trap stars would rather live a "lavish" lifestyle and have money at their finger tips at the expensive of everyone else’s health, welfare, and over all happiness. Unfortunately for many that is the biggest role model many kids have to look up to in the hood, therefore they follow in their footsteps. I think for those that make it "big", especially ones who came from meager beginnings, it is important that they give back to the community and show those who are still struggling that there is a hope for a better future. When I say those that make it big, im talking about more than just the music artists and athletes who are the common examples of role models today. I’m talking about the Barack Obama’s (even pre-presidential election), the Colin Powell’s, the Maya Angelou’s, the Oprah’s, the John W. Thompson’s (chairman of Symantec Corporation, you know the people who scan your computer for viruses), the Stan O'Neal’s (Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and President of Merrill Lynch & Company, the global financial services corporation), and the Ronald A. Williams’ (Chairman and CEO of Aetna Inc., a healthcare company). That way our black youth can realize that there is more to life than being a drug dealer, and other ways of making it out of the hood than being the next big musician or athlete. But it all starts at home. Even if you don’t have children of your own, don’t be SELFISH, go volunteer at your local Boys and Girls club, or find an at risk teenager in your neighborhood that you could mentor. Granted, you aren’t going to change anyone over night and you're not going to be able to save the world, but if each one of us were to try, it would make a significant impact on this upcoming generation. If each generation were to continue the pattern, imagine where we would be by time our grandchildren decided to have children. We already have a black President... what more do we need?
ReplyDeleteThis quote was shared with me yesterday, although I got slightly upset at it, that was the indicator that I fit in with the latter part of the quote meaning I need to step my game ALL THE WAY up 1000%.
“Do Not Confuse True Achievement with Meaningless Spectacles That Make a Lot of Noise But have No Lasting Value.”
-Ralph Marston
Love this post and love just42nyt's comment
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