How much of your early childhood can you remember? Can you remember when you uttered your first word? Your first step? If you're like most people, probably not. If you are African American, can you remember the first time you realized that you were black, and that it was a problem? When did you realize that for the rest your life, you would be judged by the color of your skin and not for your ability or character? As African Americans, we face many struggles some old and some new, yet that does not stop some from becoming successful and accomplishing their goals. As we all know that with today's society African American children are bombarded with negative images of themselves and their cultures in newer forms and through their formative years immersed in a society that devalues them at every point. For the ones that do manage to transcend their conditioning, life is their oyster. But for their brethren still trapped in the matrix, life is anything but rosy. As W. E. B. Dubois predicted, the greatest problem of the 20th century was the color line. Will it also be true in the 21st century? Only time will tell. We must fight to make sure that our children are not overly exposed to these stressors by instilling a sense of racial pride and resilience in them. We can't do this by teaching them that the world is racist, because this simply is not true. If we do this, we will become the very thing that we hate the most, bigots. If we don't protect our youth, then process of intellectual hegemony and inferiorization will continue. For those you do not fully understand what I am talking about, you would have to have been victim of the system to understand. The numbers are staggering; 300,000 to 600,000 homeless persons in the country, 11,000 or more in the streets and shelters of Atlanta on any given day or night. [1] Even in the midst of an economic boom, homelessness continues to plague the city, the state, and the country. With so much wealth and the hope of future prosperity, why do some individuals remain on the fringes of society, living with friends and relatives or sleeping under bridges, out in the open, and in shelters? The explanations for why individuals are homeless depend on a number of factors, including the group to which they belong. Homeless single women with children are more likely to find themselves on the streets because of a broken marriage, an abusive domestic situation, or a severe cut in government programs. A thirty-three year old single mother of 11, when speaking with a reporter, said: "1999 was the roughest year of my life???When they put me out there, I had never had a job." The story goes on to add that the woman's first job paid $5.15 per hour-barely enough to make ends meet-but she parlayed it into another job as a receptionist with a non profit organization ("Advocates: Problems Continue, (Actual research from The Philadelphia Tribune, 3/7/00) Also with the story of a father who was willingly paying support for his child found out that the support that he was sending to the child through the system was not given to the custodial parent. When questions were asked about the money, a state rep stated to him that the government takes their money first and the child never receives the full amount that was tendered. Now he has this big bill he never knew he had and with this it is not allowable for any persons to own a business if they owe the government. How do we end this cycle in the black community? Those who don???t know may just be too stressed to care. With the many problems that we face today as adults in the start of the 20th century, my goal is to intensively prepare today???s youth for the journey towards life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is my desire to establish a safe environment where youths can feel safe, learn what it takes to live in today???s society, and practice unity among each other. It is my desire to prepare youths with education on what it means to be on the welfare system, what the benefits are and what the loss can be. By the time the average youth turns 12 they are rejected from day care providers and have to watch over themselves if the parent/parents cannot afford the after care. This open doors for teen mothers, a cycle that still haunts the black community Most youths ages 12-18 are constantly left unattended or left in control of an house hold, which in reality they loose teen hood and are left with adult responsibilities. With what we offer youths can come and be educated on recourses that can help them in the future, engage in serious of activities, and have fun while learning appropriate ways of socializing. With this we can affectively prepare today???s youths for a happy and healthy start at life. After all they are the future and it is our responsibility to shine light on those who have no vision. If I have not been taught vision how can one have vision? Written by Rosland South with some excerpts from Matthew Lynch If you were touched by this message and your heart leads you to give a donation we would greatly appreciate it. Sincerely, Rosland South Founder of Project Desona Circle Of Care
