Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reading many articles and comments on the plight of black folks in America. No matter what I read, most of it comes back to the poor quality of life that many African Americans face. Many of the comments blame the government in general and President Obama in particular for not doing enough to help those who have lost their jobs and homes. Some of the articles blame structural inequalities such as the financial industry’s racist, predatory lending practices and the justice system’s racist, unequal, “just us” policies. Others cite cultural deficiencies—such as too many baby mamas and not enough education—as the primary culprit. None of these arguments are new. But the question is, when will things change?
Obviously, there are many reasons for our continued struggle to obtain true equality, protection, and inclusion in society. Likewise, there are many solutions that must be implemented concurrently if we are to see a drastic change in our circumstances. While our problems are due to both structural and cultural obstacles, I believe we should critically examine factors that are within our control. One such factor is our attitude about education. We have to do more to get our children to graduate from high school. Period. We can’t expect our quality of life indicators (education attainment, health, employment, income, wealth, etc.) to improve if we don’t focus on graduating our youth from high school and college. We should also encourage trade school for those who are not interested in college.
Another factor we can change is our ability to plan for the future. We should speak to our children about the responsibilities of supporting a family. Having children when we are living at home and completely unprepared to take care of ourselves and a new family is not cool. We are often inhibited by financial difficulties, but here’s something we can do for free: We should have conversations with our children to encourage them to think about what they’d like to do with their lives, and then encourage them to accomplish some of these goals while they are young, single, and childless.
More than anything, I’ve come to believe that much of the “chicanery and foolishness” (borrowed from Gina at whataboutourdaughters.com) is a result of mental slavery. Many of us still do not realize that we are free. Free to take out enough loans to earn an MBA and start a multi-million dollar business. Free to become an award-winning journalist. Free to become the next African American to head NASA. Free to become a billion dollar real estate developer. Free to become a highly successful, highly sought-after lawyer. Free to become the best pediatric neurosurgeon in the world.
Hopelessness and ignorance create the perfect storm for intergenerational transfer of poverty and struggle. I know that the odds are stacked against us. I know that there are real, tangible structural obstacles that make life difficult for us. But people make it difficult on themselves when they drop out of school or have multiple children without the benefit of a spouse. Yes, I blame structural inequality for getting us into this mess, and to a lesser extent, I blame some cultural forces for perpetuating our condition. But if we make changes in our attitude and priorities, we can forge a brighter future for our children.
Crecilla Scott is the founder of Infinity Research, LLC, a social science research company in the Washington DC area. She is the host of a local TV show, "Conversations with Crecilla." She is also a passionate speaker, who has given professional presentations for various organizations and federal agencies. She can be reached at Crecilla@liukarama.com.
Additional Resources
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2009/06/does-our-culture-discourage-wealth.html
http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/06/obamas-economic-recovery-overlooks-racial-inequity/
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22890.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Donahue_Peebles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Martin_(lawyer)
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car1bio-1
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30673930/wid/3/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104082329
http://liukarama.typepad.com/empowermagazine/2009/04/the-state-of-black-america-are-we-experiencing-d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu.html
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