It is time to love our young people to life...not death

It is time to love our young people to life...not death.   Too many young people are senslessly dying...

We as a society, need to start valuing our youth.  No matter how poor, no matter their race, no matter anything...the greatness of a young (and mainly minority) generation, is not being tapped as young people fear for their lives and reject public education, because their schools and their hard-work doesn't correlate with "success." Meritocracy in the hood doesn't exist.  Meritocracy in a "Good Ol' Boy" system, doesn't work.  Being connected and having access does...

 Time after time after time implictly and EXPLICITY we tell our poor "urban" youth that they don't matter (through their run down schools and neighborhoods...their lack of access and opportunity to networks of power - aka social capital) how and why would they value themselves or see themselves as part of a productive society?  Think about it, when you continue to talk negative speak to yourself, it affects YOU negatively...when you have a society that continues to talk negative talk/think/act (or don't act) about groups of people - poor and "urban" what do you think the outcome will be?  We'll, I've seen the outcome...the outcome is a "brokeness," an anger and in a lot of cases the inability to articulate the oppression and marginalization, but instead lash out in a culture of opposition to norms that don't help them but marginalize them...

Society has a problem.  Besides from creating an even larger gap between the rich and poor, we are creating a larger gap between the poor minorities and the rich (no matter their color).  Is it only when their pain and violence affects your community, your town, your suburb that you will see it...? I am SO angry for our youth and scared for our future. I pray that we start listening and addressing the inequities in society to alleviate poverty and educate people on issues of institutionalized racism and bias.  I pray we start to see how valuable and extraordinary our poor youth are - let's invest in them.  I put my money on them...do you?