by Monika
Soo.... Black leaders went on the news, had interviews and even started a petition to get President Obama to speak about Gun Violence. The complaint by many, I suppose, is that while the President acknowledges Newtown and Aurora due to the Multiple killings. The Daily shootings in places like Oakland, Los Angeles and Chicago often go unrecognized.
So the President went to Chicago. And Spoke
Soo.... Black leaders went on the news, had interviews and even started a petition to get President Obama to speak about Gun Violence. The complaint by many, I suppose, is that while the President acknowledges Newtown and Aurora due to the Multiple killings. The Daily shootings in places like Oakland, Los Angeles and Chicago often go unrecognized.
So the President went to Chicago. And Spoke
"Two months ago, America mourned 26 innocent first-graders and their educators in Newtown. And today, I had the high honor of giving the highest civilian award I can give to the parent -- or the families of the educators who had been killed in Newtown. And there was something profound and uniquely heartbreaking and tragic, obviously, about a group of 6-year-olds being killed. But last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm on the streets of this city, and 65 of those victims were 18 and under. So that’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months."
That Sounded pretty Good... Shows that he understands... But Black "leaders" always say that President Obama Needs to specifically speak on Black life. you know, so he can show he understands... Surely there's something he can do...
"Whether here in Chicago or the farthest reaches of rural America -- it can feel like for a lot of young people the future only extends to the next street corner or the outskirts of town; that no matter how much you work or how hard you try, your destiny was determined the moment you were born. There are entire neighborhoods where young people, they don’t see an example of somebody succeeding. And for a lot of young boys and young men, in particular, they don’t see an example of fathers or grandfathers, uncles, who are in a position to support families and be held up and respected."
There we go... This is the stuff that we have been yelling about wanting the President to say for years...
"There’s no more important ingredient for success, nothing that would be more important for us reducing violence than strong, stable families -- which means we should do more to promote marriage and encourage fatherhood. (Applause.) Don’t get me wrong -- as the son of a single mom, who gave everything she had to raise me with the help of my grandparents, I turned out okay. (Applause and laughter.) But -- no, no, but I think it’s -- so we’ve got single moms out here, they’re heroic in what they’re doing and we are so proud of them. (Applause.) But at the same time, I wish I had had a father who was around and involved."
And here is where it goes off the rails...
The President starts to speak, to some in a manner that is reflective of everything that was hated about the Romney Speech to the NAACP. Talking about how Marriage MUST be the solution and what can be done to make marriage so much more appealing.
There is no way the President could have gotten out of making this type of speech to this group of people. Some folks liked it. The "We need Black Fathers" speech is said by EVERYONE anyway. But somehow the President says it (again, he did it before in 2007), and folks are either mad or encouraged.
The challenge with this is that it gives an opening for the folks that consistently talk bad about us Single Mothers already. We are told how we are the blame for what's wrong with the Black community, we are the reasons our relationships break up, and now, the reason why our children are dying in the street. I am not an expert on all single parents. I do know that I hate to be told how horrible I should feel for a situation I can do nothing about right now.
But there is no Middle ground. As long as we put celebrities/politicians on higher standing than the rest of us, this debate is going to continue. My hope is for us to realize that some our best untapped resources are right under our noses. People that live in the real world with out handler's or People...they are the people whose words should be more valuable to us. They have been there. and by there, I mean EVERYWHERE... they have made the mistakes they are attempting to stop us from, many have survived the obstacle courses called our neighborhood.
As I stated, I'm not an expert on Single Parenthood. I am barely an expert of what goes on in my house. I do know that I value the folks around me that I actually know. and hopefully that will make the difference in the life of this child of mine.
The President starts to speak, to some in a manner that is reflective of everything that was hated about the Romney Speech to the NAACP. Talking about how Marriage MUST be the solution and what can be done to make marriage so much more appealing.
There is no way the President could have gotten out of making this type of speech to this group of people. Some folks liked it. The "We need Black Fathers" speech is said by EVERYONE anyway. But somehow the President says it (again, he did it before in 2007), and folks are either mad or encouraged.
The challenge with this is that it gives an opening for the folks that consistently talk bad about us Single Mothers already. We are told how we are the blame for what's wrong with the Black community, we are the reasons our relationships break up, and now, the reason why our children are dying in the street. I am not an expert on all single parents. I do know that I hate to be told how horrible I should feel for a situation I can do nothing about right now.
But there is no Middle ground. As long as we put celebrities/politicians on higher standing than the rest of us, this debate is going to continue. My hope is for us to realize that some our best untapped resources are right under our noses. People that live in the real world with out handler's or People...they are the people whose words should be more valuable to us. They have been there. and by there, I mean EVERYWHERE... they have made the mistakes they are attempting to stop us from, many have survived the obstacle courses called our neighborhood.
As I stated, I'm not an expert on Single Parenthood. I am barely an expert of what goes on in my house. I do know that I value the folks around me that I actually know. and hopefully that will make the difference in the life of this child of mine.
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