This child, DeVaughn Davis, is one of 3,450 homeless children attending public school in Detroit.  His mother is out every day looking for a job and some place for them to stay.  But, for now, she gets $480/month on public assistance and is trying to save for a deposit on an apartment.

But, for now, she is forced to try to keep her family together by moving from homeless shelter to homeless shelter every few weeks.  These moves also mean new schools for DeVaughn and his sister, Cherish.

In the state of Michigan, some 20,000 homeless students join their struggle.  Who knows just how many homeless children their are that don’t attend school.  I shudder to think of what their circumstances lead them to do to survive.

In America, we can find money to build “bridges to nowhere” or fight wars with no end but, we it comes to helping out Americans, our concerns wane.  It is my hope that the DeVaughns of this world make it, despite their circumstances but, the fact is, too many won’t.

Popularity: 9% [?]

To be honest, I usually skip watching the “State of the Black Union” because, I just don’t see very much substance there. However, I will say that there were some definite highlights this year. Dick Gregory was absolutely on fire and clearly generated a huge buzz with his comments, which ranged from the humorous to the absolutely profound. Al Sharpton also got big props for calling out the Clinton camp and its supporters for its race-baiting during this campaign season. I have a few clips from the speakers below.

Al Sharpton on Clinton Changing Rules and Comments

Michael Dyson on if Barack Obama Becomes President

Dick Gregory on Bill Clinton the “Black President”

Popularity: 17% [?]

I’m about to make a terrible stereotype about some of my younger brothers and sisters. I see too many as totally disinterested in seeing themselves as part of a greater black family and instead choose to see themselves as individuals who just happen to be black. Many also take on a mentality of “as long as I’m okay, everything’s okay”. In other words, if things are good for me then, if they’re bad for someone else, it’s purely a shortcoming on their part.

Of course, as individuals, it is their prerogative. However,
at what cost does this come to black people as a whole?

At a recent Martin Luther King Day observance in Roxboro, NC, such questions were asked.

One comment really stuck out that indicates, to me, how artificial these distinctions that some folks draw really are. It was offered by Dr. Kenneth R. Hammond:

“The world tries to make us believe that our dreams are unworthy and the sneaky weapon that can do that is prosperity, which can make you forget your God, forsake your father’s house… make us cruel to each other … and make us forget the bridge that brought us over.

…

Don’t get hung up on this prosperity thing for if the truth be known, most of us are one check away from welfare”

Well put, indeed.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Okay, I’m about a day late getting this to you but, last night, NBC Nightly News began a week-long series on African-American women. In it, they are examining the progress of black women in terms of education and careers, familial relationships, politics and health.

This sounds like it could actually be a pleasant alternative to the media images of black people that are normally splashed across television screens. Therefore, I encourage you to check it out and give NBC your feedback on this coverage. Perhaps they can be inspired to be more inclusive in their coverage in the future.

At any rate, I think I’ll be checking it out.

Popularity: 34% [?]

This is far from scientific but, it is a disturbing sign of the times.

Recently, at the Steelyard Commons shopping center in Cleveland, Ohio, some 6,000 people applied for 300 positions at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Now, we are not talking executive position or highly-skilled roles. We are talking about low-paying retail jobs.

This pales in comparison two what happened at two Illinois Wal-Mart stores even smaller than the one in Cleveland. There, they had 25,000 and 15,000 applicants, respectively.

Experts say that this is “an indication not only of a less-than-stellar economy but also of a workforce short on marketable skills.”

So, what we may be seeing is an indication of what happens as the gap between rich and poor increases. Sadly, this is not the stuff of political stump speeches so, we’d better not wait for a candidate to address these concerns. For our families’ sakes, we need to speak on it, now.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Currently, my wife and I are looking into adopting. Most likely, the child she and I would adopt would come from a foster situation. Going into it, I know that children in these situations are supposedly there because of abuse or neglect.

I also know that there are a lot of black kids in foster care. In my area of Ohio, Hamilton and Butler counties black adoption rates are so low that black kids are categorized as “special needs”.

I am, by no means, dismissive of the seriousness of the abuse and/or neglect of children. I believe that people that do this to a child should be punished and the child should be removed from the home. However, on the flip side, if you are going to remove the child from the home, you’d better be very sure of your rationale for doing so. More importantly, you’d better have an understanding of the people from whose homes you are removing a child because bad assumptions can have disastrous results.

Some foster agencies in the New England area are finding out just that.

Imagine that a social worker nearly removes your black child from your home because they mistake harmless “Mongolian spots” for bruises. This is just one example of how, because of assumptions made about poor minorities, children from such families disproprotionately end up in foster care.

Again, this is not to say that there aren’t clear cases of abuse or neglect but, a quote in this article clearly illustrates the point I am trying to convey:

“Once we are reported, we are more likely to be investigated. Once we are investigated, we are more likely to be placed in foster care. Once we are placed in foster care, we are less likely to be returned to our families,” said Sondra Jackson, executive director of Black Administrators in Child Welfare.

I am not trying to be too dramatic but, some of these examples remind me of what I read about regarding American slavery where a family can be taken apart at the discretion of the white person(s) in power.

Again, I repeat, if a child is being abused or neglected, that child needs to be in a safe, loving environment. But, it leaves one to wonder if the ignorance and prejudices of some in the field of social services is tearing poor families apart.

Popularity: 22% [?]

“Kiladelphia”…no doubt, some ignorant person(s) will take a strange pride in such a name. To some, being associated with such a name denotes a toughness on their part. But, when your city starts getting such a name, something is really wrong.

This is the name that, in some circles, is being given to Philadelphia, PA after the murder rate jumped to 406 killings last year. 85% of those killed were black men.

However, just as you have some folks who embrace such a moniker, there are others who so wholeheartedly reject it that they are moved to action.

Thus, this is why some 10,000 Philadelphia residents are answering a call to help lower crime in that city. While these people will have no police powers, they will help through conflict resolution and mentoring.

More importantly, it is not headed up by law enforcement or the city government — this is actually being spearheaded by citizens.

So, much respect to those who stepped up. I hope your enthusiasm infects us all.

Popularity: 40% [?]