Each One, Teach One

 Black Man in America
by Laurie Cooper

 Where have all our leaders gone? I understand that we all don't have the strength to be a martyr, but damn. It seems as if no one is willing to stand up and be heard. I understand that today's society is all for serving our own interests and advancing our own agenda, and there's nothing wrong with that. But to blatantly say "fuck y'all, I'm doing me", does a disservice to everyone involved. Now if there are negative people in your life, by all means, remove them. You can't teach someone that doesn't want to be taught and you can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped. But what about the babies? What about the youth? They're still being told the same lies we were told as kids, but now we're the ones telling them. It's 2011, yet violence is still being glorified. It's still some sort of badge of honor to be poor and live in the "hood". Academic achievement is still a "white" thing, while athletic acumen is a "black" one. There's still a disproportionate amount of minorities in the penal system. I thought the point of life was to make it better for you and those around you, not to just accept what you have been handed and move along. But to do so, you'd be labeled a sell-out, and somehow not as real. Which is bullshit. We need to teach the value of self worth to our children. Teach them that you aren't valuable because somebody thinks you look good, and you're not valuable because you can sing a song well. You're not valuable because you can throw a ball or run fast. You're not valuable because you make straight A's. You're not valuable because you're financially well off. But rather that you're valuable because they've been created by God, and because you're unique. We've all got a part to play here. If our voices aren't heard, the decisions get made for us and without us.
 I realize that the era of the Malcolm and Martin, Huey and Bobby, even Al and Jesse, are over. Our leaders need to be the father or father figure. The mother or mother figure. Older brothers. Big sisters. Guide our young ones down a better path than the one we traveled. Because simply, if we don't remedy the mistakes of our past, our future is lost.