Forgotten Future

Black youth abandoned

This story I will speak on a subject that has affected me from the standpoint of a parent and as a black man who has not forgotten my days as a young boy growing up in the inner city. When I was young I thought that the problems I had were because of the place I lived. I never thought that some of the same problems existed for my people outside of the ghettos but as a parent who has been blessed enough to have my children grow up outside of the ghetto I quickly learned that black children face many of the same issues no matter where they grow up. Much of the reason they face these issues has to do with us adults not breeding purpose into our children's lives.

First, let me say don't take this as an attack but we as black parents we are lacking in many ways and our failures are having a really bad effect on the majority of our young people. To a large degree, we have been leaving the youth out in the cold for at least a generation or two. We haven’t been given them a proper understanding of the world they live in and it is hurting their chances for a better tomorrow. I know most black households have to have both of the parents working in order to maintain a decent life for their families. This dynamic of a two parent working household has left holes in the gates we try to build to protect our children and we compound matter by not teach the youth about their history and molding their greatness.

We must work to build purpose in the lives of our young people we must inspire them to do more and the way to do that is to fix the way we interact with them. Our children have to first know that they are loved above all things also that they are sacred and essential to the survival of our race. Leaving our children out of the planning for our new day will not help us reach the goal of being a free and liberated people. In fact to try to raise up our people without the young people front and center has been one of the biggest mistakes we have made as a people and it's time we rethink that strategy. The youth must be our priority because our lives have been wasted and we are old and fearful but they are young and strong. 

I guess my point is that we can stop a lot of what's troubling our children if we take the time to build them up and stop blaming them for not knowing what we don't teach them. We can put an end to drugs guns and violence if we help to redirect the youth's focus. Lastly, I just want to say build something for your children even if you can finish it maybe they will and by doing so they can bring our people closer to freedom. I pray that all of you are reading this in good health and I hope that you will take this and build upon it because we can no longer afford to let the youth linger in the world as a forgotten future because the world is killing them. The young people need us to stand up for them today so that they can stand up for the next generation.

Bless UP!!!

Sengbe Ben Yosef ©2016