Friday Debate: B.O.B.
funny you posted this.. as most of the country has heard, my and Double Ay's hometown, Jersey City, NJ had a horrendous police shooting last week where five cops were shot byt a young brotha and one cop died. His funeral is going on right now as i type these words. I rarely go home anymore but an ole high school friend who is a community activist asked me to come back to see the plans for regentrification of our old neighborhood..i went down right after work and we walked through the neighborhood and i couldn't help but notice the young brothas reaction to my presence in a suit and loosened tie. I turned to my friend and asked, "OK, you are regentrifying the neighborhood but how do you regentrify them? Does this generation get left behind once again just like those we left behind when we jumped on the AA (affirmative action) train got our good gubment jobs and headed out to the suburbs?" She looked at me and said, "We need men D. Not bourgy brothas riding through here in German cars wearing suits every couple of sundays to check on their mommas looking down their noses and shaking their heads. We need a real presence of real men." so the answer to your question came to me at that moment D..we save our sons by engaging them... fully.. and on every level.. physically, intellectually and spiritually....As we walked past hordes of young brothas, i started doing just that.. engaging them in conversation and because i initiated the conversation i dictated the tone, "How you doing young brotha? How's your summer going so far?" They were shocked that i would even speak much less spend a few seconds asking them about their lives.. and a few were uncomfortable in their responses because i caught them off guard.. "Nice car Sir." one of them said as he pasted my whip wearing full Blood colors.. I smiled at him and he smiled back, "thank you young man. You got good taste." That's how we start. Intiate contact. engage them in conversation. Dictate the tone. Find common ground and then build from that. some of these young cats have never had a decent conversation with a black man in their entire lives. You will never be a man until you see one. and you can't expect a blind man to appreciate sight through your eyes. You first have to convince him that he's blind..
I focus not on my disabilty; my focus is on my ABILITIES.
(Dedee, 2009)
My hearing impairment ENABLES me, not disables me.
(Dedee, 2008)
~Dedee
1. Lack of respect for elders - remember back in the day when Mrs. So&So saw or heard you acting crazy? She lit into your ass then told your parents about it. My Moms had to STOP her car because some kids were walking in the middle of the road - she told them to use the sidewalk, they told her to *** off.
2. Lack of fathers - Mos def on this one. So many women/men fail to realize how they act today around their kids, molds them for tomorrow. Bringing Tom, Dick and Harpo around and openly partaking in activities (leaving this WIIIIIDDDEEE open) is reckless and irresponsible.
**Weight loss since June 08**
For what??Well if that's the case then you'd better plan on moving all of your child's cousins, friends, and homeys that he'd otherwise be leaving behind too. The hood is not limited to a particular area within the city; it's more like the dayum Twilight Zone - it's not just made up of "sight and sound but rather a state of mind."
Hood or no hood you can't shelter what goes on the MIND. I can type some stories on him about the rich pink people kids here in my office who live in Highland Park (millon dollar homes) and the trouble some of their kids have gotten into.
Black young men need POSITIVE black men role models.....that simple... There are some cases were young black boys were raised by their mothers alone and end up exceling in life..... Michelle Obama mom did a heck of a job with her and her brother.
You can leave the hood but the hood can always find you.. There have been some sucessful black men (lawyers, doctors) that grew up in the HOOD and was poor as a child.
I also think many people let video games and tv raised our children. Michelle Obama mother allowed them what 2 hours a day to watch tv, and the other time was spent in books.
I agree. My son vaguely remember his Dad. My Pops, brothers, uncles and others have been an awesome support group. I'm blessed to have them.
In my case, I'm grateful that my son has a POSITIVE MALE that he looks at as a great father - pink, black, purple....the color of the skin doesn't matter. Well, that's another topic for another day.
**Weight loss since June 08**
I was raised in the south suburbs of Chicago that was fairly decent until the housing projects in Chicago were torn down. The families moved into some of the suburbs and the neighborhood changed. My parents still live there and I'm proud to call it my hometown.
But raising a family there?
Hell to da naw!
These little mofos across street from my Folks mouths are worse than sailors. Folks burn down their homes because they didn't want to pay that second mortgage. Boys walking down the street with that saggin' schitt on who don't give a flying farganoodle if you hear them talk about supaflyingdaho or how much Henn they can hold.
Nah....can't raise my son around that nonsense.
**Weight loss since June 08**
Another thing I dislike is stereotypes....OMG he has braids or locs...he is a thug ~roll eyes~
Ohhh, you live out there....you must be rich ~roll eyes~.....
The inner-city, I'm speaking of Cinci, what people don't understand is that some people are there because that is where they feel comfortable. Just like there are issues in the city, there are issues in the burbs...
I remember telling DJ when we moved here, "Baby, if they offer you a pill, don't take it!"
I focus not on my disabilty; my focus is on my ABILITIES.
(Dedee, 2009)
My hearing impairment ENABLES me, not disables me.
(Dedee, 2008)
~Dedee
