Are you man enough?

There's not a street that you can walk, you got to watch just who your talking to. They're out to get you, can't turn your back on a smilin face. Next thing you know there ain't no trace of you, and this I bet you, some people lose and some folks win it's just a matter of what they do. Are you man enough' big and bad enough? Are you gonna let them shoot you down. When the evil flies and your brother cries, are you gonna be around? Someone needs a friend just around the bend. Don't you think you should be there? Are you man enough, when the goings rough? Is it in your heart to care?
There's no pretending it goes away. With every step that you take you pay your dues and I ain't lying. You got to struggle to see the light. How someones trying to steal your right to choose, and they don't stop trying. It's a jungle outside your door, and it's keeping so confused.
Are you man enough big and bad enough?

Thanks, Courtesy of the Four Tops.

Statisticly Speaking, Are Black male teenagers GRADUATING?

Well, ten years ago the national rate for minority children making it through grade school to graduting High School was as follows. 50% for black s, 51% for Native Americans, and 53% for Hispanics respectively. This information was gathered and documented by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard (CRP). Also involved the Urban Institute, Advocate for Children in NY, and Results for America. Here we are ten years later, and has anyhting improved for us in DC? Well, as of 2009 the on time graduting rate was well below 50%, a shocking 48%: MD & VA rates didn't improve from 1990's rates, but werwe still much higher than DC. DC the nations capitol, why are we still struggling with this in 20011?

Technical Change, by Richard M. Morano, Donald A . Dellow

In the early nineteenth-century England, workers now known as luddites roamed the countryside destroying machinery that they saw as creating unemployment and upsetting their traditional life. They were of course, right: The growing mechanization of production. What we would now call tehnological change, and expanding volume of trade ushered in the industrial revolution and disrupted traditional patterns of life. The neo-Luddite movement of today has simular worries and is evidenced by the antiglobalization sentiments that produced riots in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries in Seatle, Paris and London.

The Funeral

Today we laid to rest a young lady, who was shot to death last week. I didn't know the young person, but as I interacted with the, over 500, guest to her funeralI learned a valuble lesson.

Luckie, as she was effectionately called was only four months from graduating from CARDOZO Sr. HIGH SCHOOL, and was excited about becoming a Metroplitan Police Dept. Cadet. She wanted to do something, and serve her community. As I said earlier I did not know her, but over 500 people did. They confirmed who she was. Now, it was revealed that Luckie was not always working towards her goals. She was still luckie, but she was not working towards positive goals. She was not headed in a good positive direction. Something happened in her life, that turned her around, what? I don't know. But for at least the last ten months she was turning things around. GOOD FOR YOU LUCKIE. God Bless Your Soul.

The lesson here is no one is ever beyond turning things around in there life. Were also taught to never give up on our young people. They are valued, needed and appreciated.

Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club #10.

I had the opportunity on, Saturday past, to work at the old #10 Boys and Girls Club, thats now operated by the Latin American Center, and partnered with the #10 parents association. There was program going on that was designed to address the violence among the areas youth. Over two hundred and fifty young participants were present. My job was to prevent if possible any violence at this event, the organizers wanted to ensure if gangs showed up that nothing happened. As far as I can tell you nothing did while I was assigned there. There were speeches by young people and a popular radio station set up and broadcast the event. Very good for the organizers.

Wait a minute, did I mention that 95% of the participants were Hispanic, and that not to mention there were no representatives from the #10 parents association. What’s going on? Were they not included? Were they not notified? Really what’s up? The only reminder of this centers rich black heritage was only scene in the pictures on the wall. Representation of this rich heritage was not noticed in actual attendance, and not to mention many organizers were the new people in the community. Obviously this is a significant sign of polarization and the suspects are obvious.
Welcome to the new North West.

When will we get it?

When will we as a group of people understand that sticking together is one of the best way's to get ahead.

Why do we steal from ourselves?

We have a 7-11 in our community and it's a short walk away from home. Always open and never closed. Convenient and clean.

They have been robbed 3 times in the last 3 weeks by guys in the community. Why?