From Martin Luther King and Ernest Green to Tyrone and Pookie...

I would first like to thank BET for showing The Ernest Green Story today, which inspired me to write this blog. This was my first time ever seeing that movie and it looked like an oldie, but goodie. Okay enough about me, let's get to it. Okay, my wonderful blog title is wonderful, right?

According to the encyclopedia of Arkansas history and culture, Ernest Green made history as the only senior of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students who, in 1957, were responsible for desegregating Central High School in Little Rock. Green’s place in Arkansas’s civil rights history was solidified when he became the first African American to graduate from the previously all-white Central High School. Okay, so do you see why Mr. Green is significant, okay now let's get to Dr. King.

We should all know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader, pastor, mentor, friend, father and so much more. Dr. King was an advocate of non-violence. Wow, what great men they are. These two wonderful men were positive examples when things weren't easy for African Americans. These men had to endure being called the "N" word, being beat by the white man, spit on, kicked, bruised and battered, shall I go on? The point is that younger African American children had someone to look up to, to respect, they had a leader. And what makes it worse is that these great leaders, in spite of the negativity around them, still held their heads high and set positive examples. Okay now let's say hello to the 2010 leaders to most of our children: the typical Tyrone and Pookie.

Let me state this disclaimer. If your name really is Tyrone or Pookie, then I'm not directly speaking to you, these are just two random names that I hear a lot and they describe the type of men that I am going to talk about. So please forgive me in advance. Also, I know that there are great leaders and role models of today that really want the best for our children, but I'm not talking about them right now. So back to what I was originally saying.

In this day and age, who are our children following? What do our children want to be when they grow up? If a child passes a lick, does the other child hit back? As a parent, have you ever asked yourself these questions? Well, I'm not a parent, but I have nieces and nephews, a host of cousins and I was a substitute teacher working with children ages K-8. I can't imagine to tell you the things that I have seen or heard coming from these babies. Who is setting these BAD examples? Children are cussing out their parents and teachers, bringing weapons to school, consistently fighting, using drugs and alcohol, and we cannot forget the black on black crime. And guess where the problem starts...in the HOME. We have young and old mothers running around, not caring where their children are, allowing them to run the streets, allowing them to do whatever they want, and then when they bring that kind of behavior into the classroom, all that teacher can do is send them to the office...so where's the learning? Does this mean that your child will grow up to be a nobody? I don't know, but it needs to stop.

Another thing, children growing up without their fathers. Now this has been an issue for decades, but it's not getting any better either. Did yall hear Kesha say that she loved Pookie and she wanted to have his baby? Well, Pookie's real name is Deundre and yall know the baby's name is gonna be Deundresha, right? Sad I tell you, just sad. Well, Deundre BKA Pookie is not with Kesha anymore but he still comes around to "get some" every now and then, and little Deundresha grows up to think that's the way it should be, so that cycle will repeat itself. People, who is gonna be strong and wise enough to break this cycle, it has to end. So you see, these are the kinds of leaders that we have for our children today. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do know that you will not get very far in life being uneducated, and that goes for common sense and book sense. Okay now on to Tyrone.

Hmmm, Tyrone is the BIG man on the block. All the kids in the neighborhood see him standing on the corner every day and night and when they ask him what he's doing, he simply replies, "I'm working." So, our children start to think that standing on the corner and having cars ride by and stop, then you go and take a peek into the window, slip something out of your hand to the driver, then slip something else into your pocket is work. Oh and they really believe it too because Tyrone is always "clean" from head to toe, has the finest jewelry, has the sexiest ladies all around him and he has on a new pair of Jordan's every time the new ones come out. Man, I want to be like Tyrone when I grow up. And you see, many of these children don't have an example father in the home, so they see Tyrone as daddy. And sometimes, the momma is laid up with another man, or just doesn't care what you do, just come in when it gets dark. And these are the leaders of today for our children. Wow!