A letter to our African-American sons
Emma McElvaney Talbott, Special to The Courier-Journal 12:07 a.m. EST December 6, 2014
Dear African-American sons:
What just played out in Ferguson, Mo., and in Sanford, Fla., is nothing new. These stories are a part of an ongoing and horrific saga that began long before the establishment of our nation. And if you’re wondering how long? Sadly, it will be longer still, but it will change for the better in time with your help and the help of all citizens of good will.
After the demonstrations have faded and the talks in search of real solutions have been placed on a back burner, you must examine your role in how you will work to change the twisted mentality that follows your every move and that profiles you before you have even entered the education system. Though your anger is well-founded as you realize that you are unsafe whether in urban, suburban or rural environments, we need you to survive. And we need your strength, your youth and your intellect to create a major cultural shift.
What has happened will not end quickly. Low expectations will persist, the same willingness to lash out, maim or kill without hesitancy will continue because you are the target just as your male ancestors were. And sadly, you are the target within your own ranks by those who see themselves and you as worth less than others. Many who harbor negative attitudes, even toward the best and brightest of you, use a flawed construct to view all of you with suspicion and to justify unequal treatment in dozens of ways from the education system, to unequal treatment in the criminal justice system, to acceptance on the job.
Unfair? You bet. But this will only change when we collectively stand with you as you become a major catalyst in changing the prevailing attitudes that to be a black male is to look evil, menacing and up to no good. Too often you are still the scapegoat for whatever ails society. If some choose to hold on to flawed beliefs, there is little that we can do about that. Instead, you must partner with others who are willing to help our country move to a better place.
We need ongoing gatherings in churches, clubs, schools and civic organizations that will plan courses of action. In this way, we can develop direction and find solace and strength from such collective efforts. We must continue a journey begun by your forefathers who endured the same atrocities and much worse. They had no recourse, dared not demonstrate over cruel conditions, and understood that legal recourse was a laughing matter. Though immersed in a system where they were viewed as not fully human, they refused to give up, even under the pain of the lash, the death of the noose, the humiliation and yoke of the slave block, and the division of their families. A lesser people would not have survived.
Moving forward will not be easy but do not discount the bridge that brought you “over a way that with tears has been watered.” Learning your history will inform your actions. Those of you who do unlawful things did not get the lessons. Schools still fall short and many parents don’t know, so they must be willing to learn their history alongside you at public offerings such as libraries, workshops, lectures and the reading of hundreds of books that were not available a few decades ago.
You must begin this turnaround with a well-thought-out personal agenda with high goals. You must partner with other young people to increase the power of one that will grow exponentially. Your agenda must include putting forth your best effort in school because education is still fundamental to navigating and contributing meaningfully to your own advancement and to the world that you must help shape.
Become informed about what is going on in your community, city, state, the nation and the world. It is not up to someone else. It is up to you, as James Brown used to sing, to get involved. Being unaware contributes to your own take down.
Vote. Never mind that vulgar sums of money are given to candidates that the super rich control — vote anyway. If you are 18, you should be voting. Voting does count in the long run. Why else would we see the rise of voter suppression and gerrymandering to weaken the black and Hispanic vote?
Avoid the quick path to material things. After all, those items that are hot today are stale and out-of-style next year. This has always been the case so do not risk accumulating things unlawfully.
Dope is an old trick that has been used in black communities to render them powerless. You cannot win against this poison. You will be relegated to the sidelines if you choose this quick path to soothe a broken spirit. Better if you decide to never touch illegal drugs because kicking a habit is much harder than starting one.
Once you make a commitment to yourself and your people, you will be able to change unjust laws.
Racial profiling will be slowed and some day stopped because you will be in positions of power to steer this mighty ship called America in new directions.
You are needed in law enforcement using your powers judiciously.
You are needed as teachers from kindergarten to the university molding young minds.
You are needed as mayors to help regenerate our cities and as governors to lead states.
You are needed in the halls of Congress to replace ignoramuses who disrespect the office of the president by shouting out such foolishness as, “you lie.”
We need you on the local, district and federal benches and to serve on the Supreme Court, but not as a caricature.
Given time, it will be commonplace for you to head the executive branch at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., without the hateful backlash that has come from those who will never accept that the nation is changing.
My dear sons, too often you have been the stone that the builder rejected. You are the fruit of our wombs and we love you immeasurably. We birthed you in our youth for such a time as this and we recognize that our nation needs you to help guide and strengthen her as she grapples with worldwide madness that has caused us to live in fear of constant attack. We believe in you and we are entrusting you to continue a noble legacy that was begun by your people when they had nothing at all except faith, determination and hope for future generations.
Emma McElvaney Talbott of Louisville is an educator dedicated to equality and the mother of two African-American sons.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Sunday, December 7th 2014 at 7:48PM
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