“Smiley, West & Co.” Can Tell Us What Our Problems Are…But Only You and I Can Solve Them!
wondered why us Black folk are always racking our brains to find solutions to our collective plight when the answers are all around us. Now I’m not claiming to have all the answers ’cause I’m just a “bougie middle class negro”, however I know that we don’t need a “covenant” to get our act together. We just need to make some common sense decisions in a few major areas:
EDUCATION:
1) Don’t allow your kids to be promoted to the next grade until you have documented proof that they can read on grade level.
2) Aside from feeding, clothing, and housing your family, your primary goal in life should be to do everything humanly possible to make sure that your kids graduate high school and are at least prepared to go to college, whether they decide to or not.
3) Whenever you’re schedule allows it, make appointments with your child’s teacher’s, counselors, and school administrators. Furthermore, make sure that your contributions to the meetings are positive and productive. Kids take their cues from you. They value the things that you value. If you (or an available family representative) are not taking interest in their academic progress, don’t expect them to give a damn about their grades. If you fathers out there can attend all your son’s football and basketball games, then you have time to attend parent/teacher conference nights.
4) Hold your kids accountable for their behavior, attendance, punctuality and preparedness to learn…and if your child is lucky enough to have a Black teacher or principal, work with them to improve you child’s performance rather than expecting them to give your child “breaks” just because they are Black.
FINANCE:
1) Every time you feel the urge to by a lottery ticket, some cigarettes, or an alcoholic beverage, stop yourself and put that money in a bank account that could eventually be used towards your child’s education.
2) Being a homeowner is always preferable to being a renter. Homes help to create wealth for you, while renting just makes some other guy richer. On your own home, even if you have to live with several other working relatives in order to do it. We may snicker and laugh at the Asian and Hispanic stereotype of 2 or more families living in a house, but they could be laughing all the way to the bank because they know something that we don’t.
3) If you’re driving a brand new car with rims and you’re renting…you are a broke negro waiting to happen.
4) Babies don’t need to wear brand name anything. Toddlers outgrow clothes from Nike, Reebok, and The Children’s Place just as fast as they outgrow clothes from Walmart, Target, and Payless.
SOCIAL:
1) If you don’t have a college education or a nice home, stop hating on brothers and sisters who do. Talk to them….get to know them…I’m sure that there are things you could learn from each other. When you see a successful person, learn what made them that way.
2) Don’t cry about what the white man has done to you unless a white person has actually done something to you. You live in an age where you are allowed to get a free education in any public school in America. You can ride in any part of the bus you want to, and you don’t have to go to any “colored establishments” anymore. Yet there were poor African-Americans who actually did live in those times who have managed to become doctors, lawyers, congressmen, celebrities, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and college presidents. Your excuses for not succeeding are becoming increasingly limited.
3) Always aim higher. Every time you see a Black athlete, actor, singer , or rapper that makes a lot of money, remember that it’s usually an even wealthier white owner, producer, or CEO that signs their checks. Don’t ever be satisfied with being a “high-priced slave” when their might be a chance for you to own the whole plantation.
I love America in general, and my Black brothers and sisters in particular. We have so much potential, we’ve done enough talking about it….let’s start realizing it.
