Black Boys Wouldn't Be on Corners Selling Water if We Had Reparations!
To be quite honest, the issues can’t completely be fixed because Black Americans need reparations and we’re tiptoeing around the conversation.
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If these young Black boys had parents or family who could give them the essentials that they need, then they wouldn’t have to be out on the corners of our streets hustling to survive.
Black Boys Wouldn't Be on Corners Selling Water if We Had Reparations!
The divide between the have and have nots in this country is one thing. Then we have the division between the talented tenth of Blacks that DuBois spoke of, the working class of Blacks Washington’s perspective which are both largely outnumbered by the masses of Black people in America who are the working poor and living in poverty.
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We have to have the boldness to speak the solutions needed to improve the quality of living for Black Americans. Reparations should include college loans should be paid off, debt cleared, mortgages fulfilled in full so that we have a true opportunity to build and leave our next generations with something. These young boys weren’t left anything.
They were born into a race where they were already losing. Then they see social media, entertainers and gentrifiers in their communities that constantly remind them of the life they would want to live but they are too busy selling waters for dollars and cents.
Each day we see them on the corners is a brutal wake up call and slap in the face of reality that we are failing the masses of Black citizens in this country.
Black Americans who are living, struggling and dying in communities that have been overlooked, underfunded and given the short end of the stick shouldn’t be confined to this. Over the years lower income communities have been called the “ghetto”, tha “hood” or da “bluff”. Systemic racism and oppressive laws purposely design lower income communities filled with people of color to continue the control and power of slavery.
Mentoring, fatherhood, co parenting, guardianship all impact the choices and paths these youth take. We’re seeing that not enough people are spending time interacting with and engaging these young boys. It takes a village to raise a child. We have to help remove negative stereotypes of Black boys. Many of the barriers stem from our societal views and labels placed on Black boys that prevent them from obtaining success. They see this in home, school and society.
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If these young boys have on vests, shirts and are uniformed will that change the way we engage them? I hope so. Because right now, we treat them like a menace to society before even rolling our windows down. I asked the young boys what their engagement is when they approach drivers.
- A lot of people ignore them i.e. roll up their windows, look the other way or are engaged on their phones
- Most people patronize them
- Some people give a donation
- A few people actually take the time to talk to them
The way that we engage with young Black boys is reflected in how society, our schools, the justice system, police and others treat them. We can’t fix the issues of Black boys and youth selling waters or products on street corners, train stations, plazas and on the streets until we fix the wealth gap, improve public schools, reform the prison system and provide an equitable wage for all workers.
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