Is it necessary to teach kids about race and the restrictions it placed on our forefathers or is it more beneficial to teach them how to aspire to greatness. I believe too much emphasis is placed on the color of the skin and it’s “so called limitations” and not on what we can achieve with hard work and dedication.
I won’t ignore the facts of the past which definetly had a strong bearing on the quality of the life and opportunities that my grandparents and those before them had.
Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and other civil right stalwarts of that generation open the doors for us with their marvelous dedication and fight to win equal rights for all and we will be eternally grateful for them.
Now we need to make the civil rights heroes of the past proud by teaching and showing our kids how to be high achievers, stop blaming the system and using the color of our skin as an excuse when we make bad choices, like not getting a good education when it’s so easy to get higher education in this country, there is a college or university in almost every city in America. Having too many kids without proper planning is another reason as well as too many divorces that damage the child’s emotional stability.
We have to many families dependent on welfare in America, which I think is bad for the society because it encourages laziness and non productivity. Yes, I know families are hurting now because of the bad economy but long before that families were on welfare and still living way above their means which only hurt the economy in the long run.
Ensure your children do well in school, play an active role in their school life, help them to make good decisions. Be a good role model by getting them good autobiographies and motivational books by past great achievers like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Succeeding Against The Odds by John Johnson the (founder of Ebony magazine) and Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.
Mark
CEO
Ouch! Let’s be careful that we don’t make too many generalisations when addressing the issue of race. Teaching kids about race, includes teaching white kids about their Viking history or Scottish past. Teaching kids about race includes teaching Chinese kids about their ancient cultures and past. If by ‘race’ you mean Black children and specifically in America then first we need to make that distinction.
Also, when we say ‘issue of race’ we tend to only mean American Black History and the impact on Black Americans today. In one corner we have Bill Cosby rebuking parents for buying their kids $180 sneakers but no books. In the other corner we have those that lament the ‘oppression’ that was endured that created a system by ‘the man’ that keeps out ‘the brothers’. Okay, so I’m sounding like Farrakhan of the ’80s. But you get my point.
The Good Book expounds the role and responsibility of the family structure. I must say that I strongly believe in the institution of family to ‘teach’. Yes, we need to know where we are coming from to know where we need to go. But to stay in the past does nothing but keep one there.
Regarding ‘Kids and the Issue of Race”, Black American kids need to be taught their history, as I was taught West Indian history. But if we are referring to the excuses that we hear from time to time then that’s an entirely different issue and not necessarily restricted to race. Every child, black, white, yellow, should be taught how to achieve greatness and to aim for the stars.
However, the onus is on Black American parents to emphasize what other races seem to do without a problem. Teach the importance of hardwork, perseverance and the need for a good education.
In London I find that most black people are not as progressive as in other societies like the USA or the Caribbean where there was real struggle. Black Africans and Caribbean nationals appear to be far more forward moving than black British nationals. I think we teach our kids in the Caribbean to be proud of themselves and Africans has that kind of thinking as well. I am sure many black Americans think the same way. I must question how our different histories of struggle and fighting for freedom has affected our view of the world and our role in these different societies.
I am certain that every race and/or nationality are by nature proud. That is, one is proud to be Irish, Jewish or Asian. In big cities in America, like London, where there is a more racially mixed population, the distinctions are more obvious.
We say that Jamaicans or the average Caribbean or African national is hardworking and ambitious. We use this also to describe the Asians. However, this is not the case with the black American population. It seems as if the expectations are different. When a black American achieves some great feat (not athletic or entertainment) there is much made of the accomplishment. Almost as if it’s not expected it’s the ‘one that made it.’
While your views may be different based on history, how much does this actually affect an entire generation’s progress? Does the average West Indian or African refer to their past when excelling in school or ‘climbing the ladder of success’ in an attempt to live the American dream of home ownership, etc. Does the Asian child insist on owning $180 designer sneakers instead of learning to save?
Again, I refer to the institution of family. I guess that’s where I lay blame. The things that I will place as important in my life will more than likely become important to my child. If I place education and fiscal responsibility as important, more than likely my children will follow suit.
The points put forward by Xenia is very noteworthy and I totally understand and agree with that. I think black people (generally, though I don’t like generalising) use the race card as an excuse for not achieving anything when they choose to compare themselves to that of the other races. The past should remain in the past as the experiences of those times were not our own. We need to live in the present and make our own experiences. The problem starts with the family structure. Here in the UK all the races have their issues and excuses for not achieving greatness and find everyone and everything to blame. In the UK quite a few whites are on benefits with kids having kids and doing nothing useful with their time on this planet. That has nothing to do with their colour but to do with their family, upbringing, morals etc. We are all capable of achieving whatever we want but we need to aspire to be more and so become that. Nowadays the racial lines are growing very thin because majority will end up being mixed as there are a lot more inter-racial marriages and relationships than there was in the past. Hopefully we will be able to move on from racism and stick to human-ism. Humans are very judgemental and we put ourselves as well as others down for various reasons and then blame it on race/colour or religion or parents or environment etc. etc. etc. We are all able to be whatever we want to be within our own beliefs of success. The issues come when we try to compare one to the other not realising that success comes within the hierarchy of our own set of values starting from the highest and working down. For one the highest value may be marriage and family while another’s highest value may be career and money. The family person may thing they have not achieved because they may have given up a career for family not realising that within their hierarchy of values in terms of success their highest value is family. We all need to get over racism and prejudices