With all the talk of the N-word, everyone needs to focus their attention on the E-word - Education. The E-word comes up quite often but not often enough. You can usually hear the word thrown around when our so called would be politicians or incumbents make promises that they have no plans of keeping. Watch them when they crawl out of their holes during election season and use the E-word to get re-elected again.

It is sad but on average, states are spending more on prisons than on higher education. Legislators must put the education system at the head of other issues in the community. They must ensure that funds are redirected into the school system while declaring a moratorium on prison construction. As long as funds are going to prisons instead of the educational system, schools will continue to serve as feeder systems into prisons. That means students will continue to be expelled and kicked out of school and end up in prison.

Legislators must be held accountable. Too many leaders are refusing to mentor, assist, and develop youth for leadership in the community. We need to stop giving up on our children and realize their potential. We must not throw away a whole generation of young people. We must mentor our kids and supply the guidance they really need. Judges, police officers, probation officers, lawyers, solicitors, zero tolerance, parental neglect, mandatory minimum, breakdown of the family, and poor education are causing our kids to be jailed.

While community leaders and others are quick to rally and protest on many issues, many can't understand why education is not one of the main issues being rallied around?

Our students are being sent overseas to fight for justice, and those who remain here are being jailed as a means of control. This must change!

Parents must play a greater role in protecting their children. Laws, rules, and regulations exist for everything we do. The community and parents must become familiar with school guidelines and the curriculum. Parents need to review school policies and guidelines with their children and communicate to them the consequences for not following the rules. Students must also learn discipline at home. It may be difficult now with the economy as it is and parents working two or three jobs, but parents must try harder.

Parents must educate their children early to be respectful to police. Many parents rarely take time to research their children's rights and the resources available to them. As a result, the juvenile justice system places children as young as age 13 in detention centers, jails and prisons, where they can be raped and assaulted by adults. They become repeat offenders and the cycle is perpetrated.

Parents must prepare students for college at the elementary and secondary levels. It's up to us to make sure our children are getting the foundation they need. We must also teach our kids early how to become volunteers and mentor younger children. It's important to create a nation of volunteers and mentors.

Parents must have a presence at school, PTA meetings, school board meetings and other school events and activities. They need to be educated on the benefits of attending these meetings. If parents and others are not at the table, then they will not have any input in the school curriculum.

There needs to be a human rights curriculum implemented in elementary and secondary schools. If people knew their human rights are being violated, they would be more proactive in challenging these issues.

The school curriculum needs to be revamped. Our children need to be taught to become entrepreneurs instead of going to school and working for someone else. They need to focus on more than just landing a good job, buying a lavish house, and driving a fine car.

Gatekeepers are everywhere! We need to challenge and eliminate gatekeepers. "Gatekeepers" can mean many things. Mostly gatekeepers are those who are in a position to uplift and motivate our children but choose not to. Many school superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors, and other school administrators are serving as gatekeepers in our schools. Gatekeepers keep students from obtaining the correct resources and information. They keep our children from moving forward.

We can't depend on guidance counselors to give our kids the right information. Some guidance counselors are not providing the students with the correct information on how to get into college. They are directing students to go into the military and technical schools instead of educating them on how to get into colleges and universities.

One answer is to set up educational watchdog groups to monitor the school system which includes teachers (part-and full-time), school principals, superintendents, school board members, school funding, the whole disciplinary process. These educational watchdog groups should be comprised of community leaders, community activists, lawyers, legislators, teachers, parents, and others directly involved in the school system. These members need to be visible at school functions and in the back of classrooms to monitor teachers and others in the school system.

Educational watchdog groups, the community, and parents must monitor the disciplinary processes in our schools. The disciplinary process must not have any type of disparities. Certain students, particularly minority students, are targeted and are being placed into alternative schools for the wrong reasons. There must be equal opportunity and equal punishment for all students. The disciplinary process must be monitored and challenged by the community, but especially by parents.

These watchdog groups need to inform others in the community that they can go into prisons, jails, and detention centers to make sure there is rehabilitation, healthcare, education, and outreach programs for our children and others. At all costs there must be rehabilitation over incarceration. Our children are our future; therefore, we must work to ensure they have a future.

************************************************************************

Cathy Harris is available for Lectures, Seminars and Workshops.
She is the author of recently released "How To Take Control of Your Own Life: A Self-Help Guide to Moving Forward" and soon to be released "The Failure of Homeland In-Security: The Government's Dirty Little Secrets from An Insider." You can order her book off her website at Angels Press, P.O. Box 870849, Stone Mountain, GA 30087, Phone: (800) 797-8663, Fax: (678) 254-5014, Website: http://www.angelspress.com Email: info@angelspress.com The book is available in Atlanta at Oasis, Medu, Nubian, Wisdom Hut bookstores or ask for the book at any bookstore or library.

© July 2006 By Afromerica

Ms. Cathy Harris will be keeping the Black community updated on issues of family, Justice and Law that will strengthen our lives. Visit regularly for new information that could help you pursue a more positive lifestyle.

To subscribe to Cathy's column join the Afromerica email list to receive new information as it is updated. Or E-mail C Harris at: AskCathyHarris@comcast.net

Submit an article
Join the Mailing List
Join a Discussion

Afromerica: Where its all Black & white and some gray areas.

[TOP]     [BACK TO COLUMN]