#iCantbreathe

So I typically refrain from posting literary reactions to certain situations until I am properly informed.  While I appreciate the immediate emotional reaction of the country to recent current events, as an African American women, who may one day be a mother of an African American male, it frightens me to know that some of us are only down for the cause for now...And the rest of us will never be down for the cause unless it hits us right in the face.  So what do you do?  And that is the question that has been baffling me for days.  Solution unknown...

I have great pain in my heart and tears pour from my spirit for the individuals who have lost and will continue to lose loved ones to senseless acts and abuse of power.  The pain of loss in the families of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and a host of others not televised is something they will have to endure for a lifetime.  And for them, and potentially for me #icantbreathe.  I ask God to order my steps and give me insight to how I should assist in any way with developing a solution for a remedy for the misconception and misunderstanding of the message, and while it is true there is no peace where there is injustice, the flaws of the legal system are at the fault of the nation for not taking the freedom to vote and educate ourselves seriously.  We are the change that we seek, but we have to be about the change more than just in death situations.  We have to want to build the foundation for justice in our individual goals and dreams.  Too often we get a glimpse of one side of what life is like in the eyes of the celebrities we deem "iconic" and exhaust ourselves modeling our efforts on trying to be at the top and look down.  Inferiority is a state we impose on ourselves.  Inferiority is a state that we have control of eliminating.

I can't breathe
For the lives loss to injustice
For the peril sustained

No peace 

Yet we seek

Uniformity

Protest

When progress 

Is held in the actions of us

The fight for communal growth

Prosperity
We are the key 

We 

Us

You

Me 

And until we understand 

Our actions effect everyone

Or someone 

At given points in time 

We won't 

Get the message 

So for you 

For them 

And for me 

I can't breathe 

Until consciousness dwells

In the hearts and minds 

Of the individuals injustice finds 

And the goal 

Is universal 

People 

Who recognize the power 

To change

Encourages 

Justice

For us 

One day

What happened to the Innocent?... TRUTH SPEAK SERIES

I fear that children are being robbed of their innocence everyday, so I seek to explore explanations that could explain the why and maybe encourage change.

Everyday our children are playing reckless video games, flipping through channels and catching glimpses of or watching light pornography (on commercials and television shows) and/or overhearing adult conversations; yet, we expect that they are "unaware" or "don't know" anything!  Yet, we don't realize that we are implanting questions for children to seek answers to.  So children Goggle searches encompass looking for answers to things that we have shown them, but that we dare not explain because we feel like they are "unaware" or "it isn't time" for them to know.   So the question then becomes why are we so unaware of the fact that we are robbing them of their innocence by assuming we can show them things and not explain?

Is it that we are so disconnected, allowing our children to be raised by television or the internet, that we don't realize that keeping them innocent means moderating what they absorb.  Being aware of what we put in their faces.  Being mindful and open to moderating the answers to the questions in their minds.  Not occupying them with trash so that we can get some "free time"!  Unfortunately we assume that when we give children an iPad, laptop or iPhone that they will not explore it.  These devices come with parental controls for a reason.  We have to stop assuming our children won't find the answers we won't give them.

When something new is brought to our attention most often we seek to gain greater understanding.   As parents, we can not assume that our children will remain innocent even when being presented with  new questions and tools to help research those questions.  Parents seem to be less involved, or unconcerned, meaning children turn to the internet and television for answers.  When they see or hear the word kiss, the children of this generation will naturally "Google" it to figure out what it is.  Just think of how many questions our children encounter each day, with consideration to the total number of hours children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren watch television or surf the web.  Consider the notion that if your not answering those questions, who is?

Times have truly changed.  I remember as a child I spent my time playing games outside, swimming, roller skating, playing tennis or watching movies (approved and purchased by my parents).  I got electronics at the age of 11 or 12 but before that, I was more active than not.  I truly had no questions regarding sex until I was exposed to it.  I had no questions regarding sexuality because I was never confronted with it.  Now I was also an explorer and an inquisitive child.  But most of the time I spent taking things apart, trying to figure out what's inside, or how it works. Surprising that I wasn't an Engineer because that is what intrigued me most.  But I also didn't have the world wide web readily available at that time.  And I'm certain most of these children wouldn't know how to find their way around a library if you held their hand.  Or do any type of "real research" that doesn't involve a computer.

When we know all of this, the question becomes why are we ignoring it.  Why are we allowing ourselves to operate under the notion that we are NOT to blame for the lack of innocence in our children?  We can't place blame on one individual, as it has to be a collective change.  Even though my parents tried hard to preserve my innocence there were certain things I was exposed to, too early that were imposed on me.  As a child I mimicked what I was told or shown; and unfortunately that is a part of my past that I can not erase.  But I have made a decision to accept my circumstances and try to break the chains of miseducation and individuals exposing children to things too soon.