Kids are Dying for Us to Help Them

Earlier this week I learned about the death of a young man in New York City. Although I didn’t know him personally, the news left me feeling extremely melancholy. A teenager, in the prime of his life, was shot and killed in cold blood. At 19, he hadn’t even begun to live. From what I gather, this young man was caught in between two worlds, something that happens to many youth who grow up in the inner city.
On the positive side, he was a student athlete at a local college and was set to attend a four-year college on a scholarship…next month. That amazing opportunity died with him, and what a tragedy that is. Here was a kid who had enormous potential…there was even talk of a possible NFL career in his future, but that is a dream that he didn’t get the chance to realize. Why? Because some unidentified person decided that the issue that they had between them was worth killing him for. What can be so terrible as to drive one to take the life of another? How can we help our youth understand the value of human life? How can we get them to value their own lives and see a future filled with opportunity? Those questions have perplexed me for quite some time now.
Life in the “hood” has rules and norms of its own. In the “hood” many of our kids are willing to die for respect, and will risk going to jail for being disrespected. Some kids feel forced into negativity because the alternative is to be victimized by those who have embraced the thug mentality. It is here in the hood that statistics of high school drop outs, teenage pregnancy, gang activity, rampant drug and alcohol use, and kids dying too young cloud the vision and ability to dream. In the hood, there’s a state of emergency—because reality is killing dreams.
Who’s to blame though? Is it the parent of the kid who does the shooting? Did they do a poor job at raising their child? Are they too busy to pay attention to what’s going on with their child? Certainly there must be some signs that you have a child capable of such a heinous act. Is it the fault of the youth because they get themselves into situations and don’t know how to walk away? It should be easy to apologize, or at least agree to disagree, right? Is it the schools for not providing a curriculum that helps kids unveil their hidden talents, skills and abilities? Wouldn’t kids be willing to “do the right thing” if they had a clearer path to prosperity? Is it the media? Are these television, movie, and musical images dooming our kids to pursue the wrong things? Are they hypnotized and mesmerized by the facade?
I don’t know who’s to blame…and I’m not even sure if it matters. I just know that there has to be a way that collectively WE can be a part of changing this phenomenon. It’s such a huge undertaking that it overwhelms me to think about our ability to be successful. However, pointing blame, talking about the problem without offering action-oriented solutions, and ignoring the issues because they are not directly affecting our lives is unacceptable. So how do we do it? One kid at a time. Leave the comfort and convenience of your life and environment and get involved. Volunteer. Mentor. Donate to a charitable organization that works with at-risk youth. Reach out to a parent that may need advice. Please, just commit to doing something. I am tired of reading about and hearing about kids who “had” so much potential. It’s time for us to help them reach it.