[Music]
when I think of a community I think of a
place where children are playing
together where neighbors are buying
sugar from one another a place where
people looked out for each other
yeah a place where children play
together and people looked out for one
another my goodness where your kids are
my kids and my kids are your kids well
aren’t they growing up this is how it
was for me this is what I knew this is
what we did but today it seems so far
from the truth
why does my community look so different
do you see the violence do you see the
hungry and the homeless why do so many
black men have on handcuffs community
this this is not normal I stand here
before you today as a mother whose son
was murdered this year January 1st July
1st but this is not about me this is
about those who are here but yet lost
what can we do to save them from going
down negative pathways places of
destruction children in elementary
school and middle school who desperately
need our attention but what can we do
to help them from being brainwashed from
violence and destruction we have to do
something to save other mothers from
experiencing my pain we need a place for
teens to go a place to help them grow
why are the kids from my neighborhood
called at-risk they’re just kids why are
we choosing to continue to put them at
risk by not providing adequate resources
proper programming mentorship
guidance by not teaching them and not
loving them we need a place of safety a
place of Solace
a place where maybe they could see
people who look like them black people
black people in power black people in
positive positions black people out of
poverty
where are the fathers dads your kids
didn’t get here on their own your kid
might be named Jesus but he’s not Jesus
nor if his mother the Virgin Mother Mary
dad’s your children are crying out for
you they’re crying out for your guidance
they need love they need mentoring and
they need food because we all know how
expensive that can be right they need
protection
and they need strong educational
services the one thing that our children
do not need is a pity party they need to
be challenged they need to be recognized
and they need to understand their value
for their lives what can we do to make
this change is there an actual call to
action or will we just continue to meet
to meet at the good old round table when
will we come to an understanding and
understand that something needs to be
done and it needs to be done quickly the
generation of today will be an unequal
generation of tomorrow if we refuse to
take action we should be attending
weddings award ceremonies graduations
and handing out awards to the best of
the best not attending funerals and
jailhouse visits of the young teaching
healthy competition and promoting love
and not hate I don’t have all of the
answers but what I do know is
statistically according to Kids Count
org 40% of children in Rhode Island are
being raised in single family households
that’s up 2% from 2013 and it’s down 1%
from 2011 but that’s only 1%
also according to Kids Count org
children growing up in single-parent
households typically do not have the
same economic resources of those who are
raised in a two-parent family
I don’t expect all of you to be able to
relate I just want to make it clear that
it is very real out here let’s make a
plan to create opportunities for our
youth let’s make a place where they
could feel safe we can no longer stop
providing them with guidance in the
eighth or ninth grade see that’s when
they need it the most
they need to be valued they need to be
loved and children today they do they
want to be held accountable
as a former intervention specialist for
the Providence public school system some
things that I’ve heard some startling
statements that I heard were things like
um miss Shawn Dell why should I try hard
in school my teacher doesn’t care or
miss Shawn Dell I hate my mother she
doesn’t like me and she’s never home and
then this one miss Shawn Dell I don’t
even know who my father is startling
statements startling this is something
that will create an epidemic of a major
identity crisis if we do not do
something and do something fast it’s
going to be a problem I need you to
understand the seriousness but also be
socially conscience of the path that’s
leading our children of today to death
and destruction these kids were not born
wanting to kill each other they weren’t
born wanting to hurt one another
actually young boys as young as five
years old have wanted to be doctors
lawyers firefighters
teachers and let’s not forget NFL stars
and NBA players our young girls have
wanted to be princesses since two years
old not accomplices to crimes of young
men what can we do and what is the plan
when are we going to understand that
enough is enough
Providence we cannot continue to keep
losing our children we need the help of
their fathers and they need to
understand their role and how critical
it is to the lives of their children my
dream is to attend more graduation
ceremonies weddings awards ceremonies
not funerals not jailhouse visits of the
young community I am asking for the
village to return and to return with an
intentional program to help save our
youth of today thank you
[Applause]
when I think of a community I think of a
place where children are playing
together where neighbors are buying
sugar from one another a place where
people looked out for each other
yeah a place where children play
together and people looked out for one
another my goodness where your kids are
my kids and my kids are your kids well
aren’t they growing up this is how it
was for me this is what I knew this is
what we did but today it seems so far
from the truth
why does my community look so different
do you see the violence do you see the
hungry and the homeless why do so many
black men have on handcuffs community
this this is not normal I stand here
before you today as a mother whose son
was murdered this year January 1st July
1st but this is not about me this is
about those who are here but yet lost
what can we do to save them from going
down negative pathways places of
destruction children in elementary
school and middle school who desperately
need our attention but what can we do
to help them from being brainwashed from
violence and destruction we have to do
something to save other mothers from
experiencing my pain we need a place for
teens to go a place to help them grow
why are the kids from my neighborhood
called at-risk they’re just kids why are
we choosing to continue to put them at
risk by not providing adequate resources
proper programming mentorship
guidance by not teaching them and not
loving them we need a place of safety a
place of Solace
a place where maybe they could see
people who look like them black people
black people in power black people in
positive positions black people out of
poverty
where are the fathers dads your kids
didn’t get here on their own your kid
might be named Jesus but he’s not Jesus
nor if his mother the Virgin Mother Mary
dad’s your children are crying out for
you they’re crying out for your guidance
they need love they need mentoring and
they need food because we all know how
expensive that can be right they need
protection
and they need strong educational
services the one thing that our children
do not need is a pity party they need to
be challenged they need to be recognized
and they need to understand their value
for their lives what can we do to make
this change is there an actual call to
action or will we just continue to meet
to meet at the good old round table when
will we come to an understanding and
understand that something needs to be
done and it needs to be done quickly the
generation of today will be an unequal
generation of tomorrow if we refuse to
take action we should be attending
weddings award ceremonies graduations
and handing out awards to the best of
the best not attending funerals and
jailhouse visits of the young teaching
healthy competition and promoting love
and not hate I don’t have all of the
answers but what I do know is
statistically according to Kids Count
org 40% of children in Rhode Island are
being raised in single family households
that’s up 2% from 2013 and it’s down 1%
from 2011 but that’s only 1%
also according to Kids Count org
children growing up in single-parent
households typically do not have the
same economic resources of those who are
raised in a two-parent family
I don’t expect all of you to be able to
relate I just want to make it clear that
it is very real out here let’s make a
plan to create opportunities for our
youth let’s make a place where they
could feel safe we can no longer stop
providing them with guidance in the
eighth or ninth grade see that’s when
they need it the most
they need to be valued they need to be
loved and children today they do they
want to be held accountable
as a former intervention specialist for
the Providence public school system some
things that I’ve heard some startling
statements that I heard were things like
um miss Shawn Dell why should I try hard
in school my teacher doesn’t care or
miss Shawn Dell I hate my mother she
doesn’t like me and she’s never home and
then this one miss Shawn Dell I don’t
even know who my father is startling
statements startling this is something
that will create an epidemic of a major
identity crisis if we do not do
something and do something fast it’s
going to be a problem I need you to
understand the seriousness but also be
socially conscience of the path that’s
leading our children of today to death
and destruction these kids were not born
wanting to kill each other they weren’t
born wanting to hurt one another
actually young boys as young as five
years old have wanted to be doctors
lawyers firefighters
teachers and let’s not forget NFL stars
and NBA players our young girls have
wanted to be princesses since two years
old not accomplices to crimes of young
men what can we do and what is the plan
when are we going to understand that
enough is enough
Providence we cannot continue to keep
losing our children we need the help of
their fathers and they need to
understand their role and how critical
it is to the lives of their children my
dream is to attend more graduation
ceremonies weddings awards ceremonies
not funerals not jailhouse visits of the
young community I am asking for the
village to return and to return with an
intentional program to help save our
youth of today thank you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: