Like so many Americans I went to sleep last night with a broken heart and today I woke up still crying for all the innocent lives lost yesterday. On Monday there will be 20 empty seats in the classrooms and 8 school administrators are also counted among the lost. As a parent you think about your own children and how you put them on the school bus with an expectation that they would return unharmed. So we are left with the question how do you prepare for evil? Sure we are now being told that the shooter had a history of mental illness, but he might have been but he access to a killing machine and he methodically stole the lives of children and changed the lives of everyone connected to this tragedy. Is gun control the answer? In this case his mother bought the guns legally. The irony is she bought the gun that was used to kill her by her own son. This is the kind of story that affects everyone. It hurts. The children that died yesterday were still young enough to believe in Santa Claus and there parents probably had the toys on their wish list hidden throughout their homes, in anticipation of the holidays, but sadly this Christmas will be so very different. We are left to ask what can we do? Today we can keep the families of the victims in our prayers and we must do something to stop this kind of thing from happening again, and that means gun control.
A NY mother, Marina Krim hired a nanny. She and her husband spent time with this woman during the hiring process. She seemed like the perfect fit, but then she did the unthinkable. She stabbed two of their children to death and then attempted to kill herself. This is the kind of crime that makes all parents cringe. You never know what lurks in the hearts of men. The parents did nothing wrong. In fact they did everything right and still and this happened to them. Fortunately this is a horrific tragedy it is not the norm. Parents have to work and other people look out for your kids while you work. You’ve got to simply pray they are sane. share your thoughts.
We are reading and seeing so many people with opinions on the Chicago Teachers Strike. In so many narratives the teachers are the villians. The word “union” has become a dirty word, but it was through the unions that so many minorities became middle class so this demonization of their efforts is troubling. This morning I talked to a friend of mine in Chicago who has a child that is sitting at home today. This is her perspective of what is going on in Chicago. “There is a new appraisal system. Looks like a lot rides on test scores and teachers can literally be fired if their class’ numbers aren’t where they should be. They want that revisited. They want the laid off teachers to be recalled when there are openings. Each year they close schools and/or do turnarounds so they want to be able to be hired at the new schools. I thought they currently could interview for openings in those “new” schools, but what do I know? They want more money to offset the longer day and the increase in health care costs. (They need a reality check) I think new teachers make $47K. There’s a lot in that $60K range. Also, I think both sides BS’ed too long. The state changed the laws and made it harder for teachers to strike. I think because they met those stricter requirements CTU has that “How you like me now attitude” and they are on strike because they can. On the flip side. If the school board can come up with $25million to open 144 schools for 5 hours to feed kids and other things as a part of the contingency plan, why not give some to the teachers. My son is pissed because any days missed for the strike have to be made up and he’s not feeling it. I’m fortunate that I don’t have younger kids that I’ve have to figure out what to do with. On one hand I get it, but they should have worked this s**t out at the bargaining table!!!!”
If you are familiar with gospel music you have heard music by James Fortune. He is being sued for abusing his stepson ten years ago. Fortune held the then 4 year old in a scaldiing hot bath that has left the child permently disfigure. His wife is also being sued. As I read the linked story I was saddened by the horrific actions fortune took, but even more appalling is the mother allowing this man abuse her child.
Black fathers sometimes get a bad rap. The black fathers on the Maury Povich show will dance a jig when they hear those famous words “you are not the father”, but what is a father? If you meet a woman at the club and you have a one night stand with her and she gets pregnant are you a father? Sure you might qualify as a sperm donor, but at that point you do not have a real connection to that woman, and surely no connection to that child. Your intent was to have sex with the woman and now you find you have a connection that will at least last until that child is 18, but even if you do not feel a connection you do have a responsibility to that child, and today we celebrate the men who have stepped up and taken that responsibility to heart. We celebrate the fathers that are married and committed to their families. They are committed to teaching their sons how to be a man and how to treat a woman. We celebrate the fathers that are showing their daughters by their own deeds what kind of traits they should look for when they seek a mate. We celebrate the fathers that encourage their children to reach beyond their circumstances and strive toward success which is still attainable. It might be harder to attain, but it is not impossible to attain. I celebrate my grandfather who had the foresight to educate his 5 children in a time when most children did not finish high school. I celebrate my own father who worked hard all his life to give us a better life, and lastly I celebrate my husband who loves his children and teaches them on a daily basis how to walk up right and be the person God created them to be. So Happy Father’s Day to real fathers, real men.
GUEST BLOG POST:
StoryCorps launches America’s largest oral history project. Today, we debuted our brand new animated short, A Family Man. It’s a touching story that is sure to spark lively conversation about everyone’s childhood! In 1955, John L. Black, Sr. started his job as a janitor for the Cincinnati public school system. He regularly put in 16-hour days to provide for his wife and eleven children. At StoryCorps, his son Samuel talks with his wife, Edda Fields-Black, about his father’s lasting legacy and the power of a look.
Samuel’s interview is a part of StoryCorps Griot, an initiative to ensure that the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans will be preserved and presented with dignity. All interviews recorded as part of the Griot Initiative will be archived at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture in addition to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Last month JC Penney’s featured two moms and this month for Father’s Day they are featuring two dads. So what are they selling? A political agenda or clothing? Share your thoughts.
“I wanted to say I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I thought he was a little bit younger than I am and I did not know if he was armed or not.” George Zimmerman Apology
Over 50 days after he killed Trayvon Martin George Zimmerman offers an apology. Who was this apology for? His parents? I don’t think so. He got the opportunity to express his “sorrow”, but he also got the opportunity to say he thought their 17 year old son was a grown man and he also got the opportunity to say he did not know if Martin was armed or not. So what was the purpose of the apology? To tell his side of the story without being cross examined.
