We Care that poverty kills I am not usually one to engage in scandalous news or follow propaganda, but I could not help but overhear a conversation about a news report in which parents were said to be on trial for the murder of their infant daughter. It appears initially that the mother was not able to naturally produce enough sustenance for her child, so they supplemented by adding water to the milk. The article goes on to reveal more specific information as to the events that brought the parents to the courtroom. Knowing that most communities offer the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program where mothers and their babies are provided with basic nutritional essentials, I wondered if that had been an option presented to the parents. I struggled all day with questions that I will perhaps never get the answers to. Questions like, was there any extended
Keepers of the Village Its prom and graduation season, this year my little angel joins the ranks of those who are passing that first major milestone into adulthood. My high school graduate went to bed one night when she was 15 and woke up the next morning as if she read the Akashic records of the universe and no longer needed the advice or parenting of her mere mortal parents. Nonetheless, I continued with my attempts to pour into her and her sister (who by the way had her epiphany at 10 years old) all of the information, wisdom and knowledge I could muster. I also recruited my community to fill in the gap with regards to providing information that I myself needed a better understanding of. I exposed them to various social settings, took them to the seasoned ladies Monday night prayer circle (no judgement), took them to
It takes a village Our family usually does not watch the news, so we rarely know what drama is going on in the world, however, the news of what’s going on in Baltimore has permeated every corner of America via the news and social media. My interest being peaked-I searched various news media and was in awe of the images I saw as it relates to the displays of anger and frustration. Most of the footage revealed images of young men causing destroying private and public property. Lining the streets and behaving in ways that are less than exemplary. What was equally as alarming was the military presence that had been summoned to bring order and protection to the citizens of the community. While I cannot begin to comprehend the feelings of hopelessness expressed by the residents of Baltimore. I can relate to being someone who feels as if
The Few. The Proud. The Homeless It's graduation season, and while many parents are preparing to send their kids off to college, we are preparing to send our daughter off to the Marines. One day during the fall as we were discussing which schools she should apply to, she announced her desire to join the armed forces. Assuming she was trying to get a rise out of us, we totally dismissed her. As the school year went on she reluctantly applied for colleges but would not commit to completing the application process fully. I tried to stimulate her interest by watching episodes of old college series on Netflix, you know the ones like 'It’s a Different World' and so on (no judgment zone here). Then one day we get a call from her asking us to meet her at XYZ address. I nearly hit the car in front of
Homelessness I think I had been conditioned to think that homelessness was a problem related to drugs alcohol or is a result of some other nefarious activities. That is until during a transition our family became displaced. Though only for a short time, we lived in a rundown hotel long enough to realize that some hardworking families, moms, and dads like many of us want the best for their children. According to an article penned by the US Department of Education, 41% of the homeless population consist of families with children, an estimated 2.5 million children are affected each year (Williamson, n.d). How did they end up in that situation? My mom used to say often “but for the grace of God, there go I”- -life happens to all of us. I had the privilege of going through that time of transition, however, at the time I felt that it was