Why Can’t They All Be Like This?

This story is uplifting and heartbreaking.  Seeing young brothers on the right path is a cause for celebration.  Sadly, we can’t just take it for granted like other communities, too many fall through the craters [we’re too far gone to think our kids are falling through “cracks.”]  Seeing young brothers bringing their peers along, showing them the right way to be is a revelation.  I won’t lie, seeing a white man at the heart of this story makes me feel some kinda way [it’s not so much about him as it is about us] but I can get over it quickly because of the sustained results.

Story after story, study after study tells us the same thing – if we cared enough about our youth to invest and intervene we would see many of the same life outcomes as youth in other communities.  Too many of our families are broken, too many of our communities offer no good options, too many folks who can make a difference, don’t.  We have to look at ourselves and we have to examine systems and institutions that seem vested in ensuring there is a permanent underclass.

Obviously, there are no easy answers but this story gives us another reason for hope.