I share my version of a frequently circulated story.
The blue sky was without haze, and the sun shone as though it had tapped a new energy source. Pigeons and every other bird nearby clucked and chirped in praise of such a crystal-like day. Even the cars and trucks which whizzed by could not mar the atmosphere with regurgitated exhaust.
Two boys of not more than nine and ten years sat quietly on some paint-worn steps. They seemed to be taking a break before forging on to the next adventure of the late morning. Both appeared comfortable in the direct radiance of the sunlight which made their skin look like dark chocolate that had been setting out in the sun for an hour or so. Wash-faded tee shirts covered their torsos, and their jeans had all the telltale marks of having been in continual contact with cement and dirt during the proceeding hours. For now, it was time to take a breather.
Such a day always gives way to dreaming and so the younger boy asked the older what he wanted to be when he grew up. The older boy sat perfectly still for a few moments. He looked at the surroundings and considered something. Quietly, but with a heaviness that belied his age, he said, “Alive.”
Occasionally, this story is told with laughter to cover the horror of the reality behind his response. At other times, it is shared with such hopelessness that the storyteller and the hearers are paralyzed with resignation to that which is implied. Some folk utter the story with weeping sadness. Searing anger that has the potential for destruction is at times the backdrop for the narrative.
The narrative is specifically about two African American boys, but they can represent children of every culture who are neglected and assessed as having little value in the larger society. Attention to the news informs us that if some of the children are endangered, then all of them are wherever they are in the world. Are we adults listening to them? Are we planning a future for them? Will we continue to invest in material things, mind-numbing experiences, poor public education, vile hatred for people of color, and distain for the sacred? Will we sentence the two boys, the children to—DEATH?
Reflections
If we invest in the children, what kind of world will we leave to the next two generations after us?
What is the ONE effort you can make now to enable children to see life ahead?
Dorothy Watson Tatem, D.Min., ACC
Senior Associate
Next Step Associates, LLC
Cassandra W. Jones, Ed.D.
CEO & President
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