This was written and posted by my cousin, Chad Isbell. It is so relevant to all of us in the times we live in today and I feel compelled to share. Children do not ask to be brought into this world and have no control over who their parents are, where they live, what their socioeconomic status is or what color they are. As a child my father was a Sergeant in the Army and we lived all over the world and the U.S. and what I learned is that there are good people and bad people no matter where you live. We were a working class family, never had too much but always had enough. I started working at 13 years old bagging groceries at the Ft. Meade Commissary to help out my family. I was a good kid in my mind but found myself on the wrong side of the law throughout my teenage years and into my twenties. I was my own worst enemy and despite earning two college degrees and unlimited potential I was my own oppressor. I did not feel worthy of happiness or success and made sure I was always walking the line between going to prison or becoming a successful member of society. My point is I am no better and have done way worse things than steal blunts or sell cigarettes on the street; the only difference is I am White. The truth is in my younger days I want to believe that my father taught me better than to go after a cop or military police officer if confronted with one of my less than legal activities but who knows. Desperate times call for desperate measures and sometimes shit hits the fan and things quickly get out of control. I also believe that because I am a good looking white guy that I would Not have been Shot To Death for a stupid decision. I am sure that professionals would be trying to understand why this white kid would even be involved in illegal activity to begin with. I am almost 40 years old and I thank God that I had a chance to correct my behavior and am growing into the man that I always knew I could be. I made a choice to change and everyday I make choices that hopefully make for a long healthy life. I try and help my sons understand why you do the best you can to make good choices. My boys may never know what I have lived through to make it to this point, they will never live in hunger, they will never have to do what they have to do to make money to survive and Lord willing they will never have to Die at the hands of a police officer for a stupid mistake. Honestly, I never had much love or respect for authority or the police because I lived on the other side of the law for too many years and I tried to stay away from them at all costs. Again, I was my own worst enemy and they were probably just doing the best they could to work a tough job and earn a living for their family. There are good cops and there are bad cops just like there are good black people and there are bad black people. Fact is some of the greatest minds, best character and integrity, hardest working and most awesome families I know are black. Fact is our country has 10% black population yet accounts for 90% of the prison population. When you are sitting at home watching the news and wondering how these people can so angry that they are willing to destroy their own community, you will never understand because you were born white. Unless you grew up in a real ghetto or a ghetto youve created within yourself, you have never been oppressed and you never have to worry about being hunted because of the color of your skin. You can watch the news and judge people while never walking a day in their shoes. My solution is less ignorance and hate and more Understanding and Love. If you want to understand more about what it is like being a black person read books such as Black Like Me, Roots or Malcolm Xs autobiography. Go work with the young people in the inner city and you will understand people different from you from a different perspective. You will see that our children want the same things: To be love, to have food and shelter and to have a safe, well funded learning environment to thrive in. What are we teaching our children consciously or unconsciously about people who were brought into this world with a different race, socioeconomic status or home life. You can sit on the sidelines and be part of the problem or you can open your mind and heart and do something positive to change the future of our country and world. As a wise friend (Buddhist,Nate Oliver) always says We are all we got and for me that means every one of our children regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Open Your Minds and Your Hearts and May God Bless Us All...
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 03:19:15 +0000
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