Posted on 10/10/2007 5:51:06 AM PDT by shortstop
Sixty percent of the American children in foster care are black.
Let me repeat that.
In the United States, of all the children in foster care, 60 percent are black.
African-Americans are 60 percent of the foster children and 12 percent of the general population. Thats a 500-percent over representation.
In ballpark terms, that means a black child is five times more likely to end up in foster care than the average American child. When you take black children out of the national average, blacks are in the neighborhood of 11 times more likely to be foster children than non-blacks.
Why is that?
Its because there is a broad-based collapse of the black family in America. And if things are ever going to get better, African-American leaders are going to have to switch their emphasis from defending black America to changing black America.
There needs to be a reformation and a renewal of black America, with a change of emphasis from victimization to individual responsibility.
This isnt offered as a criticism, but as a lifeline. Not a condemnation, but as a way out of a crisis. Not because I hate blacks, but because I love them.
Because I am haunted by the thought of those African-American kids in foster care, and the lonely isolation and deprivation of natural affection they must feel. The babies who need holding and the young tears that need to be dried. The kids who never really get a chance, who never really get the most basic of birthrights a mom and a dad and a loving home.
And I am saddened by what those children must almost unavoidably become alienated from society and deprived of its opportunities, wards first of the state and then of the welfare and prison systems. It is a cancer wherever it exists, but it exists with butchering disproportion in the black community.
And only the black community can change that.
And the preachers must lead.
The black church, long touted as the anchor of the African-American community, is in abject failure. Its efforts are apparently so overwhelmed as to be fruitless. There is much preaching of the word, but little living of the word, and consequently few blessings of the word.
The black clergy must change that. They must demand not only to be heard by their community, but followed. Not in the paths of civil rights conflict and peace and justice causes, but in the simple and clear lifestyle of Christ. They must preach the gospel of God, not the gospel of men.
They must preach the virtuous and faithful life. Lying, stealing and idleness must be denounced. Marriage and family must be exalted, and out-of-wedlock sex and children must be scorned. In a community where two-thirds of the children are born to single mothers, is it any wonder such astounding numbers end up abused and neglected and dumped into foster care.
The culture must be changed. It must stop being worshipped, it must be replaced.
And prominent African-Americans in sports, entertainment, business and politics must act with public dignity. The bad example of a few through destructive lifestyles, drug use and disrespectful and dissolute living does tremendous damage to many.
A theme of good living must permeate the African-American popular culture. Instead of drugs, violence and sex, the communitys entertainment and standards must be directed toward bettering real lives in the real world. And the obsession with white racism should be replaced with a focus on black power black power to choose to live lives with better, freer and happier outcomes.
And all of this must come from within.
There is no government program, no amount of money, no outside mentoring or education, no non-profit crusade, no nothing that will do a bit of good except the strong, righteous and wise leadership of black moms and dads, pastors and mayors.
W.E.B. Du Bois taught that the most principled and educated of the black community would have to lead out to save it from the least principled and least educated. He said that to keep the worst element from dominating, the best element would have to assume its full social responsibility and lift its community by its example and achievements.
That is not now happening.
But the counsel of a century ago is still wise today.
Here are two examples.
In his forward to Booker T. Washingtons autobiography, Du Bois warned blacks against the old ideas of revolt and revenge and observed, In every generation of our national life, from Phillis Wheatley to Booker Washington, the Negro race in America has succeeded in bringing forth men whom the country, at times spontaneously, at times in spite of itself, has been impelled to honor and respect.
He was right, but he is being ignored. Revolt and revenge are being lifted up, and honor and respect are being pushed down. The Colin Powells and the Condaleeza Rices of the world are mocked and torn down, not emulated and honored.
The black family is in tatters, the black economy is badly wounded, the black future is dim.
And it ever will be, unless black America rouses to save itself and live up to the glory of its history. If the black family survived slavery, it can survive the modern world.
If and only if African-Americans free themselves from the shackles of their own bad choices, and live up to the strength and virtue of their heritage.
One thing that would help greatly is not getting pregnant until the mother is ready to support herself and a child.
Blacks don't vote for Republicans terribly often, which is a shame. But it's also an opportunity, because we really have nothing to lose: The GOP should come out and state the truth and make proposals to help black America change its culture.
I don't support affirmative action. I don't want to see more handouts. I don't want pandering. People may think we'll get more votes if we do those things, but I don't think so -- the Dems will always beat us at that game.
We need to emphasize families and faith. Oppose illegal immigration, oppose abortion, oppose discrimination. Say it clearly and bluntly. It's simply the truth, and eventually the truth will be recognized. I don't care how long it takes, it's the only way to help black America, and it's the only way to get blacks to vote Republican.
“The black family is in tatters, the black economy is badly wounded, the black future is dim.”
And they continue to cut their own throats by voting Democrat! Grrrrr!
Democrats have always judged people by the color of their skin and not the content of their character.
It is just that prior to 1960’s they favored whites and since the 1960’s they favor blacks (so long as it doesn’t cost them any power).
And, something like 76% are born out of wedlock. THAT, is the first thing that needs to be addressed. Everything begins there, IMHO.
Minor math error. 60% vs 12% represents a 400% over representation.
(fill in the blank)
Democrats don’t care about blacks, they care about black votes. They need a large underclass dependent on entitlement programs to stay in power. It’s a shame.
It's obviously whitey's fault somehow.
let me repeat that.
It's obviously whitey's fault somehow.
And i know just who to blame. white Democrats who pedal the perpetual welfare cycle of life blacks (and whites) get trapped into. As soon as a young girl is able, all she needs to do is get pregnant. That's her way out from under her mothers' thumb, who she blames for her poverty, but what she doesn't understand is she just started that cycle over again because without school, which she'll drop out of as soon as she gets pregnant, she'll never be able to escape the welfare trap.
She may end up having more kids, get addicted to crack, loose them to social services, but she'll just have more so she can at least have a subsidized roof over her head and a monthly check which she'll subsidize by hooking and dealing drugs.
This is the life democrats promote, the endless welfare trap. This is why people in New Orleans sat and waited for the government to do something for them, because they don't know how to do anything for themselves. They CAN'T do anything for themselves. In a very real sense, they are victims of socialism.
Political correctness will prevent the troubles facing blacks from being properly addressed or solved. It is the liberal way. If this article (or one similar) ran on the front page of every paper in America, we could start the process.
Save black America? Doubt anyone can. Sorry. The young black women abort too many of their babies, and the young black men shoot too many of each other. You could look up the exact figures on either, but the numbers would only depress you. How’d Lawyer John Edwards put it?
“We cannot build enough prisons to solve this problem. And the idea that we can keep incarcerating and keep incarcerating pretty soon were not going to have a young African-American male population in America. Theyre all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two.”
It is a group effort. Not one man on earth is without sin unless Jesus is back.
Yep.
Just like that “driver” San something game. Steal cars get into trouble, gang shootings, hide from the law, and power up on fried chicken. Oh, and learn the secret making out code so you can watch an animated making out scene.
And we wonder why they grow up and do just that in real life.
I have believed that for decades. There is NO internal debate in the DNC, so losers are ALWAYS losers and underdogs are always underdogs.... At some point after, how many years now???, you’d think American black voters would say....’hmmm... these guys keep promising and promising and nothing changes for me. Either they are exploiting me or they are not good at doing what they say they can do. TIME TO CHECK OUT THE ALTERNATIVES!!!’ The DNC is forever telling black Americans how really BAD they have it here and that they have it so really bad because Republicans have seen to it the black Americans cannot and DO NOT succeed. Really????? Endless priorities in lending, education, employment.... and you still CANNOT succeed???? HMMMM .... Time to take your head out of your a*& and rethink It may not make you into a Republican, but it will make you a better and smarter Liberal voter. That's the way the two party system is supposed to work. Unfortunately, the RNC never has had a class to exploit... we only have people who genuinely believe in Conservatism because we know that America CANNOT succeed if individuals DO NOT SUCCEED!!!!
I agree, faith, family, and education is the way out. Unfortunately, when you have Satan's "reverends", race baiters Sharpton and Jackson representing the "faith" aspect of the equation, and the entire Democrat party, the black community's worst enemy backing them up, the battle is lost before it even can begin.
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