[GREG] COLLARD: It’s not just a Charlotte problem. U.S. Census figures show almost two-thirds of African-American kids don’t have a biological father living at home, and that can lead to other issues. A Justice Department report found the incarceration rate for black men in 2008 was six-and-a-half times that of white men.
Mr. WARREN BROWN (Bishop): We’re not just going to visit you in prison, we’re going to try to keep you out of prison.
COLLARD: That’s Bishop Warren Brown speaking this month in Columbia, South Carolina, at what was billed The Great Gathering. Almost 7,000 people attended a meeting of the major black Methodist denominations: the AME, AME Zion and CME.
Mr. BROWN: We recognize that oftentimes we feel that we will deal with our young black men in the eighth or tenth grade. That’s too late. We’ve got to work with them out of kindergarten.
I read this after commenting on the TitusOneNine posting entitled “USA Today—U.S. students’ reading scores show little progress.”
This is the sort of church leadership that successfully address the problems encountered by children/parents in impoverished homes and neighborhoods.
How about teaching the girls too that saying no to sex is the right thing to do….How about teaching that you need to get an education, get your life and future in order then you think about marrying and having kids…can we start teaching kids the right moral and ethical values PLEASE! No matter what color they are. It takes two to make a baby….
TL (#2),
You’re right, of course. Girls need help and encouragement to do the right thing too. But I applaud these black denominational leaders. The need is simply overwhelming since the family has been almost destroyed among vast sections of African American society.
I’ve done some prison ministry (Kairos) in Virginia where I live, and the proportion of the inmates who are black is just appalling, sickening really. It’s many times higher than the 13% of the national population that’s black.
I wish these church leaders well. So much is at stake…
David Handy+
Hey, TL.
Did you notice? Three SHORT paragraphs this time. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
David Handy+
Verbose, but improving
Well, it’s a start….and certainly a worthy outreach for the Church. But it’s going to impact so very few. The vast majority of Church programs for children still rely on the parents to support and reinforce (even force) the child to participate.
Babies need to quit having babies, and the modern black male culture that rejects responsible fathering needs to end, because the problem is not limited to only teen males.