Youth In Need
In the last two weeks, I’ve had the privilege of speaking at several inner-city middle schools with a group of people I feel very passionate about and invested in: our youth. Afterwards, I had two young men, who also lost brothers to violence come up to me afterwards to say how deeply they felt inspired by the speech and could relate to losing a brother. One even asked for a hug and joked after I gave him a hug that this was the first hug he had received in years. Although he joked about the hug, I realized he, like a lot of our youth, are in dire need of having someone show them affection. I think many of us forget how important it is to hug and show love to our youth, particularly since society often casts them as the lost generation that is morally repugnant.
But the truth is our youth are facing escalating hurdles and enormous obstacles. Their plight, particularly African-American men, has been heavily documented. Therefore, I encourage each of you to get involved in our youth and help make a difference. I know many of us are busy and there doesn’t seem to be enough time.
But give and do what you can. If you don’t have time, give money to an organization devoted to helping our youth. If you don’t have money, volunteer with a school for at-risk youth or other organization devoted to helping our youth. If you don’t have money or time, at a minimum offer some kind words, a smile or a hug. I assure you, it makes all the difference to these kids!
