PROGRAM SUCCESS – NOVEMBER 2012 PAGE 11
Enough is Enough
By Ken Stokes Jacksonville , Florida
I ’ ve had it ! Jacksonville has seen its share of violent crime among our Black youth . It ’ s virtually every day , in every medium . The Black community has somehow loss focus on the issues and in my opinion has threw up its hands and walked away . Granted the economy has forced people out of work and finances are tight , but where did violent crime become the answer to that problem ? Gang banging , murders , robbery and assault are on the rise within the Black community . How do we expect our children to succeed if we continue to ignore what is going on around us ? This is a Black issue that needs to be addressed by Black leadership within our city . The cry has gone out on several occasions , but somehow fizzles out until the next crime or murder takes place . We need consistent advocacy and crime prevention messages within the Black community . Marches and rallies are great , but seem to be ineffective in this city .
My solution to this problem is to regain trust in our communities by making black issues priority for Black people . We have been told or promised so much by our elected officials , activist and even our President only to be disappointed . Poverty , poor schools , sub-standard housing , joblessness and racism are real issues that the Black community faces every day ; without real time results it ’ s nearly impossible to break the generational curse that ultimately destroys our children . Selfsufficiency , entrepreneurship , education and plain old reaching back are the real solutions .
image to be powerful from creation . If the Black men stand up , the boys will sit down ! Let us forget about popularity and money for once and save the very ones that will change the world .
I am calling on all men of color to challenge those who hold the resources and power , whether it be our Mayor , Congresswomen , Senators , Councilmen and the President of the United States to help change the conditions that our children face on a daily basis . It ’ s our children we are talking about , lets stand up , stand out and stand strong against violence in the black community !!
Ken Stokes is the Executive Director of Project Youth- Link , a youth health and mentoring agency for at-risk teens ages 13-17 . The program aims to reduce health disparities and empower youth to make informed decisions about their overall well-being . The agency is open to at-risk youth who desire to increase effective decision-making skills , hone good judgment , develop leaderships skills , increase self-esteem , and to build character development skills . To get your youth involved contact Project Youth-Link at www . projectyouthlink . com or call 904-353-2514 .
Tyrone P . Townsend Real Estate Jacksonville , Florida November 2012
The truth is- most of our successful Black athletes , entertainers , CEO ’ s and politicians have been impacted by the very same issues that exist today . Why do we continue to pretend that it ’ s not our problem just because we think we ’ ve made it out ? It ’ s the fear of our own people and their environment that hold us back from addressing these issues , we somehow believe that if we don ’ t present ourselves Black enough we will not be taken seriously ; how absurd !! Black children respect the very presence of a Black man , God has ordained the male
Enough is Enough Violent Crime Among Black Youth Ken Stokes Jacksonville , Florida November 2012