What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black (Part 2)

What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black

Margaret Burroughs

4^th Paragraph

 

What can I do to give him strength
That he may come through life’s adversities
As a whole human being unwarped and human in a world
Of biased laws and inhuman practices, that he might
Survive. And survive he must! For who knows?
Perhaps this black child here bears the genius
To discover the cure for… cancer
Or to chart the course for exploration of the universe.
So, he must survive for the good of all humanity.

 

                The words written by Burroughs in the fourth paragraph, speak volumes to the plight of young black boys.  No matter how much self-esteem is instilled in young black boys about how they have the same chances as any other child, once they leave the safety of their homes, they find a society that still views and labels them as three-fifths of a human being. 

 

                Black boys find themselves under constant suspicion by adults and law enforcement and labeled because of the color of their skin.  The clutched purses and crossing the street some adults do when black boys walk towards them because they fear they will become victim at the hands of black boys.  Black boys also find themselves under constant suspicion when they go into stores to purchase or look at items.  The suspicious looks they receive when they enter an establishment and the employee who constantly monitors their movement in the store and on occasion may ask black boys to “leave if they are not going to buy.”

 

                It would seem outside of the home there is no safe haven for black boys.  However, the one place that should be a safe haven for black boys, many times mirrors what happens to them outside of their home.  Unfortunately, Burroughs words also ring true about the plight of black boys in elementary, middle and high schools. 

 

                Education is supposed to be the great equalizer.  However for black boys, the same bias, fear and suspicion they face in society, they face in elementary, middle and high school classrooms.  Black boys face teachers who make assumptions about their intelligence based on their name, based on historical bias of teaching black boys and the perception that black boys aren’t interested or can’t learn.  This is one of the main reasons black boys are the majority of students receiving Special Education services, have the highest number of suspensions and highest percentage of high school dropouts.  However, Burroughs reminds us of who black boys could become if treated fair and given an equal chance.

 

The 4^th paragraph of Burroughs poem reminds us the path that Black boys have to navigate in order to survive and thrive in our society.  Burroughs reminds us that inequity in America is robbing our country of the potential to become even greater because our black boys are not given the opportunity to reach their potential.