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“I do not believe that there exists such a thing as “bad youth”. There are only the children that we as adults have neglected and left behind.”

May the blessings of the Almighty King of Kings be upon our hearts, minds, and souls. May He enable us to see things for what they are and not what we wish them to be.

I believe the steps to self empowerment in a community are the following:

First: Face your image
Second: See what must be done to improve the image
Third: Take the steps and make the time needed to achieve that improvement

What is the reflection of oneself, society, and family? The answer… “Our Youth”!

Proverbs 17:6…

“Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers”

We must understand the importance our youth have in our future. The hope we hold is that the community politicians, and educational facilities once again invest in our youth the important resources of time, money and most importantly, Love. Then maybe fewer jails will be needed…. We would see a decline in the amount of medicine needed by our children, fewer will be in therapy, their will be a decline in teenage suicide and gang involvement.

Through tools such as “El Grito”, we can go out and plant seeds of hope. If we are sincere, what will grow will be a better tomorrow.

Let us take a moment to look at the educational facilities and the politicians whose focus has been on Black - White differences in IQ. This focus has been inspired by the findings that African American and Latino students score, on average, 10-15 points lower than white children.

Several psychologists have proposed a genetic explanation of why this difference exists. (Jensen 1969, 1981, Rushton 1988)

In their much discussed book, “The Bell Curve: Intelligence and class structure in American Life (1994), the late psychologist Richard Herrnstein, and conservative political theorist Charles Murray cited heritability studies to imply that the gap in IQ scores between the average White and the average Black and Latino child could never be closed.

Racists have used theories of genetic differences between ethnic groups to justify their own hatred, while politicians have used them to argue for budget cuts in programs that could benefit minorities. We are constantly hearing President Bush speak about the “No Child Left Behind” incentive, but are we really looking into what this means?

If schools don’t meet the scoring average set by the Federal Government, they don’t receive federal financial assistance. Yet, the class rooms of our youth are overcrowded. Their books are outdated. Their curriculum is ancient and in dyer need of revision. As parents, we need to start going to our neighborhood school board meetings and making our presence felt. We need to truly be involved and show our children that we care and are there for them.

Let’s get together and tell Mr. Bush that he left our children behind a long time ago!

Our conditions can only be improved with the resources to acquire and maintain good teachers, new books, computers, and all the other materials needed to provide out children with the chance they need to match the scores produced by every other ethnic group.

Our children need our encouragement so that they may overcome the obstacles that are placed before them.

The following are facts that exist for no other reason other than those created by poverty.

1) Poor Prenatal Care: If a pregnant woman is malnourished, contracts infections, takes certain drugs, smokes, drinks excessively, or is heavily exposed to pollutants; her child is at risk of having learning disabilities and a lower IQ.

2) Malnutrition: The average IQ gap between severely malnourished and well nourished children can be as high as 20 points (Stoch & Smythe, 1963) (Winick, Meyer & Harris, 1975)

3) Exposure to Toxins: Lead can damage the nervous system, producing attention problems, lower IQ scores, and poor school achievement (Needleman etal 1996). Many children in the United States are exposed to dangerous levels of lead from dust, contaminated soil, lead paint, and old lead pipes.

4) Stressful Family Circumstances: Factors that predict reduced intellectual competency include a father who does not live with the family, a mother with a history of mental illness, and a history of stressful events during the child’s early life (Sameroff etal: 1987). On average, each risk factor reduces a child’s IQ score by 4 points. Children with seven risk factors score almost 30 points less than those with no risk factors.

Can’t you see the importance of us as Parents, doing all we can to eliminate some of these risk factors? Let’s show the government what a home of Love can do! Let’s show him what it truly means to not leave a child behind.

We must hold our children tight enough so that they know they are loved, but loose enough that they can experience life’s ups and downs. We must let them know that mistakes will happen, and that when they do, it doesn’t mean that they are bad or that they are failures. We must share with our children our own experiences.

I know what it is like to lose the opportunity to see something so priceless as one’s children growing up. I can’t go to open school night….. I wish I could. I can’t check my kid’s homework….. I wish I could. I can’t hold my kid’s and let them know that no matter what the world throws at them, they will overcome….. I wish I could. So, if you can do those things with your children, take advantage of it. You never know if the day will come when you will no longer be able to. Give them the time they need to feel your love.

I love my kids, and love the youth others have given up on. I do not believe that there exists such a thing as “bad youth”. There are only the children that we as adults have neglected and left behind.

Let us pray to be loving parents who understand our youth. Let us always have an open door for our community, our 360, and our homes. Let us always ensure that our children have a positive place to go when they are at their best, or their worst. They are our youth….. they are our children. If we don’t love them, who will?

I pray that my words will open hearts and minds, while touching the souls of our youth.

Respect. Sunrise to Sunset.

Amor de Rey y Amor De Corona!!

King Tone
Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation

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