We Do Not Have A

The Outside World Told Black Kids When I Was Growing Up That We Weren't Worth Anything. But Our Parents Said It Wasn't So, And Our Churches And Our Schoolteachers Said It Wasn't So. They Believed In Us, And We, Therefore, Believed In Ourselves.

I Worry About The Kids Who Have Too Much. As A Parent Living In A So-called Good Neighborhood With Children Who Went To Private High School, I Found Myself Spending Much Time In Parent Groups Worrying About Alcohol, Unsupervised Parties, And Parents Not Being Parents.

In My Generation, We Learned How To Be Leaders By Being Exposed To And Involved With Adults Who Empowered Us And Gave Us A Sense That We Could Choose Things. We've Let Down The Generations Coming Behind Us And We Are Trying To Re- Establish That Connection.

Be Grateful For Good Breaks And Kind Favors But Don't Count On Them.

Understand And Be Confident That Each Of Us Can Make A Difference By Caring And Acting In Small As Well As Big Ways.