We must save the children at all cost!
So it is not the will [j]of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. Matthew 18:14 (NAS)
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
I thought that I was giving up going into the classrooms to get involved in the lives of troubled youth, but I was wrong.
That was my plan but that was not God’s plan.
There is a need, believe it or not, stronger than the need of one’s own selfish desires and that is the need to fulfill the Master’s Will.
Even though it may seem as if the insurmountable is set before you in whatever form it takes; there is a way for you to see it through and achieve your ordained purpose.
There are signs, confirmations and straight up visions that point to, give directions and nudge you to where you need to be.
Last night (2-25-13) I enjoyed a program that has become a yearly event presented by City of Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Bobby Dubose ‘A Walk Through History’, which gives an account of the history of Black Fort Lauderdale.
This evening’s page was taken from “The History of Education in Northwest Fort Lauderdale”.
The atmosphere was transposed into the one room classroom that was the center of education for all of the Negro children no matter the age or grade of the students.
Throughout the evening the scenarios were a constant reminder of where and how we as Black people have dealt with and in most cases overcome the educational process that has been filled with an over abundance of racism and unequally equipped segregated schools.
Not to mention the attitudes and personifications that qualified the situations.
Be that as it may, during those times there were individuals that persevered at any cost to make sure Black children received a proper education and that Black students were able to compete and surpass other students on every level of education, not to mention the sports arena.
Where has the zeal that pushed us to want to out-perform any other race of students in the classroom gone?
Has it morphed into something that we as adults and parents are afraid to confront because we are ashamed of what we have allowed it to grow into?
There were moment of elation during last night’s remembering, however, there was an obvious elephant in the room that pained many of us.
Its a good thing when we can stroke and praise and shout for our own child’s accomplishments; it is even a greater thing when the shouts are for those of whom we did not give birth, but who need to hear encouraging words of comfort from somebody because their parents are nowhere in sight.
What reverberated in my head after I left the program was; “Where are the fighters for our children who are destroying our schools just to be loved?
I know that seems to be an oxymoron, destroying an educational system just to be loved. Think about it and work your way to understanding that if there is no love there is no educating and if there is no educating there is no education!
Those who profess to care about our children’s education, now is an opportune time to get involved and understand the need for CHANGE. In the words of Broward County School Board Member of District 5, the Reverend Dr. Rosalind Osgood, “Children Have A Need to Grow Everyday (CHANGE).
“Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish”. Matthew 18:1
“I would rather have a student to approach me and say, “Hey I remember you . You were the one who tried to help me”.
— Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
