Thoughts After the Shooting in Charleston

After the shooting in Charleston, some are saying we haven’t made much progress in the area of race relations. Have we made progress? Let’s take a look at some facts and see where they lead us. Let’s also look are areas where we could be doing better.

I believe we have made significant progress in the area of race relations since the 1960s. There are many more opportunities open to minorities than back in the 1960s. Also the younger generations mix white and black in their circle of friends and think nothing of it.

If there are so many opportunities, why is the unemployment rate so high for young black males?

The unemployment rate is so high because some black males drop out of school, some don’t receive training for marketable skills. What education they do get is often inferior. Some opt to make a living selling drugs, and some are drug users and aren’t interested in getting a job.

What can the black community do?

The black community must do a better job bringing up its children. Children need an involved father, involved uncles, etc. Moreover attitudes must change. Successful blacks are sometimes referred to derisively as an Oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside). No more Oreos! Success should be rewarded by the community, not put down. Children should be told to look up to and emulate the successful college graduate, the black lawyer or doctor, and not to look up to the drug pusher or gang chief.

What can the rest of us do?

States must help their struggling cities to revitalize. This involves investing in a quality education for inner city kids, including everything from trade schools to AP courses in high school. As the cities begin to cultivate a quality workforce, government at all levels should give incentives to attract businesses to the cities. As employment opportunities grow in number, tax revenues increase and pretty soon the cities are prosperous once again.

Let’s bring back our jobs from China and give them to our people!

One thing that must also be done to revitalize the inner cities is to take a hard line against crime. If the place is a war zone, you’re not going to attract industry no matter what incentives you provide. The better educated and skilled workers will leave, seeking employment elsewhere, where it is safer.

There are entirely too many gang members controlling the streets of our cities. There are too many stray bullets hitting children and bystanders. Career criminals (those with a long “rap sheet”) are not being rehabilitated by their frequent visits to prison. They should be put away either for life or for a very long time. I suspect they commit most of the crimes, they aren’t repentant, and they shouldn’t be out in the streets. Yet revolving door courts do just that: put them back out after a slap on the wrist.

To summarize, to improve the lot of minorities, especially blacks, their own communities can do some things, especially in the area of child rearing. Local and state governments can work to revitalize our cities, which can include rebuilding our aging infrastructure (thus creating jobs). Improving education is a key component. Federal, state, and local governments can offer incentives (as well as a well-trained and skilled workforce) for companies to bring their businesses to your cities. The cities and the black community must be united in their resolve to rid the cities of crime. Many more black men are killed by black men than by the police or white people. If crime isn’t brought down, none of these other steps will do much good, our cities will continue to be urban jungles, and black unemployment will remain high.