Does anybody love Anymore…?

I can remember when I was a young boy my grandfather would say to me, “you have to know where you come from in order to know where you are going.” Admittedly, as a young child I had no clue what he might be saying. Was he saying perhaps I needed to understand my parents more? Maybe he was suggesting that I get more intimately involved with my town and the people from which I came. Who knows what could have gone through my simple mind at the time. One thing I know is that I was not raised in a world where it was okay to harm another human without cause.

As I sat watching the news about the Trayvon Martin, I thought about what my grandfather said about knowing where we are going. One point I think my grandfather was trying to make is that if we forget about everything that got us here we might also forget the lessons learned along the way. In the Trayvon Martin situation my only question is “Where is the Love”? (Shout out to Black Eye Peas)

If I can borrow a quote from their song, “What’s wrong with the world mama, people living like they ain’t got no mama”?

Yes, I said it and so that we don’t beat a dead horse, I would like to respectfully thank the Martin family for allowing the world to share in their tragedy. If I might add they showed the world what humility and love for family and justice really looks like. No matter what adversities we may face in the future, its times like these that make me proud to be American. As I come to understand the stand your ground law, I would like to believe that the parties involved in the creation of this destructive law really had good intentions. Since we are always going through the effort of creating laws, why not ensure that the laws are not destructive to the very people they should be protecting.

As a fan of hip hop and music in general, I really like music that poses timely questions. I just love songs that make you think about the moment and the part you are playing. I heard a song by an Artist name Translee entitled “Does anybody love anymore” it made me literally start singing!! First off I cannot sing, so you know what kind of song it has to be to make me forget that. The artist started the song by saying “They hate the Government, They hate the President, and they don’t even know why but that’s irrelevant”. I was like Wow, that’s where we are right now!!! Great Song Translee!! OK, so where is the love? I see all this back and forth on cable news about race and where we are as a nation but I do not see the commentator ask this simple question.

If you were only born 10 years ago like my son, you would think you were back in the 1960 or something. To turn on the television and see things like people spitting on black congressmen and racial conversations on repeat every day. I know partly it is because we currently have an African American President and some are not trusting in his style of leadership. Seriously thinking about what has gone on in America the last ten years the kids are presented with a world full of terror; war and racial divide. What remains so amazing about our kids today is that you can still see the love in them.

As an African American father of two boys I am faced with the challenges of protecting and teaching them how the real world works. Often times I find myself telling them one thing and then following it up with reality. I am often forced to think about how it affects all kids when they see you can get gunned down because your hat is twisted or you choose to wear a hoodie. What lasting impressions are there when they see the judge throw the book at the innocent while the guilty walks away free with all of their rights? You ask does it STILL matters the color of your SKIN. YES!

So without question I’m asking this as a parent, where is the love? Parents if we love our kids we need to take a stand for something. We need to ensure that our kids understand exactly what we stand for and even empower them to let their voices be heard. I for one as a parent would like to always be able to say yes to the question of does anybody love anymore. I don’t just love my kids I love America’s kids and I believe that they are truly our future. Just as my grandfather passed on the lessons of his past to me, I believe it is our duty to continue that tradition. I think if our kids are armed with knowledge and a true understanding of history we would never have to worry about where America is headed.

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