I am not usually one to be stuck for the right words, but the senseless shooting of a promising 18-year-old man has me really searching. Not only did a young man lose his life, but the upward trajectory of violence among and against our youth continues to take its toll on our entire community.
Yesterday's event took the life of a young man that was a member of our community and by many accounts had a lot to look forward to. While the loss of Mohamed Kamara may be seen as merely a statistic to some, it is without question that far too many children are taken before they even have a chance to make their mark in this world.
The other piece of this sad story is the hate-speak that follows such a tragedy. As I followed the story at DelcoTimes.com today, the hate speech started coming out quickly in the comments section. Words like "those kids", "that school", "those people who moved in" and "that community used to be" were used far too often. People are so quick to make assumptions and don't give a second thought to judging someone that they clearly know nothing about. To stoop to such a shallow level of discourse, and I use that term loosely, is beyond scary to me.
Violence amongst our youth is everywhere. Rich or poor, black or white, in the city or the 'burbs, our kids are in the crosshairs far too often. It is nothing less than an epidemic, and hate speech does nothing to help matters. In fact, I will argue that the hate speech actually promotes more violence, and those blaming others for being violent are actually perpetuating the violence through their words.
What has me frustrated the most is that I do not know of any solution. I am tired of the violence, yet I am even more tired of the hate speech. Children need our love, they need our hugs, but they definitely do not need judgment and hate.
Those who share my opinion, and there are undoubtedly plenty within this community who do, need to make their voices louder. We need to stand together for all of our children before it is too late. I am sure that I speak for many when I say that our prayers go out to the family and friends of Mohamed Kamara. Please know that the pain of your loss is not felt alone.
Thanks for listening.
Jennifer
P.S. To those who speak negatively about the Penn Wood High School and the William Penn School District:
With rare exception, the students of WPSD are amazingly beautiful, talented and promising. I, as a WPSD board member, and more importantly, a Lansdowne resident, will not allow OUR 5,500+ children to be judged by people that do not know them. If you are interested in really getting to know our students, watch this blog for events that are open to the public and come out and see them for yourself. If you are not open to OUR children, please, by all means move from our community. Lansdowne is NO PLACE FOR HATE and we mean those words.
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Thank you Jennifer! I couldn't have said it any better. I am a parent of 4 Penn Wood Graduates and a Darby resident for 28 years. You are absolutely correct in everything you say. It is sad that so many are there to judge but not willing to step up and support our young ones. Thank you for being on our Board for our children. Thank you for opening your heart to our children and community.
ReplyDeleteNice article Jennifer people are far too quick to judge without having all the facts. It's just a sign of ignorance.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, Jennifer. I read the comments section in the Delco Times today and yesterday with alarm. I can only hope that that kind of hate and small-mindedness is dwindling in the population, and if we stay the course of compassion, respecting differences, and ultimately believing in this country's credo of "liberty and justice for all," we will prevail. You're absolutely right: we must call this hate speech out when we hear it, wherever we hear it, whether it's uttered by national "leaders" or by our neighbors. Thanks for doing that, and leading us, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer. As a lifelong Lansdowne resident and counselor who has worked with teens for over 30 years, I find that many adults jump to conclusions without understanding the kids or the issues. A tragedy like this occurs, and suddenly the air is filled with noisy, fear-driven "solutions". What's called for, perhaps, is a little less shouting and a lot more listening. Thanks for an excellent post.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate intolerant people, but since I live in Lansdowne, I cannot even do that. Lansdowne is no place for hate.
ReplyDeleteI only looked at the pictures, so I personally did not notice the hate speech in the Delco Times today. I've stopped paying attention to the local papers, and indeed to much of the media, because they rarely get the facts right and they never, ever, ever understand the nuances. So, I just look at the pictures. Here's what the pictures told me: A family lost a son. I didn't recognize any member of the family, but I recognized a family that had lost a son. We had lost part of our community. Was Mohamed one of the kids who spoke at Martin Luther King Day? Or was he one of the kids I helped wash the school windows? Did he get to see his school play basketball? Wow!! I hope so, because the team was awesome and the students that came to cheer on their team were remarkable - enthusiastic and loud and amazingly well mannered for teens. Did we pass each other on the sidewalks of Lansdowne - our community? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. But I do know that we're all in this together. Our kids are our future. Period. My kids. Your kids. Our kids. We're in this together. We're all a community. So, just look at the pictures and be grateful to be part of a community that understands what's important, what the nuances are. Or go someplace else, make noise and hold up signs. I still won't read them.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more. I was born and raised in Lansdowne and am a graduate of Penn Wood High School. After graduating from college, I purchased a house in Lansdowne 3 blocks from the high school. I find myself constantly defending our town and district to people who have never stepped foot here. My words to them are to experience what Lansdowne and William Penn School District have to offer, then come talk to me. People are just ignorant.
Count me in Jen. Well said. We cannot afford intolerance, in any sense of the word afford.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteGood kids? Reading the below story http://delcotimes.com/articles/2010/04/16/news/doc4bc7e9208d35f287609625.txt
leads me to believe otherwise. Bringing weapons to school.....are these kids bad or just plain stupid? Also, prison style security?? I guess William Penn SD is doing a good job preparing these kids for their future....behind bars.
I want to thank all the folks that responded to this blog, both positive and negative.
ReplyDeleteI do feel a need to respond to Anonymous.
Yes, WPSD students are in vast, vast majority good kids. I can not respond to the story you mention, as its a news report and my apologies to the Delco Times, but I need to get my information from my own sources and I will.
If I take the information at face value, I would like to make the following response:
1. Prison Style Security: No way, the wanding is done by our Security employees. They are nice folks that have been around these kids since the beginning of the year. We are wanding to protect them and most of the kids know that. You get wanded when you go to the airport, you walk thru metal detectors all the time. This event was very sad, we do not need to add more drama.
2. According to the story, there were 3 children with items. That is .03% (less than 1%, 3 out of 800 children). Do you think if you searched any school you would find nothing? Nothing at all. You are kidding yourself if you believe this. There is a zero tolerance, that means even scissors are fair game.
3. We are preparing our children for further education, not prison. Do we have some bumps in the road, yes we do. Are we hiding, no we are not. WPSD is a committed group of people trying to right by 5500 students. We battle unfair education funding, unfunded mandates, a lack of social services for the kids that need it, and the hate-speak about our district every single day.
Finally, I am grateful for the conversation, even with you Anonymous. Even the conversation gives me hope, that we are all life-long learners and can join together to help each other, not push each other down.
Thanks for listening.
Jennifer
Jen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for defending OUR kids in the WPSD. I am a teacher and a parent in the district and I also find myself defending the district and our kids to those who are not quite as "informed" as I'd like them to be. We have some really amazing students in our school! Do we have our problems? Sure - and I defy anyone to tell me that other districts don't have problems, too. We all need to focus on all the positive things our kids do. I invite anyone to come and obeserve my 7th grade English classes and see what our kids are doing. Once you take the time to know our kids, you'll find out that they are really just KIDS!