Chicago Brother’s Keepers Initiative

Chicago Brother’s Keepers Initiative

By Patricia Britt

To drive down Lake Shore drive is to experience a mechanical miracle even though South Shore might need some roadwork. Lake Shore Drive is middle Americas California Coastline. To take State street all the way downtown, and points east along the Dan Ryan is a cool experience. It’s Chicago’s technological Grand Canyon. And somewhere along that strip may be the President’s library in another 6 years.

Do we as Americans just want to say ain’t it awful, or should we be signing up in droves to the “Brother’s Keeper Initatives to strengthen our country by investing in youth?

I haven’t read the “Brother’s Keeper” goal statement thoroughly, but I know it’s designed to give minority youth a chance by saving them with opportunities and tools that lead to thinking outside the box, primarily getting them to graduation if they are k12, and hopefully picking up the pieces of those in limbo having graduated without jobs, college bound, or in a college, or a University by letting them know they are valued.

I’m sure there’s a give back element where each one can teach one. We need teacher unions, relevant teachers with a sincere interest in preparing all of America for tomorrow.  We need relevant textbooks. We need many more things both material, and existential to give students the “feeling” that they’re cared about, and can do it, whatever that is – Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Chemistry, Technology, STEM work to repair our crumbling infrastructure, and prepare us for the future. We need these city kids on wind farms so they begin to get a concept they’re made of stardust, that they sparkle, and they’re part of the plan to achieve the American Dream – Homeownership and a love to protect, and be secure in so they’ll want to work together to dream bigger, and keep what they’ve earned, maybe invent something as life changing as an IPhone.

The only surety for young black men these days is that they could become a victim of egotistic teachers that kick them out of class putting them on a road to hardship that could lead to incarcerate, or worse. They see news crusaders on the screen, and the nice people in situation comedies but many times the real life person they encounter might not be that caring, and even block the door to opportunity for the gifted with potential who don’t know the course to achievement.

Chicago to offer one urban hub, will most likely be where President Obama will build his presidential library the business people, and athletes will be instrumental in pushing the educators to prepare these young men to become architects who know a blueprint inside out, besides the 1000’s of jobs that will probably be generated in construction all over the city to fill the jobs gap at every level. Will it be SWAG time, or missed opportunities for generation x to have a chance at achievement? You better believe the ME generation is already planning what goes where, and who does what, and if young ethnics are a part of building the construction, or housed by it.

I can’t speak for President Obama or the First Family, but if you know anything about the love they’ve shown for America they would forego exclusivity in Hawaii opting to build the Presidential library in Chicago where the people who need the hope of it will have access to it. Since the President’s campaign was built on high tech it's not beyond the possibility that teens could get college level credits studying certain portions designed with them in mind to study technology to correct the onslaught of global warming & climate change, and perhaps even climate control. What about the shifting of techtonic plates? We’ve logged many mountain ranges, could the shifting plates be conquered with science in the not too distant future?

Whether the Obama's build their presidential library in Chicago, or Hawaii it's sure to be a learning experience to see the application of new technologies represented by the diversity of Chicago's, and the nations youth.

2014 Copyright Zimation Arts & Letters Ink

http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper