by Harriet Hairston
It has taken me a few days to find any words that would be coherent enough to write through the ocean of tears shed over the brutal death of Derrion Albert. All the world is a stage, and to watch the lives of at least five young men come to an abrupt end like they did is a tough pill to swallow. One breathed his last on the cold, hard asphalt of dreams deferred; and at least four will be man-children in a land of broken promises, behind bars that legalize the repealing of the emancipation proclamation that set us as a people free.
I keep waiting for snopes.com to tell me it was all a hoax…a terrible nightmare. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to happen. This case will play out on the world stage of public opinion and ignorant outrage that such an egregious act could happen in the baseball, apple pie, red-white-and-blue streets of these United States.
Only this is not a rare blip on the backdrop of typical American life; this type of tragedy happens EVERY DAY, but we act all brand new when it hits too close to home. Now that REALITY has brought the plight of the young, gifted and black male to the forefront of this world’s stage, what do we do? Where do we go from here?
Nas started in the right direction by writing a letter to the four adolescents arrested in connection with Derrion Alberts’ death. He said black men were “born warriors…and instead of building each other up, we are at war with each other. You’re me and I’m you, but you are fighting the wrong war!”
Great statement, Nas. I truly pray your newborn son Knight won’t have to suffer the same plight as these young men as a byproduct of the ugly divorce between you and Kelis. God knows we don’t need one more child with an absent father struggling to find his or her identity. If I were to borrow a line from one of his songs, I would definitely say that mental, emotional and spiritual emancipation is what is needed in cases like this.
If I ruled the world, I’d free all my sons from:
- Succumbing to the identity that BET and other media circles have fed them all their lives. The only choices given on TV are ball player, rapper, drug dealer, deadbeat or flaming homosexual. Our culture has so much more richness than that.
- Absentee fathers. How can a boy learn to be a man if a positive role model of a man is not setting the example? Fathers, be there! I’m not just talking about deadbeats who end up on Maury Povich, but men who would rather work to give their children everything they want, but neglect to spend time with them.
- Dysfunctional upbringing. It shouldn’t be normal for a child to hear their mother curse their father out, their father to punch their mother in the face, or for multiple sets of brothers and sisters by different mothers and fathers to give the Census Bureau something to talk and shake their heads about.
- A lack of vision and purpose. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, inventors were going buck wild on that street. But if all a boy sees is TODAY, they will never be able to focus on the possibilities of the future.
- No knowledge about God and the fact that we were created in HIS creative image.
Imagine THAT kind of freedom playing out on the world’s stage. One day at a time, we can make it happen so Derrion Alberts’ death can make him a martyr rather than just another victim of a senseless crime. Perhaps future Derrion Alberts will be able to take a bow on the world’s stage because they have effectively flipped the script on these abnormal normalities.
Imagine that…
God bless!
~ Harriet
Harriet Hairston, a freelance writer, human resources administrator at an HBCU and creator of the motivational blog, “Can She SAY That?!?” has a unique style that brings readers into her life through her transparent demeanor. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and two sons. You can reach her at [email protected].
Staycee2 says
Good Post Harriet!!! I live here in Chicago and to see the video I just fear for MY 3 year old son when he starts high school, because he will be taking public transportation (The Metra)! I also have a 17 year old stepson that lives with us now, due to the death of his mom in June 2009. The other night I came home from work (6 p.m.) and he wasn’t home and I immediatly panicked. My hubby informed me that he was taken some night classes to make up in order to graduate in June. I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items and told my hubby when he calls, tell him to stay where he is and I will pick him up and bring him home safely!!! I must say I saddened that his mom passed away, but happy that he is living with us, so that he will have the father figure not only in his life, but in his household, teaching him to be a man. I know I can’t protect him at all times, but I also don’t want anyone to hurt him the way Derrion Alberts was brutally beaten!!
MrsT says
This story is so sad because it was just so senseless and brutal. How can you beat someone to death whos posed no threat to you whatsoever? I pray for Derrion’s family and the families of the “lost boys” who committed this crime, I hope they will raise the rest of their children better than they raise these. I just can not understand why these things are still happening. And I don’t want to hear any excuses about poverty, because being poor has no bearing on knowing right from wrong. Oh and Nas and Kelis reconciled–guess he realized it was cheaper to keep her.
Harriet says
@ Staycee
That’s why prayer is soooooooo important. We can’t protect our sons and daughters 24/7, as much as we would like to. We can’t give ourselves heartattacks and ulcers worrying about them, either. We put them in the hands of the Lord, plead the blood of Christ to surround them and BELIEVE that in spite of the environment, all will be well!!! That’s tough to do in the thick of it. I left Chicago in 1999 and never turned back. But for those who are still there, I haven’t stopped praying for our young men…not since 1999.
@ MrsT
Glad to hear about the reconciliation. It’s cheaper in more ways than one, especially when considering the future and well being of a little boy who didn’t ask to come here.
Anna says
I don’t blame this on music or even where they lived. Sorry, but I blame the rearing. If I have to bust my butt to raise my kids so can everyone else. I had 3 kids by the time I was 22. My kids were not out tryng to start fights and being a menance. I am tired of mothers denying the fathers visitation(I don’t like that word) to their children because he did not pay his child support. We have discussed this before and a woman can’t raise a boy to be a man. We(women) can raise them to be polite, educated, respectful, caring and givers from the heart(just as a man can). We can scare them of many things, but we will never, ever take the place of a male/father figure. I know there are single mothers who have raised well adjusted young men. I know there is no way that they did not do it by themselves. We have to have postive male role models in our males lives, Preacher, Pastor, Granddad, Uncles, male cousins etc…. Get married to a real man to mentor our boys. It is also a a plus and it’s ok to have a non positive person that our sons know that we can use as examples of “what not to do”. A childs first teacher as we all know is his parents. Parents need to step up to the plate and stop being thier kids friends, or party buddy. Parenting is not easy, but if ppl start from day one being a parent instead of thinking when little Ray Ray cuses and the parent does not correct them but think it’s cute and can only laugh, something is wrong and that’s how early the problem starts. I am tired of seeing little girls “making it rain”, gyrating to songs and knowing all the words to songs and don’t know bible verses.
I feel so saddend that this young mans life did not mean anything to the kids that murdered him. I feel saddend to all the mothers. One mother had to bury her baby, while the other mothers have to live with knowing their sons won’t be coming home, but their home will be prison. Men need to man up and take care of what they created. Woman need to fall back and let the man that you layed with making a baby be a father. This is not about a child support check, it’s about life or death.
~~~
I know some men are dogs and don’t give a rats a** about the kids they created. I am not referring my comment to those mothers. I know some men are drugged out, in jail or just plain lazy and lost. There are real men that had kids with real women who really want to be apart of the rearing of their child but the woman won’t let him because she is scorned. It’s not about the two ppl who had the kid, it’s now about raising the child to live to see his own grandkids and not being a victim of street violence. Sorry my post is so long(I have been doing good lately) this right here struck a reserved nerve. I just want to know why this happened on a Thursday and I did not hear about it until Monday? I read blogs and wacth the news all the time. Our black males are not valued anymore. I just answered my own question.
lynn says
I heard my mother crying in her room,When I went in there she was watching this child die in the street. She said she way crying for his mother because someone had to tell her he child died like that. She was crying for her grown sons, and her grandsons.
It is NOT OK TO FIGHT,
This is sad, so sad.
Joi says
Ok we see that our children are killing one another, now what the time for change is today. I beleive they are being brain washed by the music and tv. Black Entertainment Television has a major part in this distruction of our community. I would think that televison catered to us would be there to build us not tear us down by showing our daughters how to be video hoe’s and our sons to be fake gansters and absent fathers, Not to say BET is all negative but mostly. If u have basic cable you wont see and positive R & B soul. Only if you have that channel. How about the reality shows that they have what are they showing, violence and sex is all our children see. Their worlds are so boxed in , it is truely a shame. I suggest we start with radio and Bet, and make them change these images forcing artist to become more responsible. Your child could be next.
Harriet says
I found an interesting article on News One for Black America. Lupe Fiasco, a musical artist, actually acknowledged that hip hop should share some of the blame for the untimely death of Derrion Alberts. This is a start in the right direction to me. Here’s the link.
https://newsone.com/nation/lupe-fiasco-says-hip-hop-is-partly-to-blame-for-derrion-albert-killing/