March '09 Blog #1 Response to Executive Summary

I feel that the MS Executive Summary was interesting. Some parts of the article seemed to make sense. For example, Jackson is the largest city; therefore, I would expect it to have more people and in that pool of people many people would fare well. Also, Desoto County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state. This fact leads me to believe that there is something positive going on in that area. Knowing the plight of the MS delta region, I am not surprised by the negative news for that area. What I did find shocking was how the report showed that the quality of life today for a typical African American in MS compares of that to an average person from the 1970s. I found that fact that salaries of African Americans were significantly lower than that of their white counterparts. This news was disheartening. I knew that there were discrepancies, but until reading this article, I did not realize their full extent.
Another “no brainer” was that fact that the education system has to be beefed up in order to combat the disparities found in the report. The report basically said to reinvest in the community. I think that reinvesting is one of the best options to help repair MS problems. I agree teenage boys do need some type of outlet instead of gangs and sex. This is a cycle that needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Having a community helps feel the void that these teenagers are missing.
In the education department, family schools would help foster a sense of community and also help parents to be more responsible for their children. The only thing about my suggestions is that they are a little fantasized. Because of the lack of African American males in the homes, mothers have to work long hours to help support their children. These children are raising themselves (and sometimes younger siblings) and do not have the guidance that they need from home to succeed well in school. They try to feel the void of a missing parent by turning to any source of conceived love they can find. During this time, someone will end up pregnant and the cycle will continue. Poverty breeds more poverty. Enough is enough. It is time to do something about it!