“A
population that does not take care of the elderly and of children and
the young has no future, because it abuses both its memory and its
promise.”
-- Pope Francis
For
many, the start of a new year is a chance to turn over a new leaf and
take a hard look at the gap between who we say we want and need to be
and who we are. As a nation it’s time to close our hypocrisy gap in the
treatment of our children and value and protect our children—
all of them. We need to examine with urgency how we treat our children and the gap between what we say and what we do.
If we did, we’d find:
- -- A public school student is suspended every 2 seconds.*
- -- A public high school student drops out every 9 seconds.*
- -- A child is arrested every 24 seconds.
- -- A public school student is corporally punished every 30 seconds.*
- -- A baby is born into poverty every 35 seconds.
- -- A child is abused or neglected every 47 seconds.
- -- A baby is born without health insurance every minute.
- -- A baby is born into extreme poverty every 68 seconds.
- -- A baby is born to a teen mother every 2 minutes.
- -- A baby is born at low birthweight every 2 minutes.
- -- A child is arrested for a drug offense every 4 minutes.
- -- A child is arrested for a violent offense every 8 and a half minutes.
- -- A baby dies before his or her first birthday every 22 minutes.
- -- A child or teen dies from an accident every hour.
- -- A child or teen is killed by guns every three hours and 18 minutes.
- -- A child or teen commits suicide every four hours and 11 minutes.
- -- A child is killed by abuse or neglect every five and a half hours.
- -- A baby’s mother dies from pregnancy or childbirth complications every 11 hours and eight minutes.
*During the school year.
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What do these numbers tell us about who we are as a nation
and whether we value the life and potential of every child? Why do we
choose to let children be the poorest age group in our rich nation and
stand by as millions of children suffer preventable poverty, hunger,
homelessness, sickness, neglect, abuse, miseducation, and violence? Why
do we continue to mock God’s call for justice for children and the poor
and our professed ideals of freedom and justice for all?
It’s time to realize the promise of a fair playing field for all children.
We can and must do better.
America's government and society as we know it, were founded by rebellious Europeans. They spoke of truth and justice and equality and opportunity. Today, however, we know they weren't speaking of everyone. Everyone speaks of the injustices towards Blacks, towards women, in those early times. But much like their European cousins, early Americans did not really value children. In fact, as a culture, we've had to fight for most of the protections of children that we now consider basic. Not too long ago, teachers could hit children for misbehaving. Now that would be considered unthinkable. Now, as capitalism forms our society more and more, children in private schools continue to be treated with courtesy, while public school children are treated as if they are dangerous animals. Thusly, as in the past, we will have to fight for the appropriate culture in public schools. We cannot wait for those in power to be concerned. Historically, most of them never were.
ReplyDeleteWe abuse both our memory and our promise. Wow that is powerful! America professes to be a nation that stands on a Christian foundation and yet we are one of the leading nations when it comes to the unjust treatment ones citizens. As stated we need to take an honest inventory with the laws and practices of our government. If we did we would see the many counter examples of a nation that claims a Christian foundation.
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