Knowledge Hoop

In the book, Rags to Riches, I talk about the wealth gap in the African American community.  As a Black female, I am very concerned about the current state of affairs; and the fact that the gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” is continuing to grow.  I am not only referring to the wealth gap when comparing us to others; I am also referencing the gap that exists within the Black community.

Our behaviors significantly contribute to our inability to create wealth and keep it.  As I was considering my post for this week, I ran across this article, Your Take:  How the Racial Wealth Gap Hurts Children of Color, on www.theroot.com .  Every parent wants their child to be successful, but oftentimes, I think we forget the link between wealth and success.

In our community, we often place significant importance on what we drive, how we look, and whether or not our child has the latest fashions and shoes.  This isn’t merely my opinion, there’s significant evidence to support my statement.  Based on the information in the article noted above, it is imperative that we begin shifting our focus if we want our children to be positioned to compete.  This means that we have to modify our behaviors so that our children understand the importance of education and wealth.  In essence, we must consume less, save more, and not only emphasize education for our children, but begin to educate ourselves as well.

Parents are their children’s first teachers.  I am reminded of the first verse in Whitney Houston’s song, The Greatest Love of All:

I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be

What behaviors are you modeling for your children?  Because of my extensive research for the book, I am not surprised by the statistics included in the article, but my heart is indeed heavy.  I don’t think this is what our ancestors had in mind during the Civil Rights movement.  Are we taking a step back in time?  Don’t we owe it to our children to position them better than this?  What will be the legacy of this generation?