Martin Luther King's dream is alive but liberal policies are destroying Black communities

I was five years old when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Then, nearly 80 percent of Black children were born into two-parent families but sadly, the Black community transformed to 80 percent fatherless homes in my lifetime.

If the American Black family was a spotted owl or a gray wolf, it would be on the endangered species list. Instead of refocusing on cultural roots of faith, family and education that sustained the Black family during the most difficult times in our country’s history, we now blame racial disparities on white privilege and systemic racism. 

We know the damaging affects fatherless homes to children after seeing the steep decline of two-parents in the Black community for five decades: 85 percent of children with behavioral disorders; 90 percent of homeless and runaways; young boys and girls suffer higher rates of physical and sexual abuse, and list continues. 

Unfortunately, I know from personal experience that it is extremely difficult to eject themselves once children are raised in these communities. There are some who do make it out and achieve success in life.  However, the numbers reveal that they are the exception, not the rule. That is why I spent my adult life mentoring, coaching, and encouraging young people that their past doesn’t have to define their future.