Ebony is right down the middle; a Black, single mom with 3 children. We all know her. We see her everyday. Society has watched her struggle for decades, knowing that against all odds she bends but does not break. “Born to fail, built to win.” Despite not being able to save all of her children from the destructive hand of poverty and the lack of opportunity, she has endured and continues to struggle in a competitive racist society. This is the case for 3 million Black families spiraling downward into the permanent underclass. The economic/social crisis of the single Black mom is being served a further injustice by the 2 million Black men (many of them fathers) currently incarcerated in American prisons.
Now when we witness a Black man being tortured to death by some racist, mentally deranged White policeman, it’s really a rerun of the thousands of violent acts committed against Black men for centuries, most of which you will never see. Ask any Black man, since current statistics indicate 50% of all Black men have been arrested by their 23rd birthday. This is one statistic that I can attest to, having been arrested several times during civil unrest and other times just coming out of a grocery store in Chicago. I was well dressed with a full-length black cashmere coat, coming out of the store after purchasing a bottle of wine for a late dinner. The White policeman stopped me and wanted to know if that was a “booster” coat I was wearing with pockets on the inside. I said no, showing him the inside of the coat. Then the White policemen wanted to know my name and what I did for a living. I answered with my name, identifying myself as the owner of a courier service. One of the White policemen wise-cracked that I must be talking about a “Jitney service”, otherwise known as an unlicensed taxi service operating in Black communities.
Then they wanted to know if I had any parking tickets. That was all they needed to handcuff me and take me to jail, where I was handcuffed to the wall with several other arrestees. Several minutes later a big White policeman came into the holding room and physically assaulted the Black man handcuffed to the wall right next to me. He stated that the guy had a knife in his pocket. As it turned out, another White policeman brought the pocket knife into the room. It was so small, old, and rusty that he couldn’t even open it. Shortly after that, another White policeman, who appeared to be a lieutenant, entered the room and wanted to know if any of us (being detained) had seen anything. Of course not, even the black guy that got assaulted didn’t say anything. I thought to myself that if I didn’t post bond (whatever it might be), I was looking at spending the night in jail followed by being shackled like a group of slaves when taken to the County for arraignment the next morning. Imagine every other Black man going through this arrest process at least once, and in many cases several times, during his lifetime.
If you’re charged with a misdemeanor/infraction and you can pay the fine or bail, you will probably go home. But if you are a Black man being charged with a felony of any class, you need a good attorney and bond money. This is the point where most Black males plea bargain, represented by public defenders making a deal with the prosecutor on their life. All while being detained for months awaiting trial. Thus, the short story of jails being filled up with Black males, many with first offense drug-related crimes, doing the maximum time allowed by law. With the majority of these incarcerated Black men having children, the true burden of “Black Lives Matter” falls on Black single moms like Ebony, to support, raise, and who struggle to avoid the institutional racism that can misguide, incarcerate or even kill her children. America can sit back and speculate, have sessions, and feel comfortable about their proposed solutions to win the 300-year #WarAgainstRacism. Until they open their eyes, however, and see that Black Moms are the “linchpin” that need support in this war, she loses the most and suffers for a lifetime.
The #BlackMomsCan Initiative is focused on constructing “social business models” that allow Black Moms and families to be economically included, which in itself will keep thousands of Black youth and young adults from victims of the entire judicial system. “BlackMomsCan” will use digital technology to create viable opportunities, resources, marketable training, and economic guidance. In this way, Black families and young adults can reconnect to the economic mainstream.
We need the help of all concerned Americans to provide intellectual, financial and marketable resources for developing economic opportunities for Black families.
We’re in a crisis in America without a National Plan,
Yet we have the greatest warrior the world has ever known
#BlackMomsCan
**The Book Black Moms Can will be released July 2020.
