Reflections of an Author
Submitted by Frank Murphy, Dec. 28, 2010
The total number of homicides for Philadelphia in 2010 reached 300 on December 23rd. In 2005, the year in which Confessions of an Urban Principal takes place, 380 murders occurred in the city of Philadelphia. For the last several years, national crime totals have decreased. In our own city the decline in homicides between 2005 and 2010 is local evidence of this trend.
Criminologists can not fully explained this decrease in the yearly crime rates. Possibly the high incarceration rate of our nation has something to do with it. Or perhaps the current smaller percentage of teenage boys who make up the population of our nation has contributed to the lower crime statistics. Teenage boys are most prone to commit a crime.
Whatever the cause, these crime statistics are for most people good news. However the news for African American men and boys isn’t as great. Last year 40% of all murder victims were black men. Since the year 2000, there has been a 39% increase in the number of black boys between the ages of 14 and 17 who have been homicide victims. In 2005, 45% of the murder victims in Philadelphia were black males under the age of 25. These totals are astonishing when you consider that black males make up only 6% of our nation’s population.
This is a serious problem that receives scant attention. Occasionally a compelling and compassionately written article will appear in the local newspaper on this subject. Most of the time the story will focus on a mothers sorrow over losing a son to gun violence. But other than these occasional human-interest articles, there is little if any, serious reporting on this problem.
This is not to say that our elected officials or the news media fail to share their perspective on the plight of African American males. They can frequently be heard voicing their concern over what they term as the failure of our public school system to address the needs of poor children of color. They engage in much public discussion concerning what they term as the negative effects of teacher unions, teacher tenure, and teacher effectiveness on the lives African American children. With increasing frequency they offer proposals on how to deal with these so-called problems. Creating more charter schools, privatizing educational services, and offering vouchers lead the list of their possible solutions.
What we don’t hear in this public discussions is a plan that will decrease and eventually eliminate the slaughter of so many of our boys and young men who inhabit the under-resourced and ill served communities of our nation.
If we are truly interested in addressing this sad reality, then we need to stop side- stepping the inequalities and injustices that daily confront these young people. Our leaders need to do more than merely blame our public schools for our societal failures. Effective leaders would devise and pursue strategies that will assist every person in this nation to succeed. They could start by seeking answers to these questions.
- How can we provide reasonable opportunities for legal and gainful employment for every citizen of our nation?
- How do we ensure access to quality health care, housing, and educational services for every member of our society?
Finding answers to these questions will move us all closer to a more peaceful world.
It is much easier to show good will to others when you have access to the resources you need in order to live a happy and satisfying life.
When people aren’t subjected to a daily life that is dominated by fear, desperation, anger and alienation, then they will be less likely to resort to violence and criminal activities in order to achieve their goals.