I'm no genius...

Ideas are needed to solve issues. Issues are definitely what plagues the young black men and women in our community. So I have a few ideas to help the situation or at least start to create some change.

This assumes that those folks will have internet access and happen across this fine blog (give me that one) or that someone in a mentorship role will start giving some great advice based on what was written herein.

Step one? Stop having so many kids. This may seem like some tough advice, but stop having babies you can't support. Bring children into a loving home. This means teaching our kids about birth control (and allowing the access to them), getting them to understand the weight of their decisions, and helping them remove some of the stigma and mystery from sex.

Less kids in unfit homes (judge for yourself what is unfit) will help reduce crime and lead to more productive members of society. Now you may say, "THEO, kids from good homes can become criminals and kids from bad homes can be great!" Fantastic for those kids. But the issue is with the majority of the children in those situations. And because we need to fix the entire community, why not start with the kids in less than ideal situations and that mentality which invades such situations.

Fixing the kids issue helps the gang issue, the drug issue, and almost every other issue. It is a win-win proposition. I'm not foolish enough to believe that this will work in every case, but it will help in the long run (at least it will statistically speaking).

Emphasize education and/or business ownership. Everyone can't be everything. Some people don't want to do certain jobs even if they can. Not everyone was meant to be a lawyer or dentist or whatever. Some people were built to run their own business or become a politician or whatever. We need to support young people in their goals and help them create new visions for their lives by exposing them to the options that surround them. This is where you can make a difference. Even if it is just once a year, volunteer some time with some young folks and show them what you do! Maybe some will like it and some will hate it, but the exposure helps.

Build a sense of community. We can't keep being upset, treating each other like shit, and not supporting businesses within the community. This doesn't mean give some fool thousands to start a valet parking service for Taco Bell, but it can mean lending a helping hand to businesses in need or even spending on goods at that establishment. Be happy for those that are doing well. Treat each other better than you'd like to be treated.

And turn off the TV. Better yet, read a book. Better yet, turn the TV back on, get into the producing game and make something great for BET that doesn't shit on everything I listed above.

I realize that most of these are pie in the sky dreams, but we have to start somewhere. Why not my blog or the thousands of other blogs out there that make attempts at uniting our community and doing some good.

Excited to help? Visit your local volunteer group in the urban part of town and DO SOME GOOD. Donate time, money, or other resources that they may need. Speaking of that, I need to register myself as a volunteer in this new city.

Get it done and help someone be greater than you have become...