So it’s the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. What now?

Back to routine is what happens for most of us.

And, I say, shame on us.

Shame on us for thinking that King would be proud of the way we have allowed our children to become enslaved. Not so much by prejudice but by poverty, drugs, illiteracy and crime.

I wonder if King would approve of the way we are allowing our schools to fail our children while we stand by complaining about the "system" and "the man."

I don't think King would be proud of the way we parent our children. Allowing them to fail in school and in life while rewarding them with video games, expensive clothes and "unconditional love."

King was a man of great faith. Just as important, he was a man of great works -- giving his time, energy and even his freedom for the cause of racial justice and social welfare.

Very few of us will have to give our life for our callings. We are, however, not excused from the calling on our day-to-day lives. If we are to pull Kings dream from the flames of extinction, we must, in remembering him, pick up his mantle. His dream must become the dream of each of us.

You may ask, "What can one person do with so great a problem? How can I even hope to stem the tide of violence, illiteracy, drugs and incarcerations? What can I do to encourage African American men to love and respect our women and to join fully in parenting our children? What can I do to help our girls avoid becoming teen mothers?

The answer, I believe, is to do as King did. Not from a pulpit with speeches but in the trenches. Every day, let’s speak the truth to our situations. Let’s refuse to hide behind racial injustices that still exist but that do not hinder us from succeeding.

Our children can read; lets teach them.

Our children can learn discipline; lets discipline them.

Our boys can obey the law; let us set good examples and high expectations for them.

Our girls can avoid becoming teen mothers; lets guard their virtue and educate them about prevention.

Our children can speak well; lets teach them that using correct grammar is not "talking white" and let us, as adults, use correct grammar as well.

Our children can excel academically; lets not be so quick to accept a "C."

Our schools can once again become hallowed halls where dedicated teachers teach and respectful students learn academic and life lessons; lets invest some of our time talent and money in our neighborhood schools.

Our people can do so much better than we are doing. Today’s failings need not equal failure tomorrow. So much of life's successes come from hard work and repetition. We can change the course of our lives and even of history if we move in time and work hard. I believe the time is now.

***
D. Barbara McWhite grew up in York County and lives in Orange Park, Fla., with her husband and cat.

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