A few weeks ago, I was speaking with someone about kids who grow up in the projects or generally in low-income families. We spoke of their lack of motivation in school and how low the bar was set for their goals. These kids only strove to be employees at fast food chains, check out people at Walmart or prayed to make it big in music and sports without the proper support. They pass classes with C’s and D’s and, if they don’t drop out, their academic plans usually end after high school.
I want to be clear that I’m not trying to generalize here. I have friends from the projects who worked hard at school, went to college and have amazing career goals ahead of themselves. Sadly, though, a lot of these kids find themselves stuck, or rather, forced into a mold created by a society which has restricted their future and stripped them from hope.
A lot of these kids grow up being told that because of their socioeconomic place in this world, they won’t amount to much. They grow up in a world of stereotypes that expects them to become drug dealers and/or addicts who do poorly in school and end up dead before they’re 30. Their dreams are ridiculed, and their attempts are blocked by people who choose to confine them to the underworld yet have the audacity to question why they don’t pull themselves out and find a better life for themselves.
Instead of mocking these kids because of their social standing, we should be encouraging them. They deserve to be pushed like any other kid, encouraged to reach their full potential. They can make the mark; they can do better than C’s and D’s, but why do we question their apathy toward school when we know that many people are waiting for them to fail? Instead of ridiculing their dreams, encourage them to strive for more.
If they want to be athletes or musicians, encourage them to train, to take lessons, join teams – follow their passion. If they want to settle for the life their parents have because they think they don’t deserve more, show them they do! Show them role models who have emerged from similar backgrounds and give them extra help if they need it.
It’s heartbreaking to see underprivileged kids fall into the same patterns as those before them. It’s even worse to hear people criticize them when they turned their backs on them and took their hopes and dreams. Whether we want to admit it or not, these kids are stripped from hope from the moment they’re conceived. They’re seen as nothing more than a heftier welfare check and a failure waiting to happen.
Every child deserves the same level of encouragement. They should all be pushed to get the best grades, to strive for more than a high school diploma, to have bigger dreams than working at a fast food chain or selling drugs. While we’re at it though, we cannot criticize their families or their lives. They were born into a world that forces them to work harder than anyone to achieve much less. This world needs a large dose of kindness, and that kindness is for everyone. So let’s build back the hope for those kids who were stripped of it at the womb.
