Like so many others, I am angry and frustrated by the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case. That a young black child – unarmed – walking back from the store to his father’s house can be shot dead, with no consequences for the man who killed him, confirms again many of our worst fears.
For progressive New Yorkers, it is easy to look at what goes on in a place like Florida, shake our heads, and feel superior. “We’re not like that,” we can tell ourselves. “We’re a diverse, liberal city.” It is true only that New York is diverse.
Racial profiling and violence are here too. Not just white on black, but black on black as well. And these ills are, in part, symptoms of bad governmental policies, a disease run amok, in our systems.
As parents, we want the best for our children. We care for them, making sacrifices, sometimes daily, so they may live healthy and productive lives. We praise them and love them. We try to make sure they have good self-esteem.
But all of that care and all of that lifting up we do is stripped away when our young people are targeted because of the color of their skin. Humiliated just for walking. When government has policies that disrespect our young people and treat them like criminals, that government is not working in partnership with us — the families and communities.
How can we spend so much of our time raising and grooming our children for success only to have their lives and their potential for success snatched away from them as soon as they leave our embrace?
Right now, we’re stuck. More than 50,000 in New York City do not have access to full day pre-K, a tried and true early foundation for their education. And too many middle school children have no after school programs or easy access to tutoring, arts and culture programs, or sports and recreation.
But we do have solutions. We can make fundamental changes in the way we govern. We can address the contradictions in the way we treat our young people.
Remember, it’s easier to grow a healthy child than to mend a broken adult. And it starts with early education. My husband, Bill de Blasio and I firmly believe in making sure children get an early start. We know that if a child gets a good education, and it starts early enough, that child’s whole life can be transformed. That’s why Bill has proposed making sure every child in New York City is guaranteed a seat in pre-K, and afterschool for every middle school child who wants it.
Bill and I are parents of two teenagers. Our family is multiracial; our son is 15, and so Stop and Frisk, indeed any policy that does not encourage and support our young people, isn’t theoretical for us. Our concern is about our own young people and making sure every child of this city is treated fairly and has the opportunity to succeed. We have the knowledge. We have the tools and the resources to make a fresh start. I call on all parents and people who care about our city to stand up for the ban on racial profiling; speak out against abuse of stop and frisk; fight for universal pre-K and after-school programs, and great public schools for all kids in all neighborhoods.
Together, we can help take our city in a new direction.
Chirlane McCray
Chirlane McCray is an activist and a mother of two from Brooklyn, NY. Her husband Bill de Blasio is running for mayor of New York City. Learn more at www.billdeblasio.com, or connect with her Twitter @Chirlane or facebook.com/chirlanemccray.
