I Apologize.

I've been mulling writing this post for a while. Like most of you I've seen the news reports about the murders. I have seen how our youth seem to have lost their way. This post is for them, our youth

I want to apologize to all of the youth in the current generation and the next one coming up. We have failed you. We have failed you miserably.

I want to apologize for not passing on our true history as African-Americans to you. We have taught you nothing about where you came from and who you are. Instead we let the public school system and the mass media teach you about who you are. It's no wonder that all you know of black history is that we were slaves who didn't fight back, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement. We have failed to give you sense of self.

I want to apologize for not providing you with independent schools where you could be taught by people who looked like you and shared your experiences. Thus giving you the proper guidance you needed. When I was growing up we had those schools like Christ The King and others. We left you to fend for yourselves.

I want to apologize for leaving you a community in disrepair. We haven't been the best caretakers of West Louisville. We let our historic building be torn down. We have not created long lasting small to medium size businesses that can add riches and employment to the neighborhood. Instead we all got jobs with some of Louisville's largest companies and moved east. Those of us who couldn't move East moved to Shively. We let the city turn large parts of West Louisville into warehousing of the poor and halfway houses.

There are 1000 more things I could apologize for and for those things I am truly sorry. We have failed you. But I will fail you no more. That's my promise to you.