Making A Difference in the Lives of Our Youths

Most of you know that I am an eternal optimist, seeking the good and the positive of most anything, especially my beloved city of Birmingham.

But as a good reporter, and a concerned citizen, it would be irresponsible of me to put on blinders to the truth of unpleasant things I'd rather not discuss publically, not when my stated goal at Birmingham View is to focus on the positive aspects of living in the city. I think it's a good thing to air our problems, but only if we are willing to work toward solutions that solve them.

With all that said, I wanted to make sure that you tune in for tomorrow's Birmingham View Television show (which airs on My 68 every Wednesday morning starting at 6:30 until 7 a.m.), where one of our two guests is Carolyn Johnson-Turner.

I have known Mrs. Turner when she was just Ms. Johnson working over at City Hall. She was always cheerful and pleasant when I came over to the Mayor's Office looking for stories and touching bases with sources. But one day she wasn't there and I learned that a random bullet had killed her 20-year-old son, Rodreckus Johnson. The bullet pierced the window of a car where he sat minding his own business, not involved in any of the foolishness that took his life.

Out of that awful tragedy, Carolyn formed the Parents Against Violence Foundation (PAV), which aims to raise awareness of gun violence and offers support to the ailing family members left to cope with the violent death of a loved one.

What brought all this home for me was an outstanding documentary, “Not My Son,” which screened about a month ago at the Woodland Park Church of Christ. Producer Dwight Cameron’s gripping piece centers on PAV and the mothers who grapple with powerful emotions of pain and loss.

As a police reporter for The Birmingham News, I got a first-hand view of such emotions right after the tragic incidents. But the grief is long term, as the film shows. And it’s widespread, considering the hundreds of mothers who have lost mostly sons, sometimes daughters, to violent crimes over the years.

At the end of the film, I was left emotionally drained and wondering, ‘What in the world can we do to stop this?’ I also wondered, ‘Where were the men, the father of these young victims (most of the parents in the film were mothers)?’
And where are the men, the positive male role models in the lives of the perpetrators of these crimes?

Well, at least one answer came in the form of Cedric Sparks, director of Birmingham’s Department of Youth Services (DYS). He is the second guest on tomorrow’s show.

His exemplary work with the city’s youth earned him special recognition from a number of sources, including the Birmingham FBI for his positive community contributions. He, like many of his peers, does what he can to be the positive male role model that so many of our young men need in their lives.

DYS is also part of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, a network of organizations that are encouraging everyday citizens to become mentors and make a difference in the lives of our youth. It was founded by Susan Taylor, former editor of Essence Magazine, who came to Birmingham several times last year in support of CARES.

I know we are all so busy, just trying to make it in today’s crazy economy. But I feel I need to do something to reach out to some youths in my own way, with the hope that it will make a critical difference in the life of at least one young person.

A while back, we interviewed another young man who gained from a mentor and is now reaching back to other young men in his mentoring program, B.O.U.N.C.E. You can see that interview HERE on our website.

We know Carolyn has made a difference. At the screening, one young man stood up and motioned to his brother sitting beside him. He had heard her speak at a local high school, and decided that he would walk a different road, away from a path to crime that apparently he and his brother were taking.

Carolyn is making a difference. Can any of us afford not to do the same? Call over at DYS and let them know you are willing to be a mentor or do whatever you can to reach out to our youth, who for the most part, are well-adjusted kids who just need a little direction.

But every once in a while, we can catch that kid who may be headed down the wrong path, and make the difference that can save another Carolyn Johnson from a lifetime of pain and loss. Just my thoughts.

vickii