Vanishing Villages

For quite some time, the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" has managed to touch the hearts of many. For most Black people over the age of 45, this was much more than words of wisdom; it was simply how we were raised. After meeting people from all over this country, the same was true no matter where you happened to grow up.
Growing up in a small town in East Texas during the 50's and 60's was challenging at best. Even as children we understood that life for our parents was far from easy. I say our parents, because growing up, we were protected  from many of the wrongs that our elders had to endure. When I was 6 years old, I had a dog named Punch. I was a very shy child who grew up surrounded by much older adults who were too busy to pay much attention to a little girl who enjoyed being alone. Except for Punch. One morning I woke up to find him shot to death on the front porch. You see, it was common practice for the police to drive through our neighborhood and shoot family pets. I cried for days.
I was almost an adult before I realized how easily the bullet could have hit a family member. Although it was impossible to keep us kids totally protected from the ugliness, they managed to provide us with a strong sense of security. The adults in our community literally built a village around us. There were Black owned businesses that provided most of what we needed. There were a few stores downtown where we were expected to use the back door, but most people chose not to spend their money at these places of business. Teachers would visit your home if you felt the need to act out. There was no 'children's church',,,church was church and no child wanted to be escorted outside during the service,,,for anything!
This mindset of unity was totally inclusive. No matter where you lived, where you worked, whether you owned your home or paid rent, the shared ' understanding of life as it was' provided our people with the strength and power to survive in spite of possible life threatening circumstances. Our faith kept us from wasting time asking God "why?". I have always believed that God gave us a special kind of hope to blend with our humbleness and ability to forgive. I am always curious why people expect us also to forget. God does not require this of anyone; why should we be different?.
As children, we were not just taught how to survive with less than most, but to be thankful for whatever blessings we had. Okay, so we had to pick greens, corn, and peas, etc, etc, etc!!. There were very few overweight, unhealthy kids. We had used, outdated books that were in very poor condition, but all of us could read, comprehend, write, spell and,,, had a real working knowledge of math and science. In other words, our high school education  was the equivalent of someone who has earned an associates degree.
Children were respectful to ALL of their elders. Yes, even the ones who had questionable behavior. That was simply not our choice to make.
As children, we understood that if we did anything,,,small, big,,whatever, and we went to jail,,guilty or not, IF we arrived alive, we would probably never get out.
So what happened?? Did we want equality, not a misplacement of ourselves during integration??  Did we trade in our core to be welcomed across the tracks?? Are we really welcome now?? Did we stop teaching our children the importance of behaving in a respectful manner even if it is not accepted or returned?? And where is our moral compass that is guided by our faith and love of God??  Did we confuse our children regarding our right to equality with an inflated sense of entitlement.??  Have we failed our children by discarding the anchors of our people??
Questions need to be asked and answers need to be found. If our villages are truly lost, we must figure out a plan to build new ones. Our children deserve nothing less...