We Can End the Slaughter

By Alberto N. Jones

HAVANA TIMES — For the past 30 years, I have watched in disbelief, how a large sector of society has become an endangered species within most inner cities in the United States.  No one has developed a unified method that is capable of addressing the nation’s most intractable and devastating social crisis.

For that reason, I have written letters to the editors of numerous newspapers and pleaded with every politician, clergy, social and educational leader willing to listen, about the intolerable onslaught of black on black, police brutality and the unabated dismemberment of society.

Professionals in many fields of knowledge have proposed a number of solutions which vary from after school tutoring, sports, mentoring and religious activities; all with catchy names, boards of directors and plans that have failed over and over, by addressing the signs and symptoms, while leaving intact the causes.

These maladies are born, nurtured and fueled by illiteracy, joblessness, poverty, drugs, violence and deaths. They are too big, complex and out of control to be stopped or uprooted, but society can segregate and isolate susceptible individuals from those who are contaminated, untreatable and stop this calamity from spreading.

In the early 70’s during the brutal Ethiopian-Somali-Congo civil war, Cuba rescued thousands of orphans as young as 12 years of age from the front and relocated them on the former Isles of Pines, now Isle of Youth, where they received shelter, meals, healthcare, education, sports and culture through university studies for free.

Today, these successful technicians and professionals in every field can be found in their homeland, across Europe, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States, leading successful, productive lives.

During President Barack Obama’s unprecedented visit to Cuba, he was not exposed to this unique experience.  No other task can be more important for a successful African American President out of office, than to pick-up the gauntlet of 1.4 billion leaderless Blacks in the US, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America who are desperately in need of a massive educational and health project, that can stop and transform stagnant, violence ravished communities, into the men and women that the XXI century demands.

Cuba’s financial and economic distress, no longer allows it to embark on such a monumental humanitarian endeavor even though most boarding schools are vacant and in disrepair, but the core concept, principles and the professionals that are needed to reenact and perfect this system are readily available in and outside of Cuba.

No one else has the integrity and moral authority of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, to bring together all needed resources to remove once of for all, the neglect, stigma and curse, that has plagued and destroyed the lives of millions of people deemed inferior.

No outside help, hand-out or pompous Foundation should be needed to execute one of the world largest humanitarian endeavor.  Marcus Garvey did as much in the 1920’s through self-help.  Five dollars a month or less than $0.20 a day from every Black, Hispanic adult and well-wisher in the United States, suffice to self-fund ourselves out of this quagmire, which does not preclude additional financial help from successful minorities in the arts, sports, business or sciences.

Irrefutable statistical evidence demonstrates that the viability of any project geared to remove and salvage youths at risk from their contaminated environment is a fool-proof adventure.  Cuba’s black population is double the size of blacks in Chicago, Florida or Maryland, yet the embarrassingly out of control 800 violent deaths through fire arms reported in Chicago in 2016, is far greater than all violent deaths blacks has suffered in Cubans since 1959.

It is inconceivable that any black, white or yellow political, educational, social, business or religious leader can remain indifferent to this human catastrophe.  Generations has been wiped out through slavery, lynching, Jim Crow and racism to today’s multitude of ever degrading social ills.

Is anyone counting, turn a blind eye or refuse to see the uncontrollable rise of the most heinous crimes?

Ending this monstrosity is the greatest homage Harriet Tubman, Martin L. King, Tousant L’Overture, Malcolm X, Antonio Maceo, Nanny and Mariana Grajales could ever receive, to reassure them their sacrifice was not in vain.