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They Have a Dream

For Martin Luther King's birthday (OK, almost 6 weeks ago now; I'm a little behind), the kids wrote what their dreams are. some of them provide a window into what these kids deal with every day.

"TJ:" (more about this one later; a very troubled child)
I have a dream fighting other kids. I have a dream hurting somebody on the football field. I have a dream about running away from home, school, and my football team and when I came back everything was alright."

"Jamila:"
I have a dream that people will stop smoking and drinking, stop shooting people, stop stealing money, and stop hating people. I wish that Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive. I wish people would stop mugging people.

"Steven:"
I have a dream that people would give dogs and cats good homes. I have a dream that people would stop being on drugs. I have a dream that people would respect their homes. I have a dream that people would give people in Africa some food. And I have a dream people would stop killing and fighting.

"Kobe:"
I have a dream that nobody was on drugs, that nobody killed each other and that no one got raped. I have a dream that my mom does not have diabetes and that I do not hear gun shots and that everything is OK.
These are not the kinds of dreams that many of us had when we were kids, nor are they the kind of dreams that kids should have to even think about. The last child in this list is moving. When someone came to his apartment to threaten his 16-year old brother's life, his mom decided she had had enough. The boys' father was shot and killed a couple of years ago and she was not about to lose anyone else that way. She packed them up and moved them in three days. We miss Kobe a lot - he was a wonderful, sweet child - but he may need to leave to stay that way. I hope he's found somewhere better.
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