Cynthia Smith
The first thing that needs to be talked about is race. We need to come together to fight racism. We need to learn that it’s we as a whole. Our kids are taught to see that she's Black and he's White, not the content of character.
Sometimes we, as Black people, try to put other Black people up on pedestals and they don't really need to be up there. There are a lot of things that we, as Black people, do wrong and we always want to point fingers at a White person. We do wrong just as well as they do wrong. I'm quite sure some people don't really mean for programs to be exclusive, but we need to take the time to make it clearer that everyone is welcome.
The second topic we need to talk about is teenage pregnancy. We need experienced people to talk about it with teens. We have many young high school students who are having kids at an early age. Peer pressure and family pressure are difficult for a child.
Thirdly, issues of stigma need to be handled. Of course with my child being developmentally delayed, I see a lot of problems. You have a lot of students that don’t know how to deal with special needs kids. Special needs kids shouldn't be separated from the “regular” kids because we are all the same. We need to be taught that just because this child is different, doesn't mean they need to be isolated. He's as smart as any other child there. He's stigmatized just because he can't talk. I don’t know how to handle stigma, how do we go about trying to do anything about it? I don't like it. Knowing that he's stigmatized is hard on me, but first of all it’s hard on the child to feel not wanted or needed. I don’t want to be stigmatized. I’m not just a woman. I have a lot to offer, just like you do.
I don't see Hale County as being a tight knit community. You're going to need a place, but I can't think of anyone who would want to go. They don't care. They are a complaining community. We complain about everything but we don't take the initiative to do anything. It doesn't bother me because I've been here all my life. I doubt things will change. Are people willing to invest their time? They would sit up and say yeah it would work if we... and then they don't show up. Are they willing? You have to really be dedicated. I'm kind of on the outside looking in. I guess because I have so much to do. I don't get out. It’s kind of hard to do anything. We need to stop being so superficial, we need to get together. We say one thing but we do something else. We're not real by what we say or what we do.
Cynthia Smith. Parent. Akron, Alabama
Recording Clerk, Hale County Probate Office. Greensboro, Alabama.
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