Ghetto Mothers Are the Best

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/08/jersey_city_author_white_looks.html

This author wrote a book about her life and the mistakes she made in order to try to prevent other ghetto mom’s from making the same mistake. 

Ghetto Moms I am one of them.  I ended up starting a family instead of going to college not like I would have gone anyway.  I had discovered the  Streets and nothing would make me leave the streets.  

Ghetto Mom’s must often relay on each other rather then relay on other people we must support each other and help each other out.   We are often ignored by the woman’s movement and also the African American movement.  The woman’s movement spends to much time hating on our men which will never go over well with the women here.  There are not a lot of men here and we are very protective of the men we do have especially as they tend to be our sons and brothers as well as lovers, husbands and boyfriends.  African Americans are still stuck in the “fight the white man” mentality instead of working to overturn the Rockerfeller law which is responsible for millions of black men in Prison.  They also ignore the fact that millions of black men/women/ and children die from violence in the hood.  They are to busy fighting a white man who has long since lost his power. Both groups treat ghetto people like we are a bunch of stupid fools who are not important enough to fight for.

This year I have decided that I can no longer afford to donate money to either the woman’s organization nor the African American  organizations anymore.  They do not advocate for me so why should I support these groups. 

I am a ghetto mom and yes I have my high school dipoloma.  I am a ghetto mom and yes I make sure my children go to school.  I am a  ghetto mom who left the street life a long time ago for my children.  I am a ghetto mom who enjoys her grandchildren in her 40s.  I am a ghetto mom who struggles sometimes but who has the support and love of other ghetto moms.  Ghetto moms are black , white , Asian, and Latino as well as Native American.  

Ghetto moms must endure social workers and teachers who think that ghetto moms  must not understand basic concepts of education. They look down at us and hit us with stereotypes not based on race or gender but based on where we are from.  They think that we must not believe in homework or that we don’t know how to care for our children.  They tend to suspect us of being on drugs or drunks.

The ghetto mom often must face struggles due to where she lives because no one wants to put a real grocery store in the ghetto.  We must often travel by Jitney or unlicenced cab.   There are times that no one cares about the ghetto like when officers leave a dead dog in an abondoned building or leave a dead body somewhere for weeks.  We call the proper authoritories and yet the dead animal or person remains there because no one listens to us nor cares about what we do or say.

Ghetto women support each other and regardless of  race are truly sisters.  It would seem that the Women’s movement could look to the ghetto to learn about true sisterhood.  I know I can count on my friends if I need something to eat or a small loan until pay day.  I know that if I have sugar and my homegirl has kool aid then both families now have kool aid. 

So to all my sisters in Hood USA You are the best and thanks for being your ghetto fablous selves.