Serena and Venus are examples of how to join the good life while getting even with white America. Like Tyler Perry, Berry Gordy, Muhammad Ali, or the brothers at the 1968 Olympics with fists held high in victory. Black girls in America need more victories as examples. They should be exposed more to doctors, dentists, lawyers, legal assistants, bakers, barbers, scientists, electricians, computer scientists, programmers, and numerous other careers.
If parents do not participate in helping to choose their child’s career, the world will choose one for them. Girls, just as well as boys, could end up as dope dealers, or on drugs, or become thieves, pimps, or streetwalkers. They may rob stores or banks, burglar homes, or nothing respectable, or something that can be passed down to their children. As a young child, I wanted to be a barber. This was a result of observing a barber in the barbershop next to my mother’s store. I later observed a lawyer, in action, and I was impressed with his ability to convince a group of people to come around to his way of thinking. I decided that was what I wanted to do. I asked him if he believed I could become a lawyer and he said yes, so I began my private journey to become a lawyer. I remembered what my mother taught me about my life. She said, “You can be anything you want to be as long as you apply yourself.” These words have become the words and direction of my life. My wife was an elevator operator in a department store when we met. After we married, she became the manager of our several businesses. I mention this as a lesson to parents of Black girls. Quite simply, teach her what my mother taught me, that is, she can be whatever she wants to be, as long as she applies herself. Your daughters should carry forth a legacy of fortune, success, wealth, and a career that will serve as a source of pride. She may be told, “You don’t belong.” She must ask Why? She belongs just as much as any other who has made it to the top! Help her to understand that a career is the basis of a good life. Life as a doctor or lawyer can provide life on an estate where she has the right transportation, the right friends, the right church, the right house, and the right kind of partner who will provide the love she deserves. Locally, African American women have achieved great heights in Pasadena, such as mayor, city councilmember, interim police chief, acting city manager, and civil rights fighters, such as Alma Stokes, Delores Hickambottom, and Ruby McKnight Williams. King Richard was called overbearing and ruthless, but he called it a sacrifice for the future of the Williams family. We can see the results for ourselves. The Williams sisters are worldwide success stories and role models for us all. |
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