The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors

The Isis Papers
ing. No teacher, no matter how highly motivated, can meet the unmet
dependency demands of a classroom one quarter full of children who have
been parented by children. Yet, these dependency demands must be met
if the children are to pay full attention and learn.
Further, it is the exceptional child-parent who can help a child with
his/her homework patiently or encourage that child to be patient while
he/she learns to read, write or do mathematics. And, it is the rare
child-parent who is able to sacrifice personal desires in order to attend
PTA meetings so that teachers and parents can work together in helping
children to learn. The immature child-parents will find it far easier to get
lost in the fantasies of television, drugs, alcohol or in the rhythmic beat
of rock and roll music- the "rock" music being used, I am certain, in the
attempt to make up for the mother's failure to hold, cuddle and rock the
child in infancy and childhood. Child-parents, in general, are concerned
with the normal interest of most children - simply fun and games and
parties. Also, child-parents who have their own unmet dependency
needs, often will find themselves too preoccupied with having these needs
met through constant sexual activity. They are then useless for meeting
the continuing needs of young children.
Blacks, as a people, must understand that Black child-parenting under
the stress of racism is group-destructive behavior, and as such it cannot
be condoned by the people; it must be controlled. Only older Black
persons can parent and instruct Black children toward success under the
stress of racism. In others words, correct behavior for Black people
attempting to end their oppression under racism is to prevent, by all
possible means, children from giving birth to, or parenting, chi~dr~n.
When the Black collective begins to understand that power 1s duectly
related not to money but to correct behavior pattern organization, behavior
discipline and behavior control on the part of the individual and the
collective, the Black collective will be well on its way towards a new level
of political understanding (power) and maturity. These attempts to ev~lve
correct patterns of behavior under the specific circumstance of raclSm
become the tactics and strategies in all areas of life activity to achieve the
ultimate goal of liberation and justice.
Black Child-Parents
It is inc~be~t u~n every Black person to begin to see the long- and
short-range liDphcanons of all patterns of behavior in which Black individuals
and the collective engage. This recognition is necessary in
order to evaluate accurately whether the given pattern of conduct aids or
detracts from the goal of Black liberation. If the behavior detracts from
the long-range objective, it must be eliminated. If the behavior enhances
the achievem~nt of ~e. ultimate goal, it must be reinforced among the
people by theu own mdiVidual willpower.
The Black collective must fmd ways to surround all Black children and
young people with sufficient emotional support, warmth, encouragement
and consllllctive activity. When this is done, they will not have to
abuse the act of self-reproduction, and they will mature to the point that
they eventually will be able to dignify the birth of every Black child and
lead those children toward full development. If Black people wait for
grant funds to become available for this to be achieved, all will be lost.
We should take it upon ourselves to establish a five-year plan for the
to~ elimination of Black child-parenting, so that by the year 1984 there
Wlll ~no Black child-parents in the U.S. Simultaneously, we should
take It upon ourselves as a collective to decrease Black infant mortality
and Black maternal illness and death drastically. We cannot say that we
respect ourselves until such fundamental objectives have been achieved
as they constitute the basis for developing a future for the collective. w:
~ot state that we have reached maturity as a people until we are ready,
WI~mg and able to take 100% internal responsibility for achieving our
articulated goal of libertaion and justice. We cannot teach the children a
level ~f maturity and responsibility that we, as older persons, have failed
to achieve.
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