Every African American should learn to speak english fluently, and at least one other language.

..should teach our children that disrespecting women of all races (videos, MTV BET, derogatory comments, etc..) is NOT acceptable. Period.

..should teach our children that we are more than just basketball players, football players, rappers/entertainers. We ARE MOTHERS, FATHERS, teachers, lawyers, CEO's, religious leaders, accountants, artists, political leaders, brothers, sisters and friends.

Should know that Africa is a large, diverse continent comprised of many different countries and cultures.

I actually agree with this.

We must understand that white is not always right. We need to learn how to embrace our heritage, culture, differences and work on becoming better people NOT work on becoming like white people!!

...Should teach their children fiscal responsibility. Teach them the value of owning their own home and investing and saving for those rainy days.

If parents don't know how to be financially responsible, as a family take a class or make an effort to learn more about finances.

I agree with this statement completely. I have attended predominately White schools my entire life. Not necessarily because of my parents choice but just because of zoning. I definitely feel isolated at times. It is hard for students like myself to fit in, in social situations with African-American or White people. As much as it pains me to say it, I find it hard to identify with some of my African-American peers. On the other side of that stone, they don't want to deal with me because I act too White or I speak too proper or some such statement. Yes I have African-American friends but sometimes there is a barrier. Being identified as "gifted" doesn't aid either because in most of my classes I tend to be either the only African-American person or 1 out of 4 or so.

Yes! Africa is a beautiful continent! There is more to it than what people see on the "Feed the Children" commercials. Unfortunately I know a lot of people who don't realize that.

Every African-American should: Travel outside of the US at least twice.

go ahead and fix that miss... im sure it was a typo :)

shoot, every black person should travel off their BLOCK at least twice (a week)!

Thanks! I reread that twice before I posted... I thought I'd fixed it.

ROTFLMAO

I totally agree with this! Travelling outside of the U.S. can really broaden one's perspective. Among other things, you learn that there is SO much more out there than being Black, or even being American.

While I understand the sentiment behind this statement, I disagree with it. I went to a predominently white school, and my son currently attends one. Just as my parents did, my husband and I provide other opportunities for my child to form bonds with other Black children (church, community and extended family activities, etc.). We also heavily emphasize Black history and culture in our home. Our goal is that my son learns how to adapt to being a "minority" in this country, while still not losing touch with who he is. As is the case with many Black professionals today, it is very possible that our children will grow up and be the only, or one of few Blacks at their place of employment or in other situations, so I believe it is vital for them to begin learning how to adapt to this early on.

As a side note, my son's teacher sent me an email the other day, complimenting my husband and I. Apparently during a science experiment on electricity, after the teacher reminded the class that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, my son reminded his teacher that, "Lewis Howard Latimer, a black man, invented the filament within the light bulb that causes the bulb to have light." Talkin' 'bout a PROUD momma moment! :D

Oh God. I'm DYING!

I told one of my students (who is failing, but plays ball well) that NBA (or MLB & NFL) recruitment is not comming to HS anymore (I don't think so), so you at least have to get to college to be really scouted.

Ditto!

...Should teach their children black history at home. They sure won't learn enough of it at school!!

^^^ and although Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman are monumental figures in our history, we need to teach our kids that there is more to our past than those three individuals. Our contributions go back to far, and we're still contributing to the world today. I would just love to hear or see a black child have pride in a prominent figure other than a rapper, actor, or athlete.

@ Soror PearlRuby: Your son makes me proud with having and sharing that knowledge. :D

*back to the thread*

____ should embrace some technology instead of shunning all forms of technological advancement. It's a totally different world in 2007.