Source: The Bakersfield CalifornianJan.迷你倉將軍澳 15--For 30 years, Bakersfield residents, especially in the African-American community, have remembered Martin Luther King on his birthday -- a national holiday since 1983.But what does the day, the man and the cause he fought to advance, mean to young people today?"We try to make sure that young people understand that all of the civil rights you have came at a cost," said Stephanie Campbell, organizer of a community cleanup and other daytime activities to honor King."Many people made the sacrifice."The observance of King's birthday Monday begins with the community cleanup in southeast Bakersfield starting at 7 a.m. A memorial breakfast will be held at the Martin Luther King Center at 8:30 a.m., followed by a free youth and community lunch and seminars starting at noon. In the evening, a candlelight march and memorial service will begin at 6 at the Liberty Bell in downtown Bakersfield and travel to First Presbyterian Church at 17th and H streets.But organizers of the observances will tell you that it takes more than a one-day celebration to keep King's memory -- and his dream -- alive for young people whose own parents weren't born until after King's death."The young people don't have nobody to follow," said the Rev. Leo Williams, chairman of the march and memorial service.Williams, an associate minister at Rising Star Baptist Church, said young black men in particular have no faith in King's dream, because society has failed them."We have thrown our young people to the dogs," he said.Citing such problems as fatherless homes, gang violence, even violent video games as contributors to the problem, Williams said young people, especially young men, have nothing to believe in, starting with themselves.And it's not just a black problem. According to the 2012 Report Card published by the Kern County Network for Children, local倉children fare worse than those in other parts of the state when it comes to preventable health problems (obesity, STDs, substance abuse), teen pregnancy rates and growing up in single-parent households at or below the poverty level. They also lag behind children in test scores and high school completion rates. black students fare the worst in dropout rates.Williams said he also encounters many young people who come to his church who can't read, and they don't go to school. Why? No hope, Williams said."The average African-American boy or girl, they know they have to be three times better to get the same job," he said. "And they can't get the job."With such daunting challenges -- many of which were identified by King in the late 1950s and early 1960s -- how does one, as the song says, overcome?"We have to teach young men their worth," the pastor said.But problems like blight, violence and crime cause children to lose hope, Campbell said. Fighting such problems is part of the cure."We expect between 300 and 500 kids working on projects (on Martin Luther King Day)," she said."They'll be cleaning up graffiti, hauling trash from front yards, mostly for senior citizens."We work on it together as a group and that carries over for the year. It's a time to share and give the kids some goals."Williams said it's also necessary for adults, especially father figures, to take an active interest in children to give them guidance. Young people need to stay in school and they have to have the hope of finding meaningful employment."I'm sorry to say it, but a woman can't teach a boy how to be a man," Williams said. "If you don't train him while he's young, he's training his own self."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.) Visit The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.) at .bakersfield.com Distributed by MCT Information Services24小時迷你倉
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