Greg MD Blog

This video tells the story of a family in Ohio facing challenges related to essential needs during the pandemic. It highlights a mother’s experience. She must pick up a tablet from her son’s school. This is necessary to facilitate his at-home schoolwork. One requirement during the pandemic was that families needed to access these devices from their cars. Unfortunately, her car was breaking down and could not be repaired.

The video features a white mother with her eighth-grade son and her baby in a stroller, illustrating the significant age gap between the siblings. Evidently, the mother holds a lower-wage job and has no education beyond high school. Such circumstances have detrimental effects on our communities now and in the future. Income inequality within families brings about long-lasting consequences, often trapping them in a cycle of hardship. Additionally, low-income families experience a more pronounced negative impact on their children’s education.

Education serves as the cornerstone of a child’s future. Unfortunately, as parents and leaders, we have not sufficiently emphasized the importance of learning in a child’s development. This begins at home, where simple acts such as reading to children for just thirty minutes each night can make a significant impact. These moments foster bonding and will likely be cherished and continued by future generations. Too often, we allow external influences to distract us or make excuses that prevent us from building these essential connections. It is not solely the responsibility of leaders or teachers, as it can be tempting to shift blame. Our children are like sponges, absorbing everything around them.

I recognize the significant role that educational inequality plays in our communities, as our cities are often divided along social and economic lines. By failing to provide essential resources for all children, we inadvertently set some up for failure. While this does not diminish the achievements of white students, it is important to acknowledge that children from different racial backgrounds face a multitude of additional challenges. The culture of poverty heavily influences their households, with the prevalence of single-parent families relying on government assistance creating a cycle that persists across generations.

We have observed a notable decline in the number of white students within the public school system, with a reduction of 13 percent between the fall of 2000 and the fall of 2017. This raises the question: Is this decline due to white students transferring to private schools, or is it a consequence of fewer white children being born into traditional nuclear families within white culture? According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “Between fall 2000 and fall 2017, the percentage of public school students who were White decreased from 61 to 48 percent, while the percentage of students who were Black decreased from 17 to 15 percent. In contrast, the percentage of Hispanic public school students rose from 16 to 27 percent during the same period” (The Condition of Education, 2020). Analyzing these statistics reveals that while the percentage of Black students decreased by only 2 percent, the Hispanic student population increased by a significant 11 percent. Furthermore, there appears to be a rise in multicultural relationships and bilingual children within public schools. Are we failing our children in this context as parents, educators, and leaders?

Children today grapple with a dysfunctional education system and lack sufficient access to food resources, which prevents them from enjoying well-balanced meals on a daily basis and ultimately impacts their health. A significant portion of our urban population consists of economically disadvantaged families. This healthcare inequality children face is a direct consequence of their surrounding environment. These kids encounter critical issues, which should be recognized as fundamental human rights for every citizen.

As I delve into research and read various stories, it becomes increasingly evident that the number of families with children living in poverty is on the rise year after year. This inequality acts as a domino effect, perpetuating a cycle that continues to grow until individuals take the initiative to create social changes that could improve their circumstances and those of their families.

Written by: Greg MD