NAACP Celebrates Jubilee, Asks Parents: 'Who Is Really Teaching Your Kids?'

Only days before Black History Month was about to start, members of the Lakeview Branch of the NAACP weathered the recent snowfall to gather at West Hempstead’s for their annual Jubilee celebration.

It was a joyous occasion filled with song, dance and praise for those receiving awards that night, including Melvin Harris, Jr., who was recognized on behalf of the Office of the Nassau County Executives. But it was also a chance for leaders to bring attention to the problems facing the community and ask for its residents to step up to make improvements.

Branch President Bea Bayley focused on the importance – and accountability of not only parents, but the entire community in rearing successful children. She spoke of a new threat to America, one especially prevalent in the Black community – the lack of strong role models and equality of opportunity.

These were topics explored by this year's keynote speaker, Evangelist Jason Lee, a young man, who blew the churchgoers away with captivating clarity with which he spoke. Poignantly, addressing the crowd of about 100, he discussed some troubling realities of today.

Beginning his sermon, Lee focused on the importance of the male in becoming a man; that is, the importance of positive male leadership. Yelling, “Amen!” congregants agreed with Lee as he reminded parents that children are still children, and don’t need to have exclusive privacy. Children need guidance and strong leadership, he said. Parents must lead by example and the males in the community, he stressed, did to step up and be exemplary leaders.

“As older people, we have to really deal with the issues," Lee said. "We can’t just blame those younger than us, like the problems they’re dealing with came out of nowhere. We, as example,s really have to instill morals in children. Otherwise,where will they learn them?”

Pausing for a moment, to answer his own question aloud, Lee retorted, “you already know it – from all the wrong places.”

Moving away from the young males toward young girls, Lee took notice of an all too common situation – young girls seeking love from the wrong guys. The cause? “They’re not getting that love at home, especially when there is no male around," he said. "There just isn’t anything that can supplement the love of a father.”

Looking directly to the audience, Lee asked, “parents, who do you think is teaching your child? Is it you?”

Asking parents again to take note of the ways their children are dressing. Tight, immodest or (conversely for males) ill-fitting clothing shows who is really teaching America’s youth – the entertainment world, he said.

These influences, he added, are advocating loose morals and violence.

"A teacher is the one who has your undivided attention," he said, and then asked parents, "Do you have your child’s undivided attention?”