How can we support our children?

In America, the avenue to achieving economic mobility is not unilaterally obtainable by every person in our society. This is a truth that is especially evident in our communities throughout Minnesota. We should all be committed to working to fill that gap to provide inner-city youth with the opportunity to realize, pursue, and actualize their dreams and interests. Through mentorship, empowerment, and consistent support for many children who have gone through life unsupported, we have seen firsthand the change that can be made in a child’s life with their community and local leaders behind them.
To that point, Minnesota’s lawmakers have made steps to provide the support that our children need through our Attorney General’s recent commitment to protect our children from e-cigarette addiction, or Governor Waltz’s Drive for 5 Workforce Initiative which will prepare the next generation for quality careers in technology, the trades, caring professions, manufacturing, and education.
If we truly hope to remove long-standing barriers to success, these must be the first steps of many.
Unfortunately, community causes often become sidelined in favor of certain lawsuits. A recent example of this would be the latest case against America’s tech sector that is projected to wrap up sometime next month. Rather than dedicating much-needed time to community causes and pressing issues, critical hours have been spent on this matter.
Our impoverished youth deserve leadership that will deliver the changes that are essential for them to actualize their dreams. I hope the Attorney Generals who recently traveled to the Twin Cities for a conference will prioritize filling the achievement gaps that our inner-city youth experience and focus on enabling them to actualize their dreams.

Brett Buckner is the managing director at OneMN.org, a research-based, advocacy, and communications project to provide public policy recommendations that support and propel racial, social, and economic equity throughout state, county, local governments, agencies, and corporations.