It’s September and with September comes Labor Day Weekend. The coolness and smells of fall are slowly making their way into the air, a much needed relief to the heat of Summer. Labor Day not only signals the beginnings of Fall, but for New Yorkers with children, it marks the end of Summer and the beginning of school. Except this year, at least for the Capital District of New York, and more specifically, the urban schools in the area, no child will be going anywhere, everything is looking like it will be virtual this Fall.

“New York school districts learned in late August the state plans to withhold at least 20% of its funding from all districts for the 2020-21 school year. For Albany – a high-needs district that relies more heavily on state aid than wealthier school districts – that means a loss of $16.5 million-$23.2 million in state revenue.” The inequity and racial divide continues to increase as those with the means turn the other way. If you wonder why racial tensions, protests and anger continue to increase, it’s because inequity and oppression continue to increase and BIPOC are desperately hoping that they will be taken seriously for once.

I can’t even begin to describe the tragic ramifications that the budge cuts on the schooling system will have on the families and youth of Albany, especially those who can’t afford (both financially, mentally, emotionally) to home-school their children or send them to other schools. Even though I am well off, private schooling is out of reach for me and homeschooling is really difficult. I’m blessed that my family only needs a single income earner, but that is far from the story of most urban families.

My wife homeschooled our children for many years, but the beautiful Instagram photos of the “perfect” homeschooling parent is a whitewashed view. I don’t mean skin color (although that could be part of it), I mean it hides the harsh realities of homeschooling. You need a parent to be there. You need to have the financial stability for a parent to be there. You need to have a parent who actually wants to homeschool. You need children who actually respect their parents instruction. You need children who thrive in that environment.

I read the following sentences from Psalm 109 a few days ago, and they hit me in the gut:

For he never bothered to show kindness; he harassed the oppressed and needy, and killed the disheartened. He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him. He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings. He made cursing a way of life, so curses poured into his stomach like water and seeped into his bones like oil.

How you and I treat others, will destroy others, but it eventually comes back and destroys us. Here’s how Eugene Peterson puts it:

If we choose to curse, cursing is the environment we finally inhabit, inescapably. If we oppress, oppression is the context in which we exist, unavoidably. Our words and our acts create conditions in which we ourselves must live. Unrepentant and unforgiven, we live with the curses and pitiless actions which we set loose in the world.

So what do we do? What do I do? What do you do? If you are in the Capital District, my church has put together a webpage that lists a bunch of different organizations that are specifically geared toward mentoring the marginalized in our community. While they’ve always been extremely important, these non-profits are even more critical now. I’d ask you to either become a mentor or donate your money and/or resources. If you are reading this, I can guarantee that you have money to spare. I have donated $148 to the South End’s Children Cafe as part of my monthly #donateyourmiles challenge. My wife and I are also involved in mentoring the high-schoolers and middle-schoolers of Albany.