OPINION

It is time to overcome political divisions to help at-risk youth

Miranda Christy
  • These are apolitical – though difficult – questions that should have apolitical answers.
  • Miranda Christy is a Nashville attorney and was a 2016 candidate for school board.

In 2016 there were 84 criminal homicides in Nashville, the highest in over a decade.

There have been 96 criminal homicides so far this year, according to the latest Metro Nashville Police Department statistics report from Nov. 29.

Even if they are not directly involved or physically injured, all of our young people in the vicinity of these incidents are victims.

Friends and family say goodbye to Debrianah Begley at the Greenwood North Cemetery in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, October 14, 2017.

Can you imagine what it's like to grow up in a world where you hear gunfire outside your window and see blood and perhaps bodies on the ground where you play every day? Or what it's like to live with the anxiety of not knowing when and where it might happen next, or whether you, your brother, sister, friend or mother may just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

I can't.

What can be done? I'm no expert on this topic, but a few things come to mind:

  1. Make yourself aware of local efforts and participate. Over the last year or so Mayor Megan Barry held a series of Youth Violence Summits to hear directly from youth on the issue. One of the recommendations from those meetings was greater opportunity for youth employment, which has taken shape as "Opportunity Now." Opportunity Now is a jobs and internship program for youth to gain experience in the workplace and has requested numerous local businesses to step up and sponsor interns – I am proud to work for one. This is just the first year for Opportunity Now, and I am hopeful that the youth and community buy-in will only increase in the future.
  2. Be a mentor. What child doesn't need one more person in their life that cares for them? If you pay close attention to the children in your schools, churches, and neighborhoods, you will find that many of them are in much more vulnerable situations than you thought possible. You could impact their lives in a mighty way, and you just might be transformed yourself.
  3. Focus on educating all kids well. Getting kids engaged in school as early as possible is one of the best things we can do to help overcome poverty and to keep them out of the justice system. The plight of families exposed to the level of violence occurring in our community is beyond urgent. The only relevant questions are: what works, what doesn't, and how do we get what works to more of our kids.

These are apolitical – though difficult – questions that should have apolitical answers. No matter where your allegiances lie, it is easy for us to get caught up in the current political turbulence and to be at a loss for where we can begin to make positive change.

In times like these, it is even more imperative that each of us step outside our respective bubbles and do our part for those among us who are also at a loss, but who aren’t yet able to change their own circumstances: our children.

Miranda Christy is a Nashville attorney and was a 2016 candidate for school board.

Miranda Christy