If I Were a Poor Black Kid

Mr. Marks is right, being successful is extremely difficult, now more than ever in our country and even more so in various economic social classes. However, I do have to question if even the smartest kid in an impoverished area can still be successful when his/her opportunities are extremely limited. There is a certain amount of luck that has to be supplemented with talent in order to make it out of bad surroundings, not knowledge. It helps to be knowledgeable, but it takes luck, talent, and opportunity to be successful. Another important factor to consider is the fact that many of these kids have nothing to eat, no place to sleep, or no running water, heat or electricity. Many kids have responsibilities to care for and look after younger brothers and sisters. If these problems were non-existent in our world today, more kids could focus on “getting straight A’s and Google Scholar”. Although I am speaking from the position of the young, white, middle/upper-class, I have traveled to bad areas around the world, I have seen poverty and I spoke with impoverished, young, black-Americans who openly admitted that at a certain point, it doesn’t matter how hard your work ethic is or how hard you try. What matters to the “poor black kid” is having a dream and no matter the circumstances they were born into, following that dream.