Black History Month is a good time to get involved in children’s lives

Dear Editor,
February is Black History Month. During this month, we reflect on events that have occurred throughout our nation and the world that have changed the way we live our lives. We remember the lives and contributions of famous African Americans, such as George Washington Carver and Martin Luther King Jr. But, there is another group of individuals that should also be remembered. 

This group includes Kimberly Clarice Aiken of Columbia, Miss America 1994, who founded HERO (Homeless Education and Resource Organization), Marian Wright Edelman of Bennettsville who founded the CDF (Children’s Defense Fund), Matilda Arabelle Evans of Aiken County, the first African American woman licensed as a physician in South Carolina, Alberta Tucker Grimes who organized the first S.C. Head Start program, and Matthew A. Zimmerman Jr. of Rock Hill, who was the first African American Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army. 

Did you notice, these African Americans are all South Carolinians? We can be proud of our fellow citizens. 

But there is more work to be done. On Jan. 20, history was made when Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American President of the United States. President Obama has a wish list for children that includes challenging and inspirational schools; equal opportunity to go to university, and well-paid jobs with benefits such as health care and a pension plan that will allow them to “retire with dignity.” 

One way to make sure that children are successful is to make sure they have a good start in life. We must help change the lives of children who are less fortunate by speaking out on their behalf.  Another great African American, Martin Luther King Jr., said: “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.” Changing the world starts with a single step, and we all have it in our power to take that step. 

The election of Barack Obama was a single step, now, you, the citizens of Marion County, have the opportunity to take a step towards helping children have safe and loving homes. Last year, the Marion County Volunteer Guardian ad Litem program provided volunteer advocates for 176 abused and neglected children. Unfortunately, another 77 children did not receive a volunteer to advocate for them because not enough volunteers were available.

In particular, there is a tremendous need for volunteers from all ethnicities, especially, African American volunteers. Statewide, approximately 34 percent of the children we serve are African American, and only about 22 percent of our volunteers are African American. Children who have been traumatized often find it difficult to trust other people.

It is easier for children to recover from the effects of abuse and neglect when they have an advocate with whom they can relate. They bond more quickly and are better able to trust. Barack Obama said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” Nowhere is change needed more than in the lives of abused and neglected children: seeing that they grow up in a safe, permanent home where they are nurtured, loved and prepared for their future.

All of South Carolina’s citizens can make history this month by making sure that the voice of an abused or neglected child is heard. The Marion Guardian ad Litem Program is looking for volunteers, over the age of 21, who would like to take that first step toward making a difference by becoming a child advocate. Our free training will teach you the skills you need to become a powerful voice in the life of an abused child.

Our next training starts May 5. For information, visit our Web site at http://www.Marion.scgal.org, or call me at 275-9903. You can be the person who makes a difference in the world, by making a difference for a child.

Barbara Ann Woodbury