A "Zone" of Hope for Harlem's Children

Don’t Blame Me

The girl’s mother said, “Don’t blame me.
Her father left when she was three.
I know she don’t know her ABCs, her 1,2,3s,
But I am poor and work hard you see.”
You know the story, it’s don’t blame me.

The teacher shook her head and said,
“Don’t blame me, I know it’s sad.
He’s ten, but if the truth be told,
He reads like he was six years old.
And math, don’t ask.
It’s sad you see.
Wish I could do more, but it’s after three.
Blame the mom, blame society, blame the system.
Just don’t blame me.”

The judge was angry, his expression cold.
He scowled and said, “Son you’ve been told.
Break the law again and you’ll do time.
You’ve robbed with a gun.
Have you lost your mind?”
The young man opened his mouth to beg.
“Save your breath,” he heard instead.
“Your daddy left when you were two.
Your momma didn’t take care of you.
Your school prepared you for this fall.
Can’t read, can’t write, can’t spell at all.
But you did the crime for all to see.
You’re going to jail, son.
Don’t blame me.”

If there is a God or a person supreme,
A final reckoning, for the kind and the mean,
And judgment is rendered on who passed the buck,
Who blamed the victim or proudly stood up,
You’ll say to the world, “While I couldn’t save all,
I did not let these children fall.
By the thousands I helped all I could see.
No excuses, I took full responsibility.
No matter if they were black or white,
Were cursed, ignored, were wrong or right,
Were shunned, pre-judged, were short or tall,
I did my best to save them all.”
And I will bear witness for eternity
That you can state proudly,
“Don’t blame me.”

‐ By Geoffrey Canada
February 2007

Geoffrey Canada grew up in the South Bronx, in a neighbourhood notorious for poverty and for crime. He was gifted with academic success, despite the surroundings, and dedicated his career to helping those who are faced with similar challenges he once knew. In a very personal account, he speaks about the rise in violence in the US. His book: Fist Stick Knife Gun (link on the right menu) is his story, meshed with society’s impact on the rise of violence.

Since 1990, Geoffrey Canada has been the President and CEO of the

Harlem’s Children Zone. The “Zone”, as it has come to be known, has seen, and helped with, issues like truancy, crack, and “open-air drugs”. The “Zone” offers support to all families including schooling and career coaching. The “Zone’s” philosophy: Whatever it takes!

The bottom line is that if you want to take a child living in poverty and give them a real chance in the world – it isn’t about just one program. It’s about transcending the source of the issues, overcoming the challenges – continuously – until that child has graduated from college and can progress into “middle-class” without slipping back into the life of poverty they were born into. So many programs (as I mentioned before in this blog) have time-specific help… we give them fish. And boy, are we good at “fish giving”! But, like Geoffrey Canada, we need to find ways to teach them how to fish, and then we have to find ways to make sure they never forget.

President Clinton said: “I wish every city had a Geoffrey Canada....His vision of a renewed Harlem community, and his accomplishments toward achieving it, attest to the power we all have to overcome poverty and hopelessness in America." (Dare I say, North America?)

When I worked at the Canadian Tourism Commission, we once had a campaign which stated: The World could use a little more Canada. After learning more about Geoffrey, I would agree. Wouldn’t you?

Whether you are Canadian or not, you can be the one who injects a little more Canada into the world… I’d love to hear what you’re doing. You can click on the “comments” link at the end of this post, or send me an e-mail at: thelemonheads@rogers.com. I’ll include some of your stories in the blog too.

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