Marriage in the Hood = Epic Win
July 22, 2009 No Comments
As we all know, there is an epidemic of babies having babies in this country. Disproportionately these births are taking place in the cradle of high drug activity and street boisterousness: The hood.
There are a plethora of “ghetto” pics and “ghetto weddings” pics on the Web, and while they may elicit a chuckle here and there, they show an underlining truth that we all must admit: People may be broke, or even a hot mess, but they’re still, in the roughest of circumstances, able to love someone.
And I hate to bring race into it because the ‘hood is not necessarily a race-specific place, at least not by definition, but it bears keeping in mind that about 70% of African-American women are single. And while this is not a negative statistic in any way, it stands to reason that a percentage of this is involuntary, meaning it is against their wishes.
And so, when I see a picture or an illustration of two people joining in marital union in the hood, well, that’s a good thing. It’s a great thing when you think about how poverty has become multigenerational, crippling the hopes of children everywhere simply because of the decisions their mothers and fathers made.
They may not be able to wear a $1,000 tux and dress like the Obamas, but they evidently have a quality of love just as strong, if not stronger, due to the inherent struggles they face.
And to me, that’s gangsta.
