Inequity Among Children Is Not God's Doing: Messages of Faith

By Rev. Leah C.K. Lewis
Plain Dealer guest columnist
July 6, 2012 at 8:00 pm







Them that's got shall get

Them that's not shall lose

So the Bible said and it still is news

Mama may have, Papa may have

But God bless the child that's got his own

That's got his own



These poignant words sung by the incomparable Billie Holiday never sat well with me. A beautiful and heart-wrenching song, "God Bless the Child" is a profound articulation of the human condition. Yet, this song attributes an inequitable reality to the absence of God. Reason dictates that if the child that has, is blessed of God, then the child that does not have, consequently, is not blessed of God.

It is this attribution and the disparities of life that trouble me.

Speculation suggests that Holiday and her co-writer Arthur Herzog employed the biblical theology of Matthew 25:14-30. This, the Parable of the Talents, conveys that those who do not squander their resources will be blessed with more assets.

Viewing Ohio through the lens of this parable provides a stark conclusion when we examine how we treat our children in the areas of education and the law. In far too many instances in this land of plenty, our children are not given the chance to explore their talents. The elimination of music, arts and athletic programs in schools are prime examples.

God gives all humans some measure of ability. As such, we are all God's actors in the world. Yet, sometimes we fail to perform our social responsibilities to act for the benefit of others. On the material level, human action is responsible for the condition of the world. More often than not, this is why bad things happen to good people. This is why adults fail to act responsibly as faithful stewards of children. Freewill and human action often mitigate God's loving intentions toward us.

Some of Ohio's children who have had the misfortune of being defendants in the criminal justice system have experienced a violation of their right to adult guidance and supervision. Under Ohio's new Juvenile Rule 3, which took effect July 1, children still may waive their right to legal counsel in certain instances. But the juvenile court has to make sure the child understands he or she has a right to counsel and the disadvantages of self-representation. In addition, a child can't waive the right to counsel in felony cases without consulting an attorney.

No child should have the ability to waive counsel. We do not allow children to make significant decisions about their well-being because they lack capacity. Even many parents of children who find themselves in the juvenile justice system lack the competence to make wise and prudent determinations for their children.

A society that values expediency and the hope of reducing courts costs over our children is assuring its degradation.

We have an even more paltry record in the realm of education. On Monday, Gov. John Kasich came to Cleveland to sign the Cleveland Plan for Transforming Schools into law. I expect that in November Mayor Frank Jackson and the school board will ask the businesses and residents of Cleveland to pass a levy.

These are positive moves, but both are only stopgap measures. Since the 1979 Ohio Supreme Court decision DeRolph v. State, our state legislature has permitted an unconstitutional system of educational inequity to persist in our state. The Ohio Supreme Court has repeatedly deemed our current system of funding education a violation of the state Constitution pursuant to Miller v. Korns.

While our legislators have lacked the political will to ensure that every young Ohioan experiences educational equity and that all school districts have adequate funding, we the people have failed to make the demand of them.

This perpetuates the condition illustrated by the sad adage: Them that's got shall get, Them that's not shall lose.


Leah C.K. Lewis, J.D., M.Div., D.Min., (ABD), is a minister, councilwoman, author, animation producer, and literary activist. She recently completed her dissertation on sex and sexuality in the African American Baptist Church and a manuscript on legal, religious, and political rhetoric pertinent to “race.” Follow her @HumanStriving and on SoundCloud.com/Reverend-Leah-CK-Lewis.

http://www.cleveland.com/religion/index.ssf/2012/07/inequity_among_children_is_not.html