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akaylaharris · 7 years

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Clarification about Millennials for Bishop Talbert Swan and Generation X'ers who Think Like Him

When I initially seen Bishop Swan’s status I had no words, polite enough, to respond.

First of all, he asked a question ABOUT millennials and didn’t invite us to the table to explain.

he said “why are we?" to separate himself & whatever group of black church goers that agree with him FROM millennials. He deleted my comment and later his whole status.

I have a great deal of disdain for any individual that is SUPPOSED to be the Shepard of ALL the sheep in his ministry but still wants to know WHY people with issues need help.(b/c obviously not having a job, living with parents, and not going to school is an issue....He said it himself!)

so...

That’s stupid.

He literally used a statistic that said (UNDER HALF) of millennials need help with jobs, trade work, or education. That’s how I read the statistic…I didn’t read it and say “Oh, let’s stop pouring energy, effort and time into them because some of them still live with parents, God don’t speak to them anyhow.”

#1. The status was messy…if he wanted real concrete facts about his question google is all the way free 365 days a year.

#2. His status was a classic case of what was said VS what was interpreted. He tried to play it cool but the people in his comments were not here for it. He needed people to validate what he said instead of actually getting the HELP his ministry(mind) needs to better be able to bridge the gap.

I’m so confused at the logic behind this man’s status because he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity in Urban Ministry from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. HOW did you go to school to figure out how to bridge the gap and ask a question like this??

WE both know good and well “urban” anything means you’d like to know (if only a little) about how to develop communities and individuals…right?

So what do you do when the educated ole schools THINK they know, TREAT you like they know, and DISMISS you before you get a chance to speak?

You respond in a way they can understand.

My good sir, you are a Bishop. If you ever wanna know why you (and people your age) need to care about a certain demographic of HUMAN BEINGS....don’t embarrass/entertain yourself by asking it over social media.

Get you a PR person, you may have had a valid point but no one wanted it to hear it after you deliberately used a statistic that:

reflects that MOST millennials are working or in school or both

PROVES WHY… our proclivities, wishes and desires MATTER.

WE ARE NOT TOSS-A-WAY’s you can’t just stop working on people because they live with their parents. Granted your INDIVIDUAL ministry may be dusty and in need of a Young Adult revival (or trainings for jobs, tech schools, and universities since that validates our worthiness to be worked on.)

Y’all know me…I like receipts. So I had to go find the study that prompted Bishop Swan to ask his question…

Whatever the case… because I’m here to correct AND INFORM I took it upon myself to actually r e a d the study….and y’all wanna know something? I found his answers.

Here is the link to the study he was referring to:

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/demo/p20-579.pdf

Here are the quotes that were pulled directly from the study:

“Not only do

more young families have student

debt, they are deeper in debt too.

The amount owed on student loans

nearly tripled, rising from a median

of $6,000 to $17,300 across the

same period (in 2013 dollars)”

“Americans believe young people

should accomplish economic

milestones before starting a family.

Americans reported that the ideal

age for getting married and having

children is 25, the same age when

most Americans believe a young

person should be capable of supporting

a family”

(the mindset accompanied WITH the actions the Bishop is referring to)

Also…here are some links to timelines of the horrid rising educational cost…

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/a-timeline-of-college-tuition/

https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fees-and-room-and-board-over-time-1976-77_2016-17-selected-years

So he can better understand our debt, or why some choose to avoid college altogether.

To draw attention to the “living with parents” section…more black millennials than any other race in America live with their parents.

We also are fighting mass incarceration.

We also are fighting gentrification.

We also are fighting social constructs.

We are also fighting…..white privilege.

We are also fighting job discrimination.

We are also the psychological effects of WATCHING our grandparents, cousins, sisters and brothers get killed on FB live daily by authority. *something your 22 year old self saw minimally...I get to see on the daily basis. yay me! *

....SO THE LAST THING WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU SIR IS THAT THERE IS NO LONGER A NEED TO WORK WITH US...because if you'll be honest & real with yourself, that's the color of MOST of the millienials you pastor and who follow you on Facebook.

When Bishop Talbert Swan went college at any one of his 5 or so schools he went to, it didn’t cost NEARLY as much as it does today. I could build a house next door to his with the amount of money I had to borrow/was awarded in scholarships to attend Union, Rust College, Jackson State University, Lane AND Texas Southern…that’s 5 institutions , 4 cities, 1 degree, 2 cars, 1 apartment and two books later, chile!

…and on my Sunday mornings I don’t need a vessel before me that thinks less of me in ANY aspect. This 22 year old goes because she needs answers, love, and mentorship. This 22 year old goes because she’s been brought up to believe that if she cannot be vulnerable anywhere else in America she should at least feel safe and WANTED at the House of God.

Bishop, you’re too smart to ask questions JUST to get likes….start the honest discussion, and approach anything you’re not knowledgeable about as a student instead of derogatively.

Next time, read. I can tell from your educational backing found here (http://www.talbertswan.org/about-bishop-swan/) …that you know how. Hopefully somewhere in-between the anointing and God-given logic...you’ll get an answer instead of gossip about the state of your intellectual capacity.

& just KNOW that what you “asked/suggested” and the “we did it better/worked harder” mindset that came along with it is DANGEROUS. Take care of the people who will soon be taking care of you.

Millennials share the same age, NOT experience…

On behalf of millennials, Read…it’s STILL fundamental!. No need to reply with a long list of things you've done to prove anything, we could care less...just do better moving forward. That'll be just enough.

& I still...love you with the love of God.

More links that will help you understand, and with this knowledge I hope you ask better questions.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6ce955194a094829ae433c74d32e98e7/genforward-poll-half-black-youth-face-job-discrimination

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/09/23/495013420/black-white-wage-gap-racial-disparity-discrimination

https://thinkprogress.org/how-racial-bias-affects-the-quality-of-black-students-education-642f4721fc84

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/27/blacks-with-college-experience-more-likely-to-say-they-faced-discrimination/

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-link-between-racism-and-depression-2834951

I’m going to ask that every millennial who comment’s also provide you with links from credible sources so that you will have a wealth of information about the topic at hand. Bless you.

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