Finally! Somebody is recognizing that we are failing our children of the Virgin Islands! I do not live in the Virgin Islands, I moved away many years ago with my children to offer them a better life. I recognized then that "we", as Virgin Islanders, do not take the time and effort to have our children reach greater aspirations than ourselves.
I recently returned to St. Thomas this summer and stayed for two months with my children; I was extremely disappointed and disheartened at what I saw. Literally, my heart was torn apart and I became angry at our community, our government and our leaders. There are no community centers that offer after school activities for children, the schools are abhorrence and an embarrassment. If I were a school-aged child living in the Virgin Islands, I would not want to attend. The schools are dirty, unkempt and not visually appealing. Is this what we have to offer our children? I have learned, what you put into a child is what you get out of a child. If you give a child your all, that child will give you their all. The government, people and our leaders of the Virgin Islands are not giving their all to the children of the Virgin Islands and the end result is crime, adolescent pregnancy, drugs and disrespect. Hopefully, we can all turn this around before it is too late.
Denise Lewis
Germantown, Maryland

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