Privilege & Sacrifice

Neither Wes Moore comes from a wealthy family, and both at a certain point live in a town filled with drugs and crime. However, the other Wes Moore is not as privileged as Wes Moore. Unlike the other Wes Moore, Wes Moore has a mother who never lets him slip away into drug dealing. He also has grandparents who make sure he does not slip up, and who welcome his family in when they need help. The other Wes Moore's mother loses her first son to drug dealing and lets the same happen with her second son. One mother made more sacrifice than the other, and never was there a need to sacrifice money. One does not need to be privileged to make sacrifices, and being privileged does not require wealth.  

If it was not for Joy, Wes Moore would have stayed living in a town full of crime and drugs. Moving to a new town was supposed to make a positive change in their lives. Instead, Wes Moore is influenced negatively by the wrong people. Joy always makes sure to stay on top of her kids and how they are doing in school. When she notices Wes's rebellious actions getting out of hand she makes the decision to send him to military school. Sending him away means that Joy and her parents must sacrifice their money and their plans to be able to military school. Wes Moore's family is not wealthy; therefore, the rest of his family also must sacrifice money to help him. Wes Moore is privileged to have a family that is willing to make sacrifices to provide him with a better life. The sacrifices made by his family pay off years later when he is doing good in school and when he learns to appreciate all the effort his mother makes for him. 

Mary, the other Wes Moore's mother, loses her privilege of having the grant which helps her pay for school. At the same time, Wes and Tony lose the privilege of having a mom like Wes Moore's. She spends time partying and having fun instead of focusing on providing her children a better life. Although she is not wealthy, she can sacrifice the fun to spend time with her children to lead them to a better path. Any small sacrifice Mary could make to spend more time with Wes or Tony could end up changing their lives. When the other Wes Moore lies to Mary about where he is getting money for shoes, Mary decides to believe the lies because she does not want to face reality. She already has an idea of the business the other Wes Moore was involved in but chooses to ignore it for her own sake, and not her child's.  

Everyone is privileged in different ways. I believe I am privileged to have parents who are willing to make sacrifices to offer my siblings and me with a better life and education. My parents sacrificed their whole life in another country to provide me with the best life possible. They sacrificed their time and money to help me become the person I am today. My parents still sacrifice their free time to ensure that my siblings grow into well-rounded and responsible individuals. I do not have the privilege to come from a wealthy family, but I am privileged to have such caring parents.