I
state the problem, offer seven strategies to address the problem, and conclude.
Problem
Choose
any major urban city and the data on Black boys is the same: Negative. According to one Harvard
University sociology professor, prison is predictable for Black boys: “About
two-thirds of African-American men with low
levels of schooling will go to prison in their lifetime.” A 2015 PEW study revealed that even when
the poverty rate slightly declined
for most Americans, it remained relatively steady for Black children.
In
addition to prison, poverty, and poor schooling, negative stereotypes, statistics, and perceptions abound in the media about Black boys.
Images of Black boys as being delinquent and defiant, wayward and worthless,
uncaring and unintelligent, cruel and criminal, vicious and violent, stubborn
and stupid, immature and incapable, dark and deceptive, a gangbanger and a goon,
a thug and a terrorist, and unskilled and unemployed are ingrained in the psyches
of millions of Americans.
As
these stereotypes are accepted, it becomes easier for people to literally and
metaphorically destroy and kill Black boys with apathy or impunity. Some Black boys unwittingly embrace these negative
portrayals and engage in reckless and dangerous behaviors.
I
contend that “they” intentionally indoctrinate
Black boys to accept the negative stereotypes that have retarded and continue
to retard their development. Jawanza Kunjufu’s classic work Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys is as
relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1985.
Strategies to Brainwash
Black Boys to Brilliance
President
Barack Obama’s My Brothers Keeper
Initiative
was born out of the aforementioned reality faced by far too many Black boys. While
the root causes of these alarming and often
repeated statistics are the historic challenges of race, class, and
economics,
we can begin to implement strategies to redress many of the adverse affects of
social policy and practices. I recommend the following seven strategies as a
start.
1)
Train Black boys in the
community to embrace their brilliance. Intentionally indoctrinate them to believe that they are:
Brilliant, persistent, ambitious, sincere,
motivated, bright, educated, courageous, tenacious, perspicacious, sagacious,
adroit, thoughtful, gifted, conscientious, contemplative, spiritual, strong,
diligent, tolerant, trustworthy, proper, determined, deliberate, insightful,
intelligent, loving, caring, humble, prayful, enthusiastic, respectful,
innovative, reliable, imaginative, and resilient.
2)
Learn from the rhythms, beats
and linguistics of hip hop music that have influenced youth cultures around the
world to persuade and convince Black boys that they are
brilliant.
3)
Acquire knowledge from the
National Basketball Association about how it convinces millions of Black boys
that a professional basketball career is highly likely, even when the odds are
astronomically highly not likely. Utilize techniques that advertisers use to sway and seduce children to buy expensive sneakers, electronic games, and
food products after watching or listening to a commercial on television or
radio to teach Black boys to believe
in their brilliance.
4)
Design curricula/lessons that
can be taught in school, at home, and in the community to reinforce positive
and enriching culturally relevant experiences that emphasize and instill pride
in Black boys.
5)
Teach Black boys to affirm their brilliance. “I affirm that I am brilliant! I value education (thinking and learning)
as a means to make my family, my community, and me stronger. I strive for success
to leave a lasting legacy for future generations to build upon. I strive never
to harm others or myself. I strive to achieve my highest potential and promise.”
6)
Develop action plans (engage
community leaders, educators, parents, clergy, mentors, and brothers-keepers)
to engage Black boys in experiences
that require them to broaden their mental, spiritual, and physical horizons.
7) Provide Black boys with evidence of their brilliance by sharing
information about their brilliant ancestors: Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Lewis H. Latimer, George Washington Carver, Imhotep, Charles R. Drew, Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, John Henrik Clarke, John Hope Franklin, Nelson Mandela, Haile Selassie, Toussaint Louverture, Hannibal Barca, Olaudah Equiano, Chinua Achebe, Benjamin Banneker, and Elbert Frank
Cox.
Conclusion
Carter G. Woodson, father of Black History Month
and author of The Mis-Education of the
Negro said it best:
If you can control a
man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine
what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will
do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him
to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man
think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back
door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very
nature will demand one.
It
is necessary to take control of our
Black boys’ thinking. It is our moral responsibility to teach them how to think; in extreme times and
circumstances, it is also necessary to teach them what to think.
Remember
our Black boys learn by seeing and doing. They need to see you behave as you
expect them to behave. They need to see that you practice what you preach. They
need to be actively engaged by you daily to counteract the subliminal and overt
negative stereotypes that influence how they are perceived and how they behave.
We
need to do whatever is necessary to protect and nurture Black boys so they can
grow to become healthy Black men.
