Correction the site is
www.savetheseedcampaign.org
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Black History and The Elephant In The Room
Black History Month is generally a call to celebrate the history of accomplishments and the tenacious spirit of triumph over trouble has sustained African-Americans through the centuries.
Recently I was listening to one of the Talk Shows on Radio and the conversation centered on the question “Why Males are Falling Behind?” “Why are less and less young men going to college; being equipped for leadership; and simply becoming men of character?”
On another occasion I was sitting in my office at home…praying, meditating and let me be very candid with you – I was also murmuring and complaining, about what I had just heard. What I had just heard – was the news report about some young Black boys who had been involved in shoot-out in broad daylight driving up one of the busiest streets in a predominately African-American section of the city.
How do I know…because I was one of those young boys? Like me, most of them are simply high-potential/low opportunity young boys who are in need of a structured learning environment, designed to teach them what it means to be a man and academically challenge them to greatness.
For more information on how you can get involved in the movement to Save The Seed visit www.savetheseedcampagin.org.
What a rich and proud history we have to celebrate. We should take time to honor those who have come before us and on whose shoulders we now stand. However there is a glaring obvious giant elephant in the room that we simply cannot continue to ignore or walk around. It is not going away and in fact it is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day!
The elephant is the declining education of young Black boys, across the country and specifically in the urban centers of our nation.
Recently I was listening to one of the Talk Shows on Radio and the conversation centered on the question “Why Males are Falling Behind?” “Why are less and less young men going to college; being equipped for leadership; and simply becoming men of character?”
As with any of the Call-In Talk Shows everyone had a theory; an opinion; tons of statistics, research, and reasons for the problem - but no one offered any solutions. Surprisingly during the time that I was able to listen – each of the women who called in, suggested that the problem stemmed from the way in which we educate and what we expect from young Black boys.
On another occasion I was sitting in my office at home…praying, meditating and let me be very candid with you – I was also murmuring and complaining, about what I had just heard. What I had just heard – was the news report about some young Black boys who had been involved in shoot-out in broad daylight driving up one of the busiest streets in a predominately African-American section of the city.
I also had just heard news about some young Black boys, elementary students, being suspended for taking guns to school…and one of them, a 10 year old, was selling crack. Now mind you, none of this was reports from New York City or Los Angeles or Chicago…but in that peaceful place called Charlotte, NC.
Then I got word of three more young men who had robbed a pizza store…and one of them had been shot and killed, he had just turned 21. This hit home a little closer, because I knew him and would have to eulogize him.
The issue is that more and more young Black boys are falling further and further behind educationally until their options for success and contributing to society are getting ever so slim. Today in most major cities, less than 50% of young Black boys graduate from high school.
The long term effect is they become unskilled and unemployable, thus unprepared to successfully care for a family and contribute to a community. The more immediate challenge is that these young boys are more likely to resort to anti-social behavior and criminal activity, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and wasting their God-given potential.
Yes…their God-given potential. What we must understand is that these young boys are not dumb, stupid, nor ignorant – they were misguided and they lacked an education that challenges them to become men of character.
How do I know…because I was one of those young boys? Like me, most of them are simply high-potential/low opportunity young boys who are in need of a structured learning environment, designed to teach them what it means to be a man and academically challenge them to greatness.
So while we celebrate Black History Month with all of the accomplishments of the past and the success of the present. Let us also consider the elephant in the room and make a commitment to prepare for a future that does not leave the conditions of the urban Black boy to chance.
For more information on how you can get involved in the movement to Save The Seed visit www.savetheseedcampagin.org.
Dr. P. M. Davis
The Male Leadership Academy
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