5 Ways Society Prevents The Development of Black Boys Into Men

In light of the fatal shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, several famous Black parents have voiced strategies on how to keep Black boys and men who are living in a racist society safe from untimely death or serious injury at the hands of someone who may unjustifiably determine that they are dangerous criminals. Although these strategies are intended to promote the safety of Black males, they may have an undesired side effect that could further the underdevelopment of Black men in society. We may be losing an entire generation of Black males because they are being instructed by parents, society and media to intentionally suppress their natural development into manhood for the sake of merely surviving and making other races of people feel secure. In the spirit of fostering dialogue, we constructed a list of five examples of how parents, society, and the media retard the development of Black boys today in contrast to the sentiments expressed by Black leaders who fought and died for the advancement of our people. Being Black is Your Burden In a 2012 Time magazine article, "How to Talk to Young Black Boys About Trayvon Martin: Eight Talking Points About The Potentially Fatal Condition of Being Black," author and MSNBC commentator Toure wrote: "It’s unlikely but possible that you could get killed today. Or any day. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth. Black maleness is a potentially fatal condition. I tell you that not to scare you but because knowing that could save your life. There are people who will look at you and see a villain or a criminal or something fearsome. It’s possible they may act on their prejudice and insecurity. Being black could turn an ordinary situation into a life-or-death moment even if you’re doing nothing wrong." The great Black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) would disagree: "I don't have to apologize to anybody for being Black, because God Almighty knew exactly what he was doing when he made me Black," he said. "The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness." And so would iconic civil rights Martin Luther King Jr. (1927-1968) who said: "Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything black ugly and evil. Well I want to get the language right tonight. I want to get the language so right that everybody here will cry out, “Yes! I'm Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful!” Don't Fight Back, Your Mission is to Survive In his Time magazine article, Toure also noted: "If you encounter such a situation, you need to play it cool. Keep your wits about you. Don’t worry about winning the situation. Your mission is to survive." "Some people will take that prejudice and try to force their will on you to make sure you feel like a second-class citizen and to make certain you get back to the lower-class place they think you’re trying to escape. The best way to counter them involves not your fists but your mind. You know your value to the world and how terrific you are. If you never forget that, they can’t damage your spirit. The best revenge is surviving and living well." Martin Luther King Jr. would look down on the notion that surviving is good enough, since he once said: "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live." Although Toure urges using the mind rather than the fist, one of the most represented and beloved African-American leaders, Malcolm X ,would not agree with how the mind is best used when someone physically threatens you. "If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary," said Malcolm (1925-1965). During the Asante Wars with the British, Queen Mother Yaa Asantewa (1840-1921), gave a woman's perspective in a speech rallying to the Asante men who cowered when the British took away their king. “Now I see that some of you fear to go forward to fight for our king," she said. "If it in the brave days of Osei Tutu, Okomfo Anokye, and Opoku Ware, chiefs would not sit down to see their king to be taken away without firing a shot. No European could have dared speak to chiefs of Asante in the way the governor spoke to you this morning. Is it true that the bravery of Asante is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this: if you, the men of Asante, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight! We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields. ” Go Out of Your Way to Make Other Races Feel Secure and Comfortable Author-journalist Jesse Washington explained in a 2012 Huffington Post article that he instructs his son on the "Black Male Code," part of which reads: "Please don't assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a Black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are." Actor and director LeVar Burton explained on CNN that he follows a particular procedure every time he is stopped by police to avoid a potentially deadly confrontation. He removes his hat and sunglasses, rolls down his window, and puts out his hands to show he is not armed. “I do that because I live in America,” Burton added. He said that as a responsible parent, he taught his son to follow the same procedure. South African anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko (1946-1977), appealed to a higher quality in man when he wrote: "The basic tenet of Black consciousness is that the Black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity." Marcus Garvey would add: "The Black man’s origin is as true as the sun. He need not therefore apologize for his existence. If the world fails to give you consideration, because you are Black men, because you are Negroes, (four hundred millions) of you shall, through organization, shake the pillars of the universe." Avoid Practical Solutions For Confronting Racism Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly also weighed in on the conversation during one of his famous rants about problems in the Black community, which he blames on "the disintegration of the African-American family," "the drug situation" and the entertainment industry for promoting "gangsta culture." CNN anchor Don Lemon co-signed O'Reilly and offered his five-point solution to ending racial oppression saying: "Black people, if you really want to fix the problem, here's just five things that you should think about doing." Those five things, he said, were hiking up their pants, finishing school, not using the N-word, taking care of their communities, and not having children out of wedlock. But are these really solutions for ending non-Black domination of Black communities in the United States and around the world? Malcolm X would say: "Power never takes a back step - only in the face of more power." King would likely say: "If the Negro is to be free, he must move down into the inner resources of his own soul and sign with a pen and ink of self assertive manhood his own emancipation proclamation. Don’t let anybody take your manhood. Be proud of our heritage." Just get an education, a good job, and Look Out for Yourself and Family President Obama addressed this common sentiment of Black people in his commencement speech to the 2013 graduating class of Morehouse College: "But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities. There are some things, as Black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as Morehouse men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As Morehouse men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example. "So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself. Live up to President Mays’ challenge. Be sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society. And be willing to accept responsibility for correcting ills.” Marcus Garvey would have concurred with Obama. He said: "Life hath no meaning unless there is a purpose for which to live and the noblest purpose for which to live is the emancipation of our race and posterity." Sources: www.ideas.time.com www.huffingtonpost.com www.al.com/blogs/ http://blogs.wsj.com

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