FACT- The life of a young African American male in America has no SYSTEMATIC VALUE- unless he is a star athlete, and even then- his value is only recognized for his talents on the field or court, not his character. I am a HUGE fan of Sports and even played Sports as a youth; this post is NOT about Sports-but I am merely using Sports as a backdrop, pointing out the SYSTEM in America has always and continues to this day-to give HUMAN status to young African American/Black Males who play Sports, especially if they are considered Star Athletes. The hundreds of thousands who do not play Sports or reach Star Athlete status are marginalized and minimized. This is WHY I have coined and copy written the following phrase: African American Males: Gods Children- Americas Orphans!!! Whether it is Oscar Grant[senselessly killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer-2009] Trayvon Martin[ senselessly killed by wanna be neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman-2012], Jordan Russell Davis[senselessly killed by Michael Dunn-2012]-Michael Brown[senselessly killed by Police Officer Darren Wilson-2014] and many others whose names we do not know-Young Black Males in America are systematically and sub consciously viewed by many as threats who do not deserve Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. They are Gods Children and Americas Orphans!!! So although I was saddened and a bit mind boggled by the No Indictment decision by the grand jury in the Michael Brown case- I was NOT surprised at all. I even expected it. It is a poignant reminder of the systematic struggle African American Males in general and Young African American Males in particular have faced for centuries- to be viewed as Human Beings. The dialogue I have with my son, nephews and countless young black males is far more intense than the dialogue I have with other young men- not different, just more intense-as I realize ONLY the young black male in America is more often than not-viewed as less than human. As a an advocate for youth- I MUST continue to inspire ALL of them regardless of race, creed, culture, socio-economics-etc and I WILL DO SO-knowing full well, until we as a Nation take the same stance- I WILL and MUST concentrate an even greater sense of my purpose to the edification and nurturing of Young Black Males-as this is SYSTEMATICALLY denied to them. They are Gods Children and Americas Orphans!!! There have been many posts written over the last 24 hours after the Ferguson decision, and my goal is not to piggy back off of these passionate posts-many supporting Michael Brown and his family and many supporting officer Darren Wilson and his family. I salute those who wrote from the depths of their souls-even those which were downright cruel and misguided-as these cruel and misguided posts further denote WHY we must continue to be advocates for Educational and Social Justice!!! Whether you are African American or not- the deaths of the aforementioned youth in this post should have made your heart and soul weep-for the simple fact- Four young men were senselessly KILLED- period, and YES my heart and soul weeps when African American youth kill other African American youth-for all you who may be asking this question at this point. They are Gods Children and Americas Orphans!!! I was saddened during the 90s when mass school shootings occurred in Littleton, Colorado[Columbine], Pearl Mississippi, Jonesboro, Arkansas,West Paducah, Kentucky, and Springfield, Oregon-and in each case those who committed the horrific acts of violence and murder were young white males. I was saddened for the simple fact lives were senselessly taken. I was not elated the shooters were young white males and not young black males. I was not elated those senselessly killed were mostly young white youth not young black youth. I was saddened for the simple fact: YOUTH WERE SENSELESSLY KILLED-PERIOD!!!! And the same cries for justice that came from the hallowed halls of America when a majority of white youth were senselessly killed must be echoed TODAY for the Young Black Males mentioned in this post- for to be silent and say NOTHING places a higher value on the life of one facet of society over another. I wept just as hard for the children of Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, CT as I do for the many children and youth being senselessly killed on the school grounds and streets of Chicago and other cities where youth are being senselessly killed!!! When I speak to hundreds of thousands of students annually- I do not separate the audience by race, nor do I IGNORE one particular group or isolate one particular group or stereotype one particular group or view one particular group as less than human. I give inspiring, relevant, real, messages to ALL of them, knowing full well as they leave that auditorium, gym, stadium, cafeteria, building- if there are young black males in the audience- as soon as they go back into society and in some cases-before they leave the school-they will be seen as LESS than HUMAN. I am also keenly aware many times when young white males in America commit crimes- they are often SYSTEMATICALLY viewed as going through a phase while young black males who commit the same or lesser crimes are often SYSTEMATICALLY viewed as criminals by nature. So I WILL continue to be an advocate and activist for change and equality- for I was once a young black male growing up in both Savannah, GA and Jamaica, NY- and I was mis-labeled Special-Ed and called At-Risk-yet there were those who advocated on my behalf-and so TODAY my purpose is to ADVOCATE for those who often cannot advocate for themselves. The best way I can honor the memory of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Russell Davis, Michael Brown and countless others is to continue to be on the front lines of EMPOWERING and EDUCATING Youth and Families- not merely during a PROTESTin the aftermath of a tragedy but by being PRO[ACTIVE] and being a PRO at facing the daily TEST of being a Black Man in America, knowing full well I must live my purpose with purpose - I too, like Robert Frost realize- These woods are lonely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep-and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep. And Like Langton Hughes- Young black males all across this great nation are crying out: I too am America I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes. But I laugh, eat well and grow strong. Tomorrow- Ill be at the table. No one will dare say eat in the kitchen then. Besides, theyll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed. I TOO AM AMERICA!!!!! #prospectsnotsuspects!!!!!!!
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 08:30:53 +0000
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