What should the young boys in our family be told about growing up African-American in 2012? Any danger signs? Any advantages? What lessons can we learn from this sad story (as our hearts go out to his family)? Should we care?
8 Comments
Barbara love
3/30/2012 06:28:13 pm
This is a question that no matter how we answer somewhere down the line the rules will change. I gave birth to three sons and when each were born I cried not from pain of delivery but from the pain I knew that they would some day face because they were black and male. I've told them to walk straight and be more than just black men but to be good men. I've lived to actually see cross burning in the front of my house , I've had boys come in my yard with chains after my son , jobs and student advancements given to people who never applied so that I couldnt advance, but I still walked with my head up and never gave up and never will. If I never leave my blk men nothing else .... I hope they will remember to be good men and learn from what happened to Trayvon Martin because they are Trayvon Martin.
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KOH
3/31/2012 12:00:51 am
Bookie, you are a great example of what positive parenting is about. Three sons? I look forward to meeting these young cousins some day. Although you never mention the word "racism," we all know what time it is. But sometimes I think we as African-American adults now avoid teaching our youth how to identify today's racism. I see this happening all over the country, and not just within our family. Our youth need a refresher course so that they will be able to be more well-rounded, and aware of their surroundings.
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Mia
3/30/2012 10:01:25 pm
As I lay here listening to my soon to be 17 year old nephew moving around & getting ready to go to his Saturday AP Physics class in a "ritzy" area, my heart breaks for Trayvon's family who can no longer experience that type of simple joy. I pray for my nephew and other young men like him and always tell him to be careful! Understanding that we don't & won't live in fear but victorious in all things.
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Mia, so true. And it is a very thin line between teaching them to be careful vs. being overly paranoid. But to people who dismiss the significance that a little touch of paranoia is healthy, I say, "Just because a person thinks someone is following him, that doesn't mean he is wrong!"
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Mia
3/31/2012 09:04:40 am
Cuz I do think a little paranoia is healthy because it keeps you alert and on your toes. Which is a reason I wouldn't be surprised if Trayvon felt as though he needed to defend himself and stand his ground when some fake authority figure was following him for apparently no reason. After being told to STOP. Obviously Zimmerman didnt listen to authority. When a person goes looking for trouble and has a gun for bravado...nothing good can come of the situation, ever!
Saleem
3/30/2012 11:35:05 pm
Keith, we need to teach them how to conduct themselves when they are confronted by someone who is acting in a role of authority. History tells us that Black men throughout the world are a threat to almost every ethnic group that exist, so there is a specific training that must be applied in our attempt to develop our young men into manhood. There is a DVD I purchased at the CATO Institute some time ago, that was produced by a radical former judge, I believe in Baltimore, that demonstrates how we should behave not only in the street, but when law enforcement knocks on our door as well. I am planning to join you in Las Vegas in June, providing my schedule allows me to, and if so, I will bring it. I use it quite frequently when I work with young men.
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Saleem, you are right on point. I have a teen-age grandson who will be with me/us in Las Vegas (http://thehhewgroup.weebly.com/2011-conference--retreat-photos.html). He is very strong-willed, but he is beginning to now appreciate some of the points that you just raised. His mother has done a very, very good job of raising him and his sister, but it is going to take positive African (Black) men to help take him to the next level. But even when our youth seem to be surrounded with love, there are outside forces trained and ready to harm them. Although Trayvon Martin's parents were divorced, they seemed to be active in his life, yet...
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KOH
12/17/2012 04:20:11 pm
http://www.bet.com/news/national/2012/11/28/commentary-another-black-boy-killed-in-florida.html
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Keith Orlando Hilton, PhD
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