Young, not so gifted and black

August 7th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

Young Black Professional Guide Young, not so gifted and blackThis photo from the Washington Post reminded me of my days growing up in DC; spending summers in small-town North Carolina; and just doing whatever 10-year-old black city boys do wherever they are. Two black boys having a good time in the summer is worth a post in itself. Feel free to post your favorite pre-YBP summer memory from back when you were just young and black. : )

I also thought this would be a good time to mention the recent Time magazine cover story, “The Myth About Boys.” Don’t know if you know, but since the late 90s – shortly after the Columbine tragedy – many national “experts” have been writing and pontificating about what is “happening” to our boys.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“Observers of the boy crisis contend that families, schools and popular culture are failing our boys, leaving them restless bundles of anxiety – misfits in the classroom and video-game junkies at home. They suffer from an epidemic of “anomie,” as Harvard psychologist William Pollack told me, adrift in a world of change without the help they need to find their way,” wrote the author.

“Even in the youngest grades, test-oriented teachers focus energy on conventional exercises in reading, writing and other seatwork, areas in which girls tend to excel. At the same time, schools are cutting science labs, physical education and recess, where the experiential learning styles of boys come into play. … In short, society treats ‘boyhood as toxic, as a pathology.’”

The article goes on to mention that it is specifically boys of color and disadvantaged boys in particular who are suffering the most, if not only. Many of our elders agree. Just this weekend, some of my fraternity brothers briefly discussed scrapping our graduate chapter’s beautillion plans for older teens and redirecting our attention on a similar program for young boys.

So assuming all of this is true, what – if anything – is wrong with the young, black and male experience? I would love to have this conversation without falling back on the hip-hop scapegoat, but if it is more than a scapegoat – but part of the answer, then so be it.

But can a period of development be automatically flawed in itself? Your thoughts?

Viewing 6 Comments

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    I really find the article young, not so gifted and black, along with others, very interesting. This is my first time comming to your site and I want to encourage your company to keep up the good work. Me being a YBP myself from time to time get discouraged with every aspect that comes along with the business world, but comming across companys and individuals with similar views let me know people still have positve and insightful topics to discuss.
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    This is tight...
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    There are a combination of factors that are contributing to the demise of young black males. It’s bad parenting, an antiquated educational system, the media, lack of male role models, gangs, etc. This country needs to make a concerted effort to address this issue, rather than just right reports about it. This issue isn’t new.

    On another note, I remember growing up in country and going fishing with my family. We sat on five gallon buckets and used worms that we dug up in my grandma’s yard as bait. Those were the days:0)
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    I agree that it's a combination of parenting issues and an outdated education system. Many boys don't learn how to sit down and be still at home, and then they don't do it at school either. Many teachers don't know how to work with kids that resist discipline. I still believe it takes a village to raise a child and parents and schools need to step their game up.

    On the flip side, I see plenty of young men everyday at my job that are on their way to doing great things in the world. They are sometimes misunderstood because they are a bit playful, but I see their potential and drive, and they'll be ok.

    *Side Note: Those summer evenings playing ball with my neighbors and/or cousins was the best. I really miss that.
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    I think others have summed up the main issues, but I wanted to bring up urban design. We have designed ourselves out of space. Part of the reason the boys (and even girls, now) are so antsy in class is that we don't have fields and yards for them to run in anymore. Contemporary houses barely have back yards, and inner cities have multi-unit dwellings with no yards at all and very few parks to go to. Kids are cooped up, spending time in front of the tv, the computer, or video games. Then, told they need to keep sitting still in class all day. That's fine for sometimes, but I think we've forgotten that what kids really need is wide open space to play.

    * My favorite places to be as a kid were either in some random field/creek and in my grandparents yard, which doubled as a semi-truck graveyard. As a well-mannered girl, my favorite places still involved spaces and freedom. I couldn't imagine being a high-energy boy and being denied that. It must be terrible.
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    Kay, my wife and I were just talking about this just this morning. When I posted the above pic, it was all the green that spoke to me. I live in the desert, so grass is pretty much gold here. : )

    My wife is very much an environmentalist and she - both of us, in fact - wishes there was more emphasis on taking care of the Earth in black communities.

    We were talking about how some cities are making developers include "green space" in their projects. And I was wondering if developers knew why this was important or if they resent city councils because "that grass" could have been used for another house or something.

    It's amazing how many of our societal issues are connected to the environment.
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