Twenty years after the L.A. riots, can philanthropy play a meaningful role in addressing the gross over-representation of Black males in prisons and correctional facilities in California?
That was the unusual question posed to dozens of diverse adults in meetings throughout 2010 hosted by the California Community Foundation. Two years later, the question is being answered through a new partnership between private, public and nonprofit sector institutions and the Black community. It's a philanthropy-driven, community-based, goal-oriented initiative called BLOOM, which stands for Building a Lifetime of Opportunities and Options for Black Men, beginning now in South L.A.
BLOOM is intended to tackle one of the most challenging and ignored facets of the problem: Specifically, 14 to 18-year-old black males who are or have been under County probation supervision. I can tell you after more than 30 years working on behalf of children that these kids are among the most misunderstood, prejudged, and prejudiced against and underserved of any groups in our community. Thousands of these kids are being written off and left to end up in prison for years, or a lifetime, instead of helped to become responsible, educated and socially-connected adults.
We can no longer afford it financially, socially or morally. Incarceration, even in a youth probation camp, costs far more annually than a good public education or a good-paying job. Warehousing a youth in an LA county probation camp costs more than $100,000 a year, and housing an inmate in a California state prison is $240,000 a year for a juvenile or $50,000 for an adult. These systems fail 70 percent of the time. That is the recidivism rate within three years.
The current response to juvenile crime has made the problem worse and caused more harm to youth in the system. All over the country, community-based alternatives to detention have demonstrated greater success at substantially lower costs ($1,000-$20,000 a year) addressing the issues that brought these young people into the system in the first place. There are, fortunately, several nonprofit organizations already at work serving these kids locally. Through BLOOM, some of these nonprofits have begun receiving grants and technical assistance to improve their capabilities and expand their offerings. Investing in BLOOM are several public and private foundations, including the California Community Foundation. Even individuals and families can make contributions to BLOOM through the community foundation.
We also need to create educational and employment opportunities such as internships and apprenticeships, full-time jobs, academic scholarships, and provide mentors for these youth.
The answer to the community foundation's question was, yes. The bigger questions now are, are we willing to change how we as individuals, policy makers, and as a society treat Black male youth? Are we willing to give young people in our community who have had serious, often unimaginable, challenges, a FIRST chance?
Therefore the perception for the family and youth wanting and needing something different must be nudged in an upwardly mobile direction. "Without a vision the people perish." Biggy Smalls once said " Now you don"t know, now you know" or something like that. I believe the community is puposefully being led down the path of underclass, not knowing, by the majority of our so called leaders.
Is there a solution? Yes! It involes all aspects of of obtaing wisdom and Edumocation(sp).
Matter of fact, the majority of BLOOM funds flow through Calif Community Foundation right out to Community Coalition and other South LA based community-based orgs. To your point, CCF acts as facilitator, convener, and as a "neutral table" for our local organizations to work together. Additionally, CCF is able to attract outside dollars (regional and national) that an individual organization might not.
With Advisory Committee members like Carol Biondi, BLOOM can seize this "perfect storm" of opportunity to give Black male youth a "first chance"
Thanks for your interest and work in this arena.
Nike Irvin,
VP Programs, California Community Foundation
In the so called Black Community there is a lack of said community....in the sense that what is shared communally, is something that gives gain to the said populace. I don't mean to allude that all is negative, quite the contrary, I believe there are many attributes. The fact is that the children are being left behind. Mostly what goes on in the community as it pertains to the African American youth is not geared towards a healthy lifestyle that is conducive towards a meaningful future/outcome. This being known...the solution of philanthropy in my opinion/observation/experience should be settled in the community in the form of a community center. A central location of sorts. A meeting place if you will. Where counseling as well as recreational activities take place. A haven so to speak where anti- gang and anti-drug seminars take place daily. Where African and African American history can be taught in a non biased presentation. The Community center would need to be proposed and marketed in such a way where the African American population understands that it is there for them and that it should be viewed as a sacred place. It should be a source not only of financial resources....but one of the most