The tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado clearly displayed that violence can affect every demographic segment of the United States. Every race, gender, and socioeconomic category has its own particular set of challenges and obstacles. The precarious predicament of the black male in America has been especially concerning. The well documented statistics involving the status of the black male such as the fact that the number one cause of death for young black men is homicide (the overwhelmingly majority of which is at the hands of another black male) suggests that they are headed towards if not already in a state of crisis.
The state of the black male is further perplexing and intriguing considering that even as a black male occupies 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. and the highest office in the country; black males are incarcerated at six times the rate of their white male counterparts. Even as Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade amass millions of dollars, the median net worth of white families is twenty times that of black families and eighteen times that of Hispanic families. Even almost sixty years after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision declared separate but equal schools to be unconstitutional, a massive achievement gap between minority students and white students persists. As Charles Dickens once wrote, "it was the best of times; it was the worst of times".
A new organization in Florida, "The Black Men's Roundtable", is seeking to address this crisis. The Roundtable is based on the already existent Black Women's Roundtable that sits under the umbrella of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation which is led on the national level by Melanie Campbell. The organization's first program will take place in the Liberty City section of Miami at the Joseph Caleb Center on July 28 at 10:00am.
There is arguably no city in the United States that more accurately embodies Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" better than Miami. There is a dramatic juxtaposition between the glitz and glamour of Miami Beach and Star Island and the intense poverty of neighborhoods such as Overtown and Liberty City that lay right across the bridge from those affluent areas.
Liberty City, the site of major riots in 1968 and 1980, has been chronically plagued with poverty, violence, and drugs amongst other issues that characterize many low income urban communities. The first Black Men's Roundtable which is headlined by Actor Charles Dutton, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson will focus on formulating solutions that will lead to substantive action to address the plight of the black male and the community at large.
In addition to Dutton, Thomas, and Wilson, three panels of local leaders such as Kionne McGhee, Dwight Bullard, Desmond Meade and Jimmy Brown will break down issues pertaining to violence prevention, health, education, finance, and civic participation as it relates to the black male. The Black Men's Roundtable represents the type of initiative that should be replicated nationwide at the grassroots level in order to begin to adequately respond to a crisis situation. The equivalent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs to be deployed internally from particularly affected communities to combat the bombardment of negative black male stereotypes, mass incarceration, gang influence, social injustice, educational inequity, parental neglect, and economic barriers that have coalesced to create the crisis that we currently face.
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I'll also quote something Gil Scott Heron said: "One person can't do everything but, we all can do something". There are many brothers who've gone through battles in their lives in this country and you're not a real soldier if you haven't. It comes with the territory. Daruba Ben Whahaad is one of them: A former Black Panther who was wounded during a gun battle with the NYPD, who came to his home to arrest him and tried to murder him. He shot up 8 police officers in a gun battle they started. After pulling 19 years in NY State Prison, he was freed in 1989 or 90 after countless denied appeals professing argument of self defense and a judge finally studied the evidence and found him innocent and the NYPD was negligent.
He was awarded a few million bucks and now lives in Canada.
I remember going to The Million Man March in 1995. There were so many brothers there, most of whom were already doing what they were supposed to do. The idiots and thugs were no where near there. A healthy man doesn't need a physician, but you can't make a sick one go to the doctor if he choses not to. For all it's good intentions, the plight of The Black mane has gotten 100% worse since 1995. I don't knock anyones efforts who try, but only an act of God can change things now. It's that bad!!!
Min Farrahakan has the right idea. Boots on the streets. A presence of clean shaven, suited up brothers, blanketing the troubled neighborhood speaking directly the the people who are causing problem.
It's time for programs and organizations to merge together for one cause, and that is to reach troubled youth and young adults, turning a negative path into a positive. Leave your ego, religion and whatever other baggage Black people carry around that prevents unity.
Min Farrahkan has the FOI coming out on Monday nights in troubled Black communities. I don't know if this is the answer, but it's worth a try. Maybe another organization a blanket the community on Tuesday nights. The fact is men are needed in the communities, having discussion with the people in the communities.
Enough of this sitting around talking. Time for action and if you're not ready to do that, than don't waste time telling anybody what you;re going to do at you roundtable.
We are successful because we do just as you suggested leave EGO, RELIGION and any issue that may keep us from excelling as a community behind.
Chaired by Desmond Meade who like you said taking his negative path of drugs, homelessness and incarceration taking that story to show Men and Boys no matter where you may came from you too can overcome. Desmond is now a 3rd Year law student.
I hope this helped you understand more about FCBCP vision for our Community to be engaged.
If you live in the Miami area please come and participate with your brothers.
REAL BROTHERS, with REAL CONCERNS from REAL COMMUNITIES getting REAL SOLUTIONS.
In Unity,
Sheena FCBCP
I reach out to you people each and every chance I get. I take public transportation to work to save money on gas and come in contact with young people who are so lost.
Do you all have a chapter in the Chicago area? Again, thank you for taking the time to provide a comment to my post.
A serious look is to dump the garbage and provide truth, one thing no one can fight and win.
If you open the doors to possibility, it attracts.
I have seen people turn down others just on minimal information, that caused more harm than being bothered, towards one aspiring.
While other groups of children are learning their abc's and familial love; black children are learning that they are n-words, bytches, and hoes through the culture of hip hop and rap music. All day and all night the most popular black music stations play songs that teach children lessons in hardcore sex and disrepect for mankind---and in particular themselves.
there are plenty of degrading songs/music out there for other races as well, though I do get your point and will not argue against it. It is NOT just hip hop music. It is systematic problem of self-deprecating depiction throughout education, media and "american" culture.... all things combined.
African American communities that are having so much trouble with high rates of violence and young males killing each other need to have a Million Black Men Marching in THOSE communities. If only the "Round Table" could organize something like that.