Sagging pants seems to be a trend that’s not going away any time soon even, though young men are being stereotyped and not taken seriously as a result. However, community leaders in Prince Georges County, Maryland are combating the issue by holding a belt drive as part of their Pull ‘Em Up Campaign.
Lead by the Take Charge Foundation, the initiative is taking place in 13 locations across the county where people can donate new or gently used belts. The belts are then collected and will be distributed to schools in the area.
Take Charge Executive Director, Jerrod Mustaf, says the goal of the drive is to “modify the culture of young people who believe it’s cool to wear pants that are sagging.” Darryl Barnes, founder of Men Aiming Higher, an organization for at-risk youth, believes that less young men would want to sag if they knew the history of the trend, which got its start in prison.
While Barnes sees boys dealing with social and economic challenges as well as peer pressure mostly following the trend, Mustaf notes that parents who idolize hip-hop artists who sag are part of the problem.
“It’s so disheartening. You find a lot of parents who are younger, who watch Jay-Z on an awards show or Lil Wayne, and their pants are sagging,” Mr. Mustaf said. “Parents still listen to and adore these rappers and these musicians.”
When both parents and children focus on these popular artist, Mustaf points out “how can you tell your child, don’t be like the person that you like?”
Though the drive is set to end on November 1, Mustaf is hoping to collect 500 belts by then. Read the entire article on The Washington Times website.
BMWK–Are there any initiatives in your community to put an end to sagging? Why do you believe young men sag despite the trend’s origin? What can you do as parents to defer your son(s) from participating in the trend?
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