I may be a little bit out of touch and not aware of the resources and options provided to young black boys. My husband and I were blessed with the responsibility of raising two beautiful daughters. So quite naturally I am more in tune with all of the opportunities that benefit them. I am always excited and anxious whenever there is a television program, magazine or event created for the sole purpose of empowering black women and girls.
There is no greater need, currently, than one that encourages love, acceptance and pride in our community. More often than not the images of us are negative and stereotypical. I am excited about the love that black women are receiving and displaying for one another. It is long overdo. My girls have been able to participate in a wide range of activities even those that may have originally been considered more male focused. My daughters are also able to look around our home and see beautiful visions of a wide variety of black women on my Essence, Ebony and Oprah magazine covers. When my girls watch TV, during the weekends, they are also able to see young black girls in lead roles on certain programs like A.N.T. Farm, Doc McStuffins and How To Rock.
I hope this is just an oversight on my part. But our young black boys need to experience that exact same love, acceptance and pride. They need to know their opportunities are also endless. We need to empower them as well and open their eyes to the fact that there are numerous other careers outside of being an athlete or musician. They also need to see black men in other roles and not just what’s seen on TV. One thing we have to remember is that while we are empowering our beautiful black girls it is our young black boys they will end up with, marry and create a family with. Wouldn’t we rather they both be uplifted and encouraged?
I am so grateful for Black Girls Rock! It is necessary because our women have been torn down for so long. We absolutely needed this rebuilding and confirmation of just how truly amazing we are. Our young black boys also need a rebuilding. It seems as though some may have gotten comfortable and have even accepted the labels they have been given. The truth is we love them too and they need saving. My wish would be for the programs that do exist to speak a little louder; highlight and promote it, the same way we do for our young black girls. I love when Steve Harvey promotes his Men’s Mentoring Weekend, I only wish there were more and happened more often. Our black boys need us, because they rock too.
BMWK, are you familiar with national resources/programs aimed at young black men? If so, please share.
I would love to see this as well! We need to represent our young men as early as possible. What an awesome show of support to have them both in the same week honoring young women and men who BOTH seek to inspire and uplift!
That would be awesome!
In my opinion, the decision to suppress the public display of successful Black men is a strategic move to further stave off movements to concentrate the collective economic, political, and cultural power of the African American (AfrAm) population within this country. I could go on and on about my theory but I’ll spare you all the lengthy read.
Joe Madison, The Black Eagle, would say, “What are you going to do about it?”
So what can WE do? I read lots of passion in the above comments above, but how do/can we channel that passion? How can WE achieve that public promotion of AfrAm Male success?
I would be more than willing to engage in a Think Tank to get such a project off the ground. I’m going to reach out to Greg Thrasher and his Plane Ideas think tank to suggest that the topic be brought forth for action.
What are/can you do about it?
Thanks for reading.
-Sean
Hello All:
When I hear Black Girls Rock, it does bother me that young black males and adults are left out. If Black women say they are put down, then who/whom is doing so, and are these same entities or people who put down Black Women not doing the same or worse to Black boys and Men? The short answer seems to be yes!
We have so many churches in the black community, almost one church on each street corner. They collect tithes; tell Black Women it is not their fault for the poor choices they willingly make. Yet these same churches, at least to my knowledge, do not as a group go to these stations (TV and or Radio) to petition and organize a Black Boys Rock program. I have tried to work with several churches in New York to San Francisco and the Black pastors looked at me like I was crazy. Black Pastors who were both male and female by the way. We have many Black Thespians (actors) in Hollywood=Skills, economics and influence, they could produce this type of program. I have written to the Screen Actors Guild and gotten a very vague response. In short –“At this time we are unable to undertake this type of project”
You mean to tell me that these individuals including myself cannot rally and produce a BLACK BOYS ROCK SHOW? I have mentored and tutored for many years, and the Black Males really need help. This is not a knock against the sisters, but, many black mothers spend about 40-45% of their total interaction with their male children in a negative way. Often their male children pay for the SINS of the father, or the mother’s bad choice in the man she allowed to impregnate her. I could go on and on, but the Black Community is in a shambles.
It seems that many, NOT ALL, but many black Women will brag that they RUN the Black Community, yet take no accountability in the bad state it is in. Too many underfunded schools, bad neighborhoods, black on black violence, young men being emasculated. Yet we say Black Girls Rock because they are DOWN TRODDEN and have overcome this. I have to ask again, who or whom is doing this JUST to them and not to BLACK BOYS?
As long as we ignore our male children things will only get worse. You can see that so many Black Males lack male leadership and the results are evident every day. Is this just the boys fault? The family courts encourage the men not to be in the home. I am not giving the men a pass, but the Black Women know this for a fact and many use it constantly to THEIR advantage. I have friends in the Family Court, Child Support Divisions, Police Department, The Social Services field, the state aid field, school scholarship fields and overwhelmingly they tell me every day for the last 30 years how biased these areas are towards Black Men, yet helpful towards Black Women, to the point of almost being ridiculous. One last thing, most of my friends who tell me these things are BLACK WOMEN.
I do not know how much it would cost to produce a BLACK BOYS ROCK show, and keep it going every year but it will be well worth it.
You have young black men doing well in school, going to college. You have many Black Men working every day, not dealing drugs. You have many SINGLE BLACK DADS, yes they do exist. However there seems to be an overwhelming number of programs for Black Women and a disproportionally smaller number for Black Men and especially black single fathers.
Black Boys Rock-because for those who make it to adulthood, without a criminal record or mass amounts of children by different baby mama’s they deserve to be encouraged, recognized and spotlighted to give hope to other young men and yes even other young black women as well.
Where are all the community organizers out there? We organize, black parties, trips, bar-b-ques, family reunions, protests marches, but no one can organize programs spotlighting our young vulnerable, black men?