89 Days Later...

Hello Dear Readers,
Sweet tea and swimming parties have now been replaced with pumpkin spiced lattes and fall festivals. Almost three months have passed since our last talk. Hope you are well! First, the big news- I am now officially a licensed NC attorney! Two for two on passing the bar (NC is my second license). Most of my family and a few close friends traveled to NC to witness my swearing in ceremony- such a blessing. My youngest son turned four, had a superhero birthday party and had his tonsils removed in the space of three weeks. My oldest son started first grade, finally got his two front teeth back (after a two year absence)and learned how to vacuum. Good times. Those are the highlights- or at least all the news that's "fit to print."
I have struggled mightily with the idea of this blog- still unsure exactly what I want to do with it. For most of the last three months my failure to post has been intentional. But one day last week, after watching another unbearable episode of the new BET show "Reed Between the Lines" starring Theo Huxtable himself, I found myself drifting over to this blog for inspiration. I found it. I'm back.

More soon.

A Call to Arms!! Black Parents, It's Time to Grab a Mirror and Stop Waiting for Superman.

Say what you want to about the Tea Party -- You can question their motives, criticize their candidates and poke holes in their agenda-- But one thing you can't do is ignore their effectiveness.  They saw something they didn't like and mobilized to change it.  It's time to get organized black parents.  
This post is a call to arms.
Seriously.
I read a study today that first saddened, then enraged, then inspired me.  I hope it will do the same for you. The study was published by The Council of the Great City Schools, a consortium of urban public school systems from around the country. The subject: academic underachievement among black males.   If you are the parent of a young black male, YOU MUST READ the recently published Call for Change study. If you are not the parent of a young black male but know someone who is, YOU MUST READ this study and pass it along to someone else.  Oh, and if you are the parent or know the parent of a young black female, you are not off the hook.  YOU MUST READ this study because what it says about our daughters isn't any more promising. Put simply, the word CRISIS is now an understatement.
  
Some context...
Yes, we've all heard the hoopla in recent weeks surrounding the new Bill Gates backed Waiting for Superman documentary.  You know the one that everyone from Oprah, to President Obama, has been touting as a "call to action" for our country?  The one that laments the fact that U.S. students are now ranked a lowly 25th in math among 30 of the world's developed countries.  The one that points out the shocking statistic that by fourth grade, 68% of public school students scored below a proficient reading level in 2009. The one that blames the public school bureaucracy for pretty much everything.  Well, if you're a black parent and you thought things were bad, perhaps you should sit down. It gets MUCH worse.

First let's look in the MIRROR:

• In 2009, only 11% of black boys in 4th grade performed at or above PROFICIENT levels in reading. (Students attended public schools in cities with populations of 250,000 or more)
• In my hometown of Cleveland, OH, only 3% --That's right--THREE measly PERCENT of 4th grade black males scored at or above proficient levels. UGHHHHHHHH!

Think it's just a financial issue? WRONG...Read on:

• In 2009, black male 4th graders NOT eligible for free or reduced priced lunch (based on income) had reading and mathematics scores similar to or lower than white males who WERE eligible for free or reduced priced lunch (based on income).  About 21% in each group performed at or above proficient levels. 
• By 8th grade,  the achievement gap between this same group widened to six points in favor of white males.     

Can't blame economic disadvantage for that.

That's pretty bad, but here's the real slap in the face. Brace yourself and read on:

•  In 2009, black males WITHOUT disabilities performed worse than white males WITH disabilities! Only 13% of non-disabled black male 4th graders compared to 17% of disabled white male 4th graders performed at or above proficient levels in reading.

These stats are just the tip of a very big, immensely depressing, iceberg of negative data on the state of academic underachievement among black boys.  The study also looks at many other enlightening data points including some demographic insight into what's left of the black family unit,  high school and post-secondary achievement and earning potential as adults.  It's all related and it's not pretty.

I read this study today, all 106 pages of it. And I was ready.  With each dismal statistic, my will to be part of the solution grew stronger.   But when I read the "Plan of Action and Recommendations" conclusion, I realized (with anger) that the study authors in their "scholarly wisdom" had once again let me and every other black parent off the hook. Not one of the recommendations asks black parents to do ANYTHING differently (much like the Wait for Superman, blame the system approach). The word, "parent", isn't even mentioned.  That is sickening. Our babies are failing at epidemic rates, and we have no obligation to change the outcome? Ridiculous.

Let's Do Something About It.
Black parents, we need to pick up the mirror and face the fact that the blame for our children's failure starts and ends with us. Not the school. Not white racism. Not cultural bias. US!  We need to take ownership of success of our next generation like our ancestors did and our counterparts in other races still do. Realize that the schools can't and shouldn't have to do it all.  

I am fired up and ready to start a movement of black parents ready to return our children to excellence.  Our black boys are too precious to leave in the hands of anyone else. If you're ready to take some responsibility, please jump in.

Dear Reader, I crave your thoughts and prayers on this issue.  It has been near to my heart since the birth of my first son and for some time I have felt that God has a purpose for me that includes helping black boys to achieve. I am still seeking God for exactly what this purpose looks like, but I know that it starts with raising our two sons to be high achieving, Godly, men of character.

Stay tuned, this is a call to arms!!




P.S.  Don't forget to read the study for yourself to fully understand the populations of students examined- there are some significant nuances that I didn't get into here.  Also, the first nine pages are an Executive Summary that lays out the parameters of the data examined and includes every data point separated by bullets.  The rest of the study is mostly graphs illustrating the data.

Five Things that Renew My Faith in Humanity

I am deeply troubled by the lack of civility that has become commonplace in our culture. Television. Radio. Internet. There is no escape from the barrage of sarcasm, insults and crude negativity that now permeate our collective attitude about our fellow man. All is not lost.  I present you with five everyday happenings that renew my faith in humanity...

1. People who let you cut them in line in the supermarket because you have less items than they do.
2. People who wave their hand to say thank-you when they merge in front of you in traffic.
3. Watching a line of cars part like the Red Sea to allow an ambulance pass through in an emergency.
4. Encountering children, especially teenagers, who address adults as sir and maam.
5. Finding unexpired coupons on the shelf in the grocery store that were "paid forward" by another shopper who couldn't use them.

I'll have to keep thinking on this one and add to it as I go...

Being Broke: This too shall pass

Dear Self (my most devoted reader),
As you know, I have spent much of the last two weeks reflecting on the difference between being poor and being broke. Truthfully, when our bank balance fell so low that we were happy each day just to stay above zero, the distinction between poor and broke seemed merely semantic. Suddenly, waiting to get paid at the end of the month felt like holding my breath in the middle of the ocean and each day without money was like another hour treading water. Payday began on an emotional high that quickly dropped off into a depressing realization that the bills we just paid were yesterday's debts. Each dollar paid was one step closer to the end of the plank that sent us back to another month trying to keep our heads above water to avoid drowning.
That said, with a quick glance at recent economic news to confirm that it could be MUCH worse, and the help of the Lord reminding me to trust in him, I have come to the grateful realization that we are broke and not poor. Being poor is a state of mind that translates into a belief that your current lack of resources is a permanent condition. Being broke is simply a description of your current circumstances that can be viewed as a temporary condition that can change. This too shall pass.