On Oct. 4, my talk program, which can be heard every other Saturday on WAMO AM between the hours of 7:30-8:30 a.m., we discussed the topic of positive Black men. The program was co-hosted with Rick Adams and what a time we had.
I am angry and disgusted with the everyday negative stories relating to the actions of Black youth. The tragedy is that too many Blacks are buying into the lie that these are the majority of our youths.
A number of books written by Black and white authors have focused with overwhelming regularity about the same positive Black persons—George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois and Harriet Tubman. All of them are deserving, but what about today’s positive Black people?
The program has been on the airways almost a year but after last week’s program we received calls for the first time from 7:35 a.m. and an hour later there were still callers on the lines. The question asked of the listening audience was do you know a positive Black man? You were asked to call in and present his name and what makes or made him positive. Some callers named their father, uncle, preacher and several educators. Others named someone in the media, neighbors, school board members and civil rights leaders. What impressed me the most was the fact that they were all local people.
It is my conviction that prevention is the key to resolving the multitude of problems that confront us. That is why I continue to focus on the great importance of positive images—male and female.
Have you ever reflected on a person who helped shape your life in a positive manner? I can remember ministers who served us through the years in conjunction with my parents who stressed self-sufficiency, self-esteem, responsibility for self and that “I am my brother’s keeper.” We must work on being positive role models. Degrees are an accomplishment, but common sense and self-pride can serve us well.
If you are concerned about our youth, send a financial contribution to Friends of Kingsley C/O Kingsley Association.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the Forum Page.)
