Introduction
Growing, for most, in America is effortless, but growing up in America is quite a different exercise. There are so many choices, and being that “do your thing” is the thing to do in America, many take this individualistic theory to bizarre heights. My maturation has been more trial and error than a tried and trued process. Friends and I would misbehave in the name of fun, but the fun would come to a screeching halt when getting caught yielded serious consequences. Fortunately, we survived our frivolity but many do not. The progression of these inappropriate lifestyles often ends with incarceration, and sometimes, death.
Key findings in recent studies show that the rate of incarceration for African American men (age 18-64) is 7.9% while the rate for Euro American men of the same age group is 1.1% (Race and Incarceration in the United States). As African American men get older, their chances of being incarcerated increases instead of decreasing like it does for aging Euro American men. The chance for an African American man’s incarceration after the age of 45 is 2.1% and 1% for the aging Euro American man (United States). Statistically, this information punctuates the ebb of the African American man’s condition and an ethos of urgency for societal intervention.
His condition is threatening, but recent Afrocentric studies have uncovered resolving strategies nudging us toward profound optimism. The mere presence of the word “Afrocentric” directly identifies and challenges the communities from which these young men come. Afrocentrism is defined as a confluence of African worldviews and the African American need (Morris 102). It is imperative that we (the African American community) examine African tradition of early childhood development and the effects of the African Diaspora on the African American in order to claim (or reclaim) these traditions to engender effective methods in grounding and nurturing our young African American men.
Africa
The nurturing nature of ancient African communities, as it relates to the development of young men, appears to have been an effective system. This system cultivated young men and empowered them to represent themselves, those preceding them, and those who follow them, yielding a strengthened community of one’s self and surroundings. Euro Americans cannot, or will not, comprehend this transcending African spirit inherited by African Americans, so we let them off the hook (stop blaming), lick our wounds, hug ourselves, and commit to reconnecting with and nurturing this inheritance. These solutions are more at hand than realized. Dr. Akbar describes this absence of the “need to advocate a reverse racism” best as “The Secret Door in the Pyramid” (Vision for Black Men 56-58).
Immeasurable is the power in knowing the thoughts and experiences of many generations. The tradition of storytelling in Africa links one family member to another, one neighbor to another and one community to another. This tradition links those of today’s generation with earlier generations – thousands of years and countless beings. Religious ideals, ceremonies and proverbs formulated law that guarded the lives of individuals and their communities. This long line impressed and empowered community members with connectedness, purpose and pride – pride expressed when one assigned to beat the drums in ceremony, did so in dignity because of his sense of connection with those assigned to beat the drums before him. This cultural connection defined and shaped the lives of the African man in his society, and in return, that man contributed positively to the life of his community (Mbiti 2- 14).
An African’s life journey was given meaning before his birth. As soon as the family realized a pregnancy, precautions were taken to assure a safe and healthy delivery. It is evident that childbearing was special and bordered sacred as there were religious ceremonies performed in approbation. Upon delivery, the newborn and mother were kept secluded to allow the mother time to recover and for the community to prepare for more ceremonies and festivals. These ceremonies were performed to purify the child, to give thanksgiving for the child, to introduce the child to the universe, and to commit the child to God for protection. It was believed that even the ancestors were in attendance of these festivities. Another ritual separated the mother from the newborn, giving the family and community time to take ownership of the child (Mbiti 87-93).
The transition from childhood to adolescence for the young man alone offered a plethora of physical, emotional, and psychological changes, but “initiation” brought challenges that ensured growth in particular areas of his life. In initiation, the young man was taken into seclusion (in the woods) for a period that lasted days, weeks, or months, and taught the history, the traditions, and the beliefs of his people. Importantly, he learned the secrets and mysteries of marriage (a young man was not allowed to marry until he completed this phase of his development). He received education and/or traditional schooling. His physical training conditioned him to overcome difficulties and pain, cultivate courage, endurance, perseverance and obedience (Mbiti 96-102).
Upon the young man’s return to the community, he was recognized as a man – gained full privileges, empowered, and expected to meet responsibilities to his family, his community, and to his nation. He bridged ignorance with knowledge, youth with adulthood, man to women, and fatherhood to motherhood. He and his community were sealed (Mbiti 102-103).
The African Diaspora
The fecund structure of the young African man’s family and community life, his contribution in the development of the world’s basic survival tools, and his proud connection to this heritage melted as he raced from those seeking him for pecuniary gain. He and centuries of agriculture, medicine, astrology, worship, the arts, architecture, and political systems were poured onto this unfamiliar turf, into unfamiliar social systems, given unfamiliar (non-African) names, in unfamiliar ceremonies (Costen 26-29). We have to acknowledge the many centuries of the African’s fruitful existence (and his dismantling) to feel the depth and breadth of the “damage” done to this precious cargo. The beating of the drums stopped, and in this silence, he was forced to unlearn all that he knew – in his beatings, he was forced to learn what could not have made much sense to him.
This disempowerment continued as laws denied him freedom of African religion, ownership of property, political rights, education, the right to assemble without supervision, and the right to use his own language. His hope of freedom came through the Anglican Church, but was quickly derailed, as laws were created and imposed relegating him to bondage (Costen 32- 35).
The African American
The intent of this exercise is to “connect the dots” so that a picture emerges from what appears to have no pattern. It is believed that solutions for the development of young African American men are found in knowledge that existed prior to the horror of his African Diaspora (Akbar, Light from Ancient Africa iii-iv). The young African American man needs to connect with Africa and America without shame, doubt, or inferior feelings about himself (Morris 103). He unlearns what has enslaved him (emotionally and mentally) and relearns a truth that frees him. He is free to embrace the concepts that classical literature includes works of Mbiti, and Woodson – classical music includes Masekela, and Monk – classical dance includes Adowa and Ailey (Asante 40).
The African American Family
Despite the early efforts at acculturating Africans in Diaspora, African Americans have managed to subscribe to and guard African traditions and value systems in the family structure. These traditions are serendipitously embedded in African Americans and are expressed in our connectedness, family pride and relational ties – we cling to each other (Carter 532). Young men need to hear the stories of his family’s history from the cradle in order to shape his image of self and of his community. This prepares him to tell the stories himself one day (Akbar, Vision for Black Men 12-13). This spirit of connectedness solidifies the sense of responsibility to each other in family – strengthening the man’s desire to keep this unit together (developing and maintaining the two-parent family institution). This sense of responsibility starts early as a boy sees his father interacting with his mother, his siblings, and the community at large. His responsibilities around the house grow as he grows taking a greater share in the physical, economic, social and religious life of the family (Mbiti 115).
Grounded, the young man feels no need to belong to gangs or gang related activity (Conger). Grounded, the young man feels no need to belong to woman unprepared. Grounded, the young man truly belongs to, and feels a sense of belonging to, his family.
The African American Church
“For Africans in America, God’s divine intervention began prior to the experiences of a harsh slave system” (Costen 119). The African connection with God in daily life and ceremony has existed for centuries. It is especially interesting to read about the concepts of God as Mother or Father in African beliefs – making us all His children – punctuates an image of family, but
most importantly, highlights the closeness between people and God. God as Father gives the young man the best example of fatherhood – as protector, as provider, and keeper (Mbiti 53).
The young man should always feel embraced by the institution that proclaims the sovereignty of the Almighty God – the institution where his ancestors were embraced. With programs of instruction, the church needs to be methodical and ceremonious in expanding his sense of connection to a great spiritual heritage. The church must be willing to initiate the connection (or reconnection) with the young man if America’s gravitational pull of individualism claims him.
Free from distracting debates over objectives, functions, and rituals, the church can be instrumental in a genuine re-creation of the young African American man’s image of self, his community, and the nation at large (Asante 71). Nurtured, the young man is filled from within and not from without.
The African American Community
From the African adage, “It takes a whole village to raise a child,” we see that the African American community is already equipped with the spirit of connectedness; however, the community has a need to accept several key roles/responsibilities in the development of young men. Firstly, the young man should be as informed as possible with truthful accounts of the community’s customs and traditions, his position in the community, and the adjustments that he needs to make to meet his obligations to his community. Secondly, the community must respect the young man so that he maintains a positive self-image (self-respect), which frees him to reciprocate with respect for his community; and thirdly, the community must protect the young man’s right to grow in spirit, in tradition, in education, in legal structures, and in communication so that his “lower” options (defensiveness) become obsolete. The young man learns to protect himself and his community by not creating a danger for himself or others in his community (Akbar, The Community of Self 37-46). The institutions of education fall under this category of community; therefore, these institutions must incorporate curricula relevant to the African American man – his history (accurately depicted), and his culture, which includes one’s value system and worldview (ctd. in Carter 535). This should not be an unrealistic objective!
Conclusion
I have merely attempted in this exercise to reveal a little of the depth and richness of African tradition and culture as it relates to the reconditioning of the young African man in America today. I have done very little to contribute to this critical objective posited in the laps of the African American family, church, and community. The key words here; however, are “I have done,” and I will do, as a member of the community of topic, as much as I can to continue to expand in awareness of African and African American history with hopes that I better understand self, my family and my community. This is a crucial step for each member of this community, and it must be taken so that we can position ourselves to tell stories that empower our young.
There is power in knowing that the subjects grappled for in education are not only obtainable - they are legacies. The young man should be able to stand with his head held high fully equipped with all that he needs to survive in this fine country. Aspirations in medicine are not carrots dangled in front of him - he is of medicine. He is of astrology! He is of mathematics! He is of philosophy! He is of everything that he has inherited, but he needs to know this!
The family’s responsibility to this young man is to celebrate his birth with thanksgiving, take ownership in telling him his heritage, and initiate him with responsibilities that, once accomplished, prove his preparedness for bigger family and societal roles.
The church’s responsibility to this young man is to celebrate his birth with the family, take ownership by instructing him in spiritual principles developed generations ago, and reinforcing traditions of connectedness with the Almighty God. The church must be willing to go for him if he is “stuck in the woods” – not waiting for him to return. He may not, because many games outside of his “village” play for keeps.
The community’s responsibility to this young man is to celebrate his birth with the family and church, claim him, educate him, respect him, and protect him as if our future depends on him and others like him. As he develops intellectually, he reciprocates with respect and aspires to protect himself and his community. His options for living sub-culture, or creating sub-culture in his community dissolves as he looks forward to sharing and/or passing his story, his family’s story, his community’s story, and his nation’s story to his children and to anyone within earshot.
Growing up in America does not have to be hit or miss for any young man; however, America’s history tells a story of an intense unnatural shift that would affect any people. The Africans in America have survived quite an atrocity; nevertheless, proudly claiming to be African American. Our history is what it is, and we are here with what we have – a richness that has, and will continue to, contribute to the building of this country. Grounded and nurtured with an awareness of inheritance, young African American men will reclaim manhood, fatherhood, and marriage, to take his true position in leadership of his society. Welcome him!
Works Cited
Akbar, Na’im. Light from Ancient Africa. Tallahassee: Mind Productions & Associates, Inc., 1998.
---. The Community of Self. Tallahassee: Mind Productions & Associates, Inc., 1985.
---. Visions for Black Men. Tallahassee: Mind Productions & Associates, Inc., 1991.
Asante, Molefi Kete. Afrocentricity. Trenton: Africa World Press, Inc., 1988.
Carter, Carolyn S. “Using African-Centered Principles in Family-Preservation Services.” Families in Society 78.5 (1997): 531-538.
Costen, Melva Wilson. African American Christian Worship. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.
Conger, Bill. “Recommendation 7: Gang Activity In Nevada.” Minutes of the Meeting of the Legislative Commission’s Subcommittee to Study the System of Juvenile Justice in Nevada. Dec. 1999. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://leg.state.nv.us/70th/Interim/Studies/Juvenile/Minutes/IM-Juvenile-19991209-2159.html>.
Mbiti, John. Introduction to African Religion. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1991.
Mincy, Ronald B., ed. Nurturing Young Black Males: Challenges to Agencies, Programs, and Social Policy. Washington: The Urban University Press, 1994.
Morris, Jeff Jr. “Afrocentrism and African-American Male Youths.” Nurturing Young Black Males: Challenges to Agencies, Programs, and Social Policy. Ed. Ronald B. Mincy. Washington: The Urban University Press, 1994.
“Race and Incarceration in the United States.” Human Rights Watch Press Backgrounder. 27 Feb. 2002. 15 Nov. 2003 <http://hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/race/race-bckonepage.htm>.
United States. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. African Americans and the Correctional System. 1997. 15 Nov. 2003 <http://jointcenter.org/db/printer/correctionalsys.htm>.
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