Young Brothers

As I look around my community, I see a lack of guidance and wisdom that is being bestowed upon my young brothers. It is truly disconcerting to see the current state of this particular community. I focus on the young black brother for a couple of reasons: One, being a young black brother myself--this is something that I can easily identify with and dissect. Two, this is a topic that needs to be focused on more by brothers like myself who are on the right path (not to be self-aggrandizing).

W.E.B DuBois charged the talented 10th to go back into our communities and be engaged in its well-being. The only problem is from my view, is that we are failing. We are failing in the sense that many of our young brothers have gone after things and engaged in a culture of foolery.

Who is to blame for this? We can go on to play the blame game for days, but it won't solve the phenomenon that is currently at hand. We can blame the demise of the nuclear family, to the be replaced by a barrage of single mother households. We can blame the educational system for failing to reach our young brothers because of their antiquated methods. We can "try" to blame hip-hop and violent video games. We can blame the government for X,Y, and Z. My question is this: When do we cease playing the blame game? I think the times has to be now. We are in a new era and a new order must be established.

Look at our President for example. Barack Obama, he is a testament what hard work, determination and hope can produce in a seamless conjunction. The same goes for our nations Attorney General Eric Holder. The number of positive black men out there is never ending. However, the question is--what are we doing to make sure the next generation, the new era, the new order is sufficiently prepared to lead a globally interconnected world?

The young brothers out there just need the right type of guidance. All it takes is for someone who understands their plight and struggle to come back and be a positive influence in their lives and show them that their current state, struggle, shortcomings have no bearing on what is achievable in their futures. All it takes is for us brothers to come back and take a serious interest in these young mens lives. If we do that, then the changes that we truly yearn to see will come to pass.

Earlier this week, I participated in a panel of with fellow alumni of my High School. As we sat and spoke to the young people about college, life and goals something hit me. I thought back to John Edwards and his "Two Americas" motif. This is even prevalent in my old High School, there is a side that is all about business who knows what they want and is going to do what they can to go get it no matter what happens. Then there is the side that has the I don't give a fu*k attitude. The former we must help to achieve their goals, but so must we with the latter (even more so than that of the former). That side of the "Two Americas"is the side that we must pay attention to, its the side that the majority of of young brothers currently stand.

The time for deadlock and drift on this issue must end. We can longer capitulate to the stereotypes of the status quo and expect this to get better. What SOMEONE else isn't doing, we must do before all hope is lost. Lets get our young brothers on the right course so that our community can prosper in ways unimaginable to those who consistently doubt us over and over.

Just some thoughts.....

Bashir Ali