I AM a Man

Every now and again something can stick in my spiritual craw so much so that I find it hard to let go.  Lately the conversations around “Black Males” represent one such case.  I think its not simply because I AM at last check a Black Male, but because the conversations that I AM both privy to and those that I often read about in articles and hear on TV and the radio somehow seem to view me and my brethren as a potential and soon to be obsolete tools. 

Because of my career path and chosen line of work professionally I am mindful of the following facts:  

·         According to Pew Research in 2010 Black Men were 6 times more likely than their white counter parts to be incarcerated.  In Wisconsin alone the incarceration rate for African Americans is 13%, which by the way leads the nation.

·         Nationally according to The Council of State Governments most recent reports Black male graduation rates were 47% compared to the 73% graduation rate of their white counter parts. Follow that up with 2011 report from Dr. Michael Holzman that only 10% of 8^th grade Black Boys could read proficiently. Compounded with the often quoted “urban myth” prison construction rates based upon 3^rd grade reading scores. 

·         Finally, according to a UC Berkley report in the 3^rd Quarter of 2013 Black Male unemployment stood at a whopping 13.8% (teenage Black Males unemployment for the same time was 53%).

Given all of the aforementioned FACTS I would venture to say me and many of my colleagues have contemplated the mental weight each of these play on us because regardless of your academic or professional accomplishments you are still subject to be impacted by any number of the issues that lead to such disproportionate outcomes.  Even as I type these thoughts I am mindful of their impact.

That being said in a recent conversation with a friend I suggested that Black Men in particular have to have a level of mental dexterity that rivals the most accomplished gymnast because we must be keenly aware of everything ranging from our appearance to the volume of our music to our surrounding and to forget can be the difference between life and death or relegation to a second class social status. 

By no means is this mental musing an acceptance of some permanent state of victimhood or even an instance of helplessness, but it is to acknowledge the complexity associated with Black Manhood and the fact that it does not get any better when my reality and the vision of who and what I am to be is not being shaped by me.  But rather those who profit off my demise and often times they don’t present themselves as the usual suspects.  Sometimes they present themselves as well meaning folks who’s reality of who and what I am is shaped by their limited access to those that look like me or the image they enjoy while being entertained by those who look like me.

Finally, this is not to say a conversation is not warranted regarding the state of Black Men in this country, but a conversation that does not include substantive policy adjustments (i.e. mass incarceration) and historical disenfranchisement is just as bad as no conversation at all.

That’s My Truth and I Am Sticking To It…

I AM

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

Rebellion Music

In preparation for an upcoming lecture and reflecting upon the recent Grammy Awards the person who invited me asked me what happen to the consciousness of hip hop music.  Although, that one particular question was part of a larger dialog it beckoned me to think what did happen to the consciousness of my beloved music (although we are still divorced) I came away with this.

First and foremost all of which I shared with my colleague is that there is a very thin line between rebellion and deviance.  I explained it to her in this manner, while N.W.A’s 1988 ground breaking song F- - K Tha Police off the Straight Out of Compton album represented a sentiment about how youth at that time and probably today felt about police and their occupying force tactics it also represented a watershed moment when rebellion and deviance collided only to see deviance prevail.  What I mean by this is prior to that moment very few if any in my generation had the gumption or even the audacity to play a song with curse words in front of an adult let alone utter a profane word. 

The credence of F - -K Tha Police set in motion a level of desensitivity around language and the usage of language to communicate a point that ultimately led to defining images (i.e. only certain types of people allow people to talk to them in less than endearing terms).  The usage of less than endearing words gave way to less than endearing images because surely men and women of standards would not allow themselves to be called or defined as bitches and hoes.  Yet the language and imagery from that moment is still defining what it means to be African-American.  With an eye toward the intellectual argument of it all it’s not the song nor its title that represented the problem it’s the lack of subsequent action on the part of my generation in particular that represents the issue. 

The song in and of itself suggested and warranted an action around an issue that had been plaguing African-American youth from Compton to Sherwood.  Even today given the recent indictment of the police officer in Charlotte there may be some merit to the song.  I don’t know, but somewhere a young person has been empowered by a song that had its origins based upon an empty action.     

What’s even larger for me is the idea that rebellion music without any follow up action gives way to behavior that often times falls right into deviancy based upon lack of inaction on the part of those oppressed.  The previous generation for example had an action step attached to rebellion music:

We Shall Overcome written by Pete Seeger was the action song of the Civil Rights Movement

Mercy Mercy Me written by Marvin Gaye was the action song to protest the Vietnam War

However, there was no action attached to F - -K Tha Police just a bunch of angry words written by frustrated and disenfranchised youth.  I would even presuppose that all of this built up anger around a social wrong and no way to generate a remedy led to a f- - k it mentality that persist in most urban centers today.  To go a step further I would even offer that this one moment in 1988 gave way to what defines the larger hip hop culture today. 

That’s My Truth and I AM Sticking To It

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen…

Boots for Boot Straps

Recently the New Town Success Zone celebrated its inaugural high school completion class and while that may not sound like such a big deal to some in the grand scheme of things it’s a HUGE accomplishment for a number of reason.  First and foremost the 6 people graduating represent 20 or more children.  That in and of itself allows twenty children to now say my mother or father DID graduate from high school.  Secondly, the graduating class represents what I have said since day one the New Town Success Zone is all about the development of a true continuum of care, where we not only focus on the needs of the children, but their caregivers as well. 

See what I have come to understand through my last 6 or so years of doing this work is you cannot truly gain ground with children if they don’t see hope manifested within their immediate surroundings.  Under normal circumstances the wherewithal to swim against the current is difficult.  However, if you add issues of poverty and the subsequent issues associated with poverty the challenge becomes almost insurmountable.  The attainment of a high school diploma by a parent or caregiver after the fact says to the children we work with education is important and it mitigates some of the academic envy we inadvertently create when we gear our efforts solely to kids and not their family. 

While the consequences of academic envy are often times unintended the effects are still very real.  Externally, what it says to parents or caregivers who are often times struggling economically is that you have had your chance and it is up to us (i.e. some well intended “program”) to step in and somehow make your kid whole or in some cases save them entirely from a similar fate.  Internally, what is communicated to the children is your future is better off in the hands of someone or something else (i.e. some well intended “program”) because I am not equipped to help you based upon my pass failures or transgressions. 

Finally, this is not to suggest neither we nor I have found the secret sauce for moving anyone out of poverty that is way to complex for this space.  However, it is to suggest that what we have found is that when we make the needs of the parents or caregivers just as important to our work the children are the ultimate benefactors.  What I do know is that despite whatever hardships Charlie or Frances or Bruce or Kuturrah may be experiencing and no matter where they are on the moral or economic dial of life they ultimately want what’s best for their children. 

Therefore, as I celebrate and congratulate our GED graduates I say to each of them let your high school completion serve as your boots courtesy of the New Town Success Zone and may this allow you to pull you and your family up by the proverbial boot straps. 

This is MY TRUTH and I AM Sticking to it…

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

Serve, Service and Serving and the Action in Between

In a recent presentation I went in pretty hard on the audience regarding the stamina it takes to do the work of community change.  Far too often we expect struggling communities to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when there are no boots let alone bootstraps.  What I have come to understand is that many of those we seek to help have simply forgone both boots and bootstraps and made do with what is and has been available. Therefore, creating a parallel existence to what you and I believe is right or even real.

This is not to excuse the immoral and sometimes downright illegal behavior that occurs in many  of these communities that just so happen to be in the urban core.  However, it is to acknowledge that these communities exist and they often exist without waving a white flag to indicate they need help from those of us who feel we are being benevolent simply by providing a few handouts.  And while I don’t have much experience with rural communities I would suppose the same exist there as well.  The thing I have come to understand as a result of both my childhood rearing and my life’s work is that the Matrix does exist and there are people who live in it quite fluidly. 

All of the aforementioned has led me to this conclusion.  If we truly want to make substantive change in these same communities we must be prepared to go the distance and that often starts with meeting people right where they are.  The calcified mindset of many community residents and subsequently the children of these communities come as a result of simply existing in a world where rules are a matter of convenience relative to everyday survival.  The reality is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is applicable no matter if the gate is designed to keep crime out or keep crime in (see Goodie Mob’s Cell Therapy).  

In “serving” these very same communities what would help is a view from the bottom up rather than the top down.  What starting from the bottom does for you as the “service” provider, no matter if its as a volunteer or your job is it allows you to see the journey through the eyes of the person you are purportedly “serving.” Thus, avoiding the paternal aspect of  “service.”

Secondly, we must also not forget the condition of many of these communities did not get this way overnight.  They got there because collectively we have simply chosen to ignore or forget they exist.  Yet they consistently produce the product of many of our angst (i.e. crime, violence and health disparities, etc.).   During my presentation I suggested that Rome was not built in a day, neither was the condition many people in urban centers find themselves in. 

Thirdly, we have to be honest with ourselves that there is a cost associated with this work.  Everyone including those being “served” has to pay.  That payment may come in the form of tax dollars for some, volunteer hours/time for others or it simply may be trying something new for others, but the bottom line is there must be a payment.  The unwillingness to deal with the fact there is a cost allows the stamina associated with this work to become a factor, thus allowing the people needing to be “served” to become dismissible. 

Finally, if we do at least a portion of the things listed above we allow ourselves to see the humanity in those that we look to “serve” and then we can make a suggestion from a place of love and accountability that involves boots and bootstraps.

That’s my Truth and I AM sticking to it.

I AM...

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

Parents, Students and Manufactured Apathy

As a candidate for political office one of my greatest challenges was the level of political apathy shown by many voters, particularly those in urban areas.  The commonly held idea that “those” folks gonna do what they gonna do, so it doesn’t matter if I vote or not stuck in my craw like no other sentiment shared along my political walk.  However, in the space of public education that mantra seems to hold true like no other.

Case in point and I am sure this is played out across the country in many other urban communities and school systems my alma mater is now in the mist of receiving its 3^rd principal in 3 years.  That means since the 9^th grade the upcoming class of 11^th graders have had a new instructional leader ever year since they started high school. All often times under guise of “school improvement.”  Couple this with the carousel of teachers that come and go in urban schools and you have a revolving door that’s reflective of the many teenage girls hairstyles. 

Without a doubt I am for whatever it takes to help students achieve and reach their full potential.  I do however; question the logic when schools reflect the unstable social environment many of these students come from.  It is my personal belief that part of what makes ALL environments whether its schools or work successful is consistent leadership at the top.  That consistent leadership at the top offers students in particular those from volatile environments an opportunity to know that at least for a while you know where you can go and someone knows your story.  It is further my belief that knowing a student, his family or his/her environmental story allows for accountability to develop based upon the fact “I SEE YOU.”  Inconsistent leadership oftentimes based upon over reliance of test data that has a huge level of skepticism in urban communities sends a message to those same communities and those same students that “WE” gone do what “WE” gone do and “YOU” can’t do anything about it.

Finally, what this inconsistency at the top leads to is a level of apathy that impacts parental and political involvement based upon lack of influence in any decision making process.  Not only does apathy impact parents, but I would offer it impacts student achievement as well.  Students by in large want to do well for people they know care about them and their story and that takes time.   Schools and student development are no different than any other human relationship (think 90 Day Rule).  However, when it comes to urban schools that relational development and its impact on student achievement seems to have more contingencies than true “economic recovery.” Thus leaving schools like every other institution within urban communities filled with nameless faces and irrelevant stories that do not impact the bottom line. 

That’s My Truth and I AM Sticking to It…

As I hit the customer service bell and scream NEXT...

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

From Dr. Dre to Paula Deen and the N-Word In Between

I like thousands of other people find Paula Deen’s words deplorable.  One would think that someone who has made a living much less an empire on the culinary skills created by African-American’s would be at least slightly socially conscious when it comes to the words that come out of their mouth.  However, the impact of her need I say social faux pas is much less impactful to me for several reasons than Dr. Dre. 

First, I never have not nor do I plan on visiting her restaurant.  Not because I don’t care for the food, but because I am a vegetarian.  And the one thing I do know is southern cuisine is not built for those of us who find delectable delight in tofu and vegetables.  There is something unappealing to me about items drizzled in bacon.

Secondly and probably more important to me is the line that has been a continuous part of the Paula Deen culinary experience since her sudden celebrity status.  I never understood nor appreciated the patience people show to stand in lines sometimes for hours to spend their money.  Call me impatient, but if I have to wait longer than 45 minutes to eat at a restaurant then it is time for Plan B. 

That being said the actions of Dr. Dre are far more impactful to me and I find much more egregious simply for their social impact.  For those who are reading this and unaware Dr. Dre recently gifted the University of Southern California $35,000,000.00. 

My issue is this Dre made millions on the backs of young African-American and Hispanic kids who purchased his records long before it was fashionable for young suburban white kids to own hip hop records.  It was those same kids who espoused to live the often times fictions gangster life that is talked about in Dre’s work.  Furthermore, it those very same kids that when they can’t get into USC (19% African-American and Hispanic enrollment) or any other SC for that matter they find themselves at the doors of HBCU’s or other minority serving institutions.  Who subsequently mold them into being real doctors and lawyers, etc. 

This is not to say Dr. Dre can’t spend HIS money as he sees fit, I simply find his actions more harmful to the outcomes of African-Americans than Paula Deen’s words.  Dre’s lyrics have consequences that have had a lasting impact on the collective consciousness of millions of young African-Americans and Hispanics and have thus created a culture that finds value in their prison experience, their over sexualized behavior and their out of control drug use. 

Finally, while Paula Deen words may hurt Dre’s actions hurt worse because not only does he call African-American’s the N word, but he also spends his money to make other communities better in the process.

Therefore, no Paula Deen for me and no Beats by Dre for my nephews.

That’s my Truth and I AM sticking to it…

I AM

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

A Change is Coming

The study of gentrification has typically focused on the displacement of existing populations through rising housing cost.  However, based upon which end of the economic paradigm you are on gentrification can now be considered “urban renaissance.”  That withstanding the social profile of most gentrifiers is usually white, middle class to affluent married couples with either no families or very young children (DeSena & Ansalone, 2009).  Although, the social justification is often times the disruption of the concentration of poverty those that are typically impacted are mainly African-American and Latino families (Lipman, 2009). Furthermore, according to Katz (2000) it is this ethnic group that is typically identified with having the least political influence. 

An ecological examination of the communities that are typically targeted for gentrification or this new “urban renaissance” would suggest a lack of infrastructure, high concentrations of poverty and a social pathology that reflects a lack of focus on education as a means of social mobility.  Therefore, it would stand to reason that a process in which a sense of social leveling would be welcomed.  Lipman (2009) classified the ideology of gentrification as one where middle class families would replace significant portions of low-income families thus exposing those that remain behind to better values and an achievement ethic as well as better schools, teachers and resources.   James Ryan (2010) went further in his book Five-Miles Away, A World Apart to suggest that the key to closing the achievement gap lie within the influence of order, rigor and achievement found in the middle class.

Proponents of gentrificaction or “urban renaissance” tout the socially and economically diverse communities and schools that come about as neighborhoods begin to revitalize.  They also tout a more positive attitude toward education and educational outcomes as the middle class influence starts to set in.  Proponents also suggest parents who typically did not have any leverage develop a sense of power to advocate for themselves and their children and subsequently academic achievement becomes the norm.  Finally, as achievement becomes common the preverbal achievement gap disappears within the neighboring schools (Wax, 2011).

Opponents on the other had suggested the idea of mixed income neighborhoods is the catalyst for gentrification, further disenfranchising an already isolated social group. Opponents also suggest that urban minorities who are lucky enough to find themselves in the “rebranded” schools face social isolation based upon their economic status (Wax, 2011).  However, very little attention is paid to the students who are displaced based upon the changing dynamics of the new “neighborhood” school.  Another point opponents of gentrification or “urban renaissance” raise is that urban schools in African-American and Latino neighborhoods represent a complicated social dynamic where community and caring often prevail even in the face of uncaring teachers and inadequate resources (Lipman, 2009).  Thus giving further credence to the African proverb that “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Finally, and the most obvious and least discussed is that gentrification or “urban renaissance” overlooks the history of neglect on core city neighborhoods that created the negative circumstances by which the children of poor and low-income families find themselves in.   Gentrification further highlights the spatial inequality, displacement, hopelessness and racial containment that often beget many of the families and children that live in inner cities throughout the country (Lipman, 2009).  However, for the middle class and affluent benefactor gentrification represents a windfall opportunity not only from a financial standpoint, but it also represents significant educational opportunities for the children of those that have the financial wherewithal.  DeSena and Ansalone (2009) concluded the aforementioned through their informal strategies of negotiating and navigating as well as their political influence have managed to secure urban schools as agents of neighborhood transformation by attracting likeminded residents.  However, very little attention is paid to those that are displaced and where they go from here.

That’s my Truth and I AM sticking to it.

I AM

Dr. Irvin PeDro Cohen

References

DeSena, J.N. & Ansalone, G. (2009).  Gentrification, Schooling and Social Inequality, Educational Research Quarterly, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp 60 – 74.

Katz, B. (2000).  Enough of the Small Stuff Toward a New Urban Agenda, The Brookings Review, Spring, pp 6-11.

Lipman, P. (2009).  The Cultural Politics of Mixed-Income Schools and Housing: A Racialized Discourse of Displacement, Exclusion and Control, Anthropology and Educational Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp 215 – 236.

Wax, A. L. (2011).  Income Integration at School, Policy Review, pp. 49 – 62.