Combat Diplomate #2

As I shared in my initial blog making the statement, “Of all the issues facing the welfare of this generation attempting adulthood, its racism.?I believe today’s youth are the only Americans in a position to address this scourge.”?For this blog, it will be my intention to address why I believe this statement to be an [absolute truth].

First, there is “more than 150 years since the white planter class deputized every white citizen to stop, question, and subdue any black person.?This was done to surveil a population who refused to submit to their enslavement.”?I took these words from June 28, 2020, New York Times magazine, written by Nikole Hannah-Jones.?The reason I chose these words was to create a mindset in which to embrace what I believe it will take to confront America’s form of racism.?Let’s look at the power differential that we must feel, and I mean feel to truly understand the abhorrence of slavery.?

“All white people working for the interest of the slave owners would not be punished for killing a black person, even for the most minor alleged offense.”?Can you feel the power involved, at the same time you must also reach in and feel the fear??STOP, right now how do you feel??If we’re going to do this I need you pissed off.?Anger, of all the emotions, is the easiest to invoke, get there.?Let’s now take that anger and look at what’s also present??When an individual is angry there is a high probability that they are afraid.?This fear comes mostly as a fear of one, losing something or two, fear of being denied something.?Are you now angry and afraid??Here’s the caveat??If an individual has become angry both logic and reason evaporate, it’s a limbic system thing and hard-wired.?That’s why making a decision when angry is not a smart idea.?Now, I ask you, how are we to address institutional racism, to make peace for all the years of black servitude??That’s why I make the statement, “I believe they are the only Americans in a position to address this scourge.”?To define this simply, it would be all youth transitioning from adolescence to adulthood regardless of physical age.

I’m going to cut to the chase and use biology while applying it to the adolescent/young adult mind.?I’ve taken those two types of minds and plugged them into a google search engine.?Here’s what I get, “they have dynamic, open, hungry minds.?They are creative, brave, and curious.?It has to be this way.?The only way to learn many of the skills they will need to be strong, healthy adults will be stretched beyond what they’ve always known and to experiment with the world and their place in it.”?I don’t want to sell anyone a bill of goods but are there any who disagree with my hypothesis of who is best situated for this monumental task, that being the confrontation to American racism??There will be plenty of roles we each must share to bring this into focus but in leadership, I look to our youth.

Let me share with you a fond memory, this was from a four-year period of my life.?The years were 1992 to 1996, I was the Unit Director of the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of America, Paradise Valley.?It took two full years before I trusted my ability to affect youth.?It took two years for the youth to trust me.?To prove to all of them that my words were my bond.?Two years of saying I’ll do something and seeing it through.?Regarding the Boy’s and girl’s Club, members are ages 6 to 18, to include 6 core areas of knowledge (1. The Arts · 2. Character & Leadership Development · 3. Education & Career Development · 4. Health & Life Skills · 5. Sports, Fitness & Recreation · 6. Technology), which are the foundation for the clubs type of learning.?This is put together to enable youth to learn differently than they do in school, in the club we learn by playing, a far more enjoyable way.?Its overall structure co-exists with academics and household rules to create a social component with bridges connecting all the parts together.?

Hence, the bridge builder, which I saw as my role and it was a magnificent role indeed.?I share this because the boys and girls club model can be used to support us in this endeavor of a lifetime, to confront racism.?The clubhouses are already in place throughout America.?The two years of attaining trust are essential for all involved.?For the elder mentors, we must prove to these youth our words are the same as our deeds.?We also must get to know these young leaders for who they are, not what we want them to be.?We don’t have to, neither of us needs to know where we’re going, we just need to meet and greet, all the rest will fall in place.?Consistency is so important in all relationships, it’s how we get to know each other.?

During the blog that will follow it’ll flow from these words: “Have you ever caught a whiff unexpected, a scent that brought to mind intense memories??Or, hear a verse of a favorite song where it gets stuck in your head.”??