This child, DeVaughn Davis, is one of 3,450 homeless children attending public school in Detroit.  His mother is out every day looking for a job and some place for them to stay.  But, for now, she gets $480/month on public assistance and is trying to save for a deposit on an apartment.

But, for now, she is forced to try to keep her family together by moving from homeless shelter to homeless shelter every few weeks.  These moves also mean new schools for DeVaughn and his sister, Cherish.

In the state of Michigan, some 20,000 homeless students join their struggle.  Who knows just how many homeless children their are that don’t attend school.  I shudder to think of what their circumstances lead them to do to survive.

In America, we can find money to build “bridges to nowhere” or fight wars with no end but, we it comes to helping out Americans, our concerns wane.  It is my hope that the DeVaughns of this world make it, despite their circumstances but, the fact is, too many won’t.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I’ll go on the record again to say that I don’t think abstinence-only education works.  I actually advocate something that I call “abstinence-preferred” education, meaning that it is okay to tell kids that the safest thing for them is to delay sex but, then to give them the information they need to protect themselves should the urges overtake them.

Now, with a report coming out of Florida, advocates for comprehensive sex education have plenty of ammunition for their arguments.

Florida currently offers abstinence-only education in schools and still has the 6th-highest pregnancy rate in the country.

But, here’s one of the most disturbing concerns about Florida teens.  A recent survey showed that some believed that drinking a capful of bleach could prevent HIV/AIDS and that drinking a Mountain Dew would prevent pregnancy.

This was part of a compelling case that Florida lawmakers used to propose a bill to create a more comprehensive sex education program, one that would still teach that the only certain way to prevent pregnancy and STDs is to abstain but, would also teach about birth control and disease prevention.

I hope that this passes because ignorance could literally cost kids their lives.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Time for real talk.

As the debate on whether or not abstinence-only education works wears on (here’s a hint — it doesn’t), we allow too many of our teenagers, particularly teen girls, to be put at risk.

The Center for Disease Control has issued a report and the results are alarming — as many as 1 in 4 teenage girls in the U.S. have a sexually-transmitted disease.

Even more alarming is how this breaks down along racial lines — as many as 48% of African American teenage girls vs. as many as 20% of white teenage girls have an STD.

I think, sometimes, we don’t think about what having an STD can really mean so, I found this part of the article particularly illuminating:

HPV and chlamydia are the most common STDs found among teenage girls, (Dr. Sara) Forhan said. “Almost one in five overall had a strain of HPV associated with cervical cancer or genital warts,” she said.

“We need to be screening adolescent girls who are sexually active and providing them with HPV vaccine,” (Dr. Elizabeth) Alderman said. “The recommendations are to screen sexually active girls, but many girls don’t disclose to their health-care provider that they are sexually active, even when asked,” she said.

As for chlamydia, 4 percent of teenaged girls had this STD, Forhan said. “The majority of chlamydia infections do not have symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which leaves these young women at risk for atopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain or infertility,” she said.

In addition, the study found that 2.9 percent of young women had trichomoniasis, and 2 percent were infected with genital herpes, Forhan said.

So, this is no small matter. Let’s get real with our kids because so much of their futures depend on it.

Popularity: 16% [?]

One thing that the Bush era brought us was a big push for government-funded abstinence-only education. Ironically enough, what we also saw was a rise in teen pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases. You see, some kids, not wanting to be caught buying condoms (or just not knowing how to use them properly), still wanted to have sex, resulting in pregnancy. Even worse, some kids were left to believe that oral and anal sex were real sex so, they engaged in these activities and contracted venereal diseases.

Now that the numbers are more clear on this, a lot of states are waking up and either opting out of the funding or saying they’ll take the money but teach abstinence as a part a more comprehensive sex education program. They see the numbers and it’s clear — teaching abstinence only and kids abstaining do not appear to go hand-in-hand.

But, guess what — when kids are given more information, not less, they tend to delay engaging in sexual intercourse. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which tracked these statistics, helped kids under the age of 15 make much better decisions regarding sex:

Earlier last month, a study lead by Douglas Kirby of the ETR Associates revealed that two thirds of 48 comprehensive sex education programs have had a good impact on teenagers. They delayed the initiation of sex, reduced its frequency and the number of sexual partners.

“Two-thirds of the 48 comprehensive programs that supported both abstinence and the use of condoms and contraceptives for sexually active teens had positive behavior effect,” said the report.

On the other hand, other studies made in November as well, have said that these abstinence programs have little effect on the teenage sexual behavior, because, as the report discovered, 47 percent of high school students have engaged in sex at least once and 63 percent have said that they have sex during the spring semester of their senior year.

This time, researchers found that teenage boys who had sex education in school were 71 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15 and girls who had formal sex education were 59 percent less likely to have sex before the age 15. The researchers also discovered that sex education reduced by 91 percent the risk that African-American females in school would have sex before age 15.

Like I tell people when asked about my opinions on sexual education — I plan on telling my son everything I can in an age-appropriate way. I plan on telling him what my mother told me –my preference is that he abstain but, if he gives in to temptation, I want him to make sure that he uses protection because pregnancy and disease are real possibilities. I plan on doing so because I love my son so much that I am willing to be real with him on the issue of sex.

Popularity: 34% [?]

This is far from scientific but, it is a disturbing sign of the times.

Recently, at the Steelyard Commons shopping center in Cleveland, Ohio, some 6,000 people applied for 300 positions at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Now, we are not talking executive position or highly-skilled roles. We are talking about low-paying retail jobs.

This pales in comparison two what happened at two Illinois Wal-Mart stores even smaller than the one in Cleveland. There, they had 25,000 and 15,000 applicants, respectively.

Experts say that this is “an indication not only of a less-than-stellar economy but also of a workforce short on marketable skills.”

So, what we may be seeing is an indication of what happens as the gap between rich and poor increases. Sadly, this is not the stuff of political stump speeches so, we’d better not wait for a candidate to address these concerns. For our families’ sakes, we need to speak on it, now.

Popularity: 34% [?]

I like stories like this. Here we have a young pilot looking to leave his mark on history. 23-year-old aerospace student Barrington Irving took off last Friday in hopes of becoming both the youngest person and the first black person to ever fly solo around the world.

He gets my respect for just getting to this point. Irving’s project came at a cost of $1,000,000, including $300,000 in donated parts he used to build his plane. Though $20,000 short of his goal, Irving is stepping out on faith and has embarked on his journey.

So, hopefully, on April 30th, Irving will return home as the owner of two new aviation records.

Popularity: 71% [?]

We all want our children to stay out of legal trouble. We all want our children to avoid being in “the system”. However, for some of us, that is not a reality. But, even when it does happen, shouldn’t we expect the law to apply evenly, regardless of color?

To those who view the world like me, this may be naive. To others, the assumption is made that all treatment is equal and Black/Latino kids just commit more crime, thus resulting in more of them being locked up. However, if one looks at the numbers, the bias becomes apparent.

National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) has issued a report that points out some stark contrasts in treatment that Black/Latino versus their white counterparts, in regards to the criminal justice system.

Among the finding from the NCCD report:

• African-American youths are 4.5 times more likely, and Latinos 2.3 times more likely, than white youths to be detained for identical offenses.

• About half of white teenagers arrested on a drug charge go home without being formally charged and drawn into the system. Only a quarter of black teens arrested on drug charges catch a similar break.

• When charges are filed, white youths are more likely to be placed on probation while black youth are more likely to get locked up.

Unequal treatment didn’t stop upon entry into the juvenile justice system. NCCD researchers found that African-American youths are more likely than whites to be charged, tried, and incarcerated as adults. African Americans comprise 58 percent of youths charged and convicted as adults and sent to adult prisons.

Perhaps Lady Justice does wear a blindfold but, when it comes to Black & Latino youth, she’s peeking out of it on a pretty regular basis.

Popularity: 22% [?]

I remember reading the story of Genarlow Wilson a while back. A 17-year-old high school student at the time of his “crime”, Genarlow was convicted of aggravated child molestation for consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl.

This case is eerily reminiscent of the case of Marcus Dixon, a black, 18-year-old high school senior who had consensual sex with a 15-year-old classmate. He spent a year in jail before his conviction was overturned. Like Genarlow Wilson, both of their “crimes” occurred in the state of Georgia.

This has resulted in a 10-year mandatory prison sentence for Genarlow, which he has been serving since February 2005. Upon his release, he will have to register as a sex offender. There are a couple of legal ironies with the case. The first is that, under Georgia law, the penalty for oral sex is greater than the penalty for sexual contact involving penetration. If he had had sex involving penetration, instead, it would have been a misdemeanor with a maximum of one year in jail.
The second irony is that the law that convicted him is now off the books and a more sane law, called the “Romeo and Juliet” law, is in effect to deal with consensual sexual contact between teenagers. Sadly, this is too late to help Genarlow.

Even more sad is that the Supreme Court of Georgia has refused to reconsider this case. Therefore, barring a U.S. Supreme Court decision in his favor or a pardon, Genarlow Wilson would be looking at another 8 years in prison.

To say Georgia law is screwed up is an understatement. But, to say that it is applied evenly would be naive. I refuse to believe that if Genarlow Wilson where white, it would have been considered anything more than a boy “sowing his wild oats.” But, Genarlow does not benefit from skin privilege so, conveniently, the law applies to him.

Popularity: 32% [?]

“If you can’t find a guilty black person, any black will do.” Was that on the minds of an Oak Park, Illinois resident and the editors at the Wednesday Journal, a weekly newspaper in the city?

I have to ask because, in response to a recent series the paper wrote on the achievment gaps between black and white students there, one letter to the editor has sparked a huge controversy and shows just how stupid some people can be when relying on stereotypes to shape their opinions of people.

Check this out:

The letter to the editor was accompanied by a photograph that had run on at least three previous occasions in the paper. The letter was in response to a commentary that had run in the Journal about the academic achievement gap between white and black students.

The letter, credited to an Oak Park resident, stated that young black men were not achieving academically because of gangs in school. The photo was of a march by student proponents of installing lights in the football stadium. Three African-American males were shown in the photo, and one of them, a football player wearing his jersey, was pointing toward a “Light the Stadium” sign. The letter writer said that the student was flashing a gang sign.

The letter writer asked rhetorically whether lights at the stadium “will likely bring this player’s fellow gang members or rivals to their neighborhood?”

Students and faculty at the school said the student, a junior, did not flash a gang sign or belong to a gang. District 200 Supt. Susan Bridge said the young man gets good grades, has a superb attendance record and a spotless discipline record. School officials say there is no gang problem at the school.

For its part, the paper is now apologizing for the letter and has pulled it from its web site and is placing a front-page apology in its next edition.

The school where the misidentified gang member a.k.a. good student who has no disciplinary issues held a rally in support of the classmate who was subject to the vicious lie.

It’s still true. Too often, Black people are born suspects.

Popularity: 23% [?]

I read something today that hit home for me. I am the father of a young black boy. I look at him and see in him my hopes, dreams and aspirations for a better tomorrow. I want him to have a long, happy and fulfilled life and, even though I expect adversity for him, I want him to have as little as possible.

But, I also realize that he is a black boy. Right now, everybody goes on about how handsome he is (that’s not him in the picture, though) and how intelligent and alert he is. However, I know that, one day, he’ll be much larger and some will begin to look at him differently. They may not see his intellect or potential. Instead, they may see in him their own irrational fear of black men.

So, I sympathize with the mother who ponders, “But if I warn him to watch out for the police and white women, am I racist?”

As a teenager in the 80’s, I personally dealt with harassment at the hands of police who felt emboldened to say/do anything to us because we didn’t have the money or familial connections that cause police to think twice before doing so.

I also remember friends dealing with issues with the racist white parents of the girls they were dating. I even remember one schoolmate who got in trouble because the white girl he was dating (we all knew they were seeing each other) yelled “rape” when the two were caught getting it on in a bathroom in school (the truth later came out but, he was kicked out of school for a while).

Before you say “but, it was the 80’s”, I have a brother 9 years my junior and he went through the same thing in the 90’s. He’s now a 6′ 7″ black man so, you can only imagine the fear some feel of him. Hell, I’m only 6 feet tall and some operate with the same fear of me.

I say all of this to say that I know that these are real challenges for black boys. Read More… »

Popularity: 29% [?]