Pro Doesn't Have to Mean Anti

Teaching our youth that the white man is responsible for all of their problems is the same as naziheads teaching their youth that all their problems come from Black people. Our marginalized sons, esp and their marginalized sons are hungry for fathers, big brothers and answers, so it's very easy for us to lure them into our personal agendas while in the end leaving them disillusioned and stuck in anger mode. As elders, it's important to remind them of accountability, personal responsibility, reflecting on the self, owning up to their poor choices and refusal to look at how they themselves add to their own demise. Yes, Euro-Americans and anyone with similar skin traits benefit from racism. Yes, the system is set to fail Black children. And yes, we have a President that looks like them but is too afraid to represent them for fear of losing conservative votes. And yes too, the white man exploited the beef between Elijah Muhammad and Malcom X. But who pulled the trigger?...

Pause/Reflect...Now, What?...

Teacher, don't just ask for an essay on the I Have a Dream speech. Think beyond formula. Ask us where we think the dream is now; if our education changed much since the 1950s, if we have jobs, and if police crime watch towers are in all neighborhoods or just in ours.

Our Sons in Art Form...

Later this summer I'm giving 12 local artists and photo-storytellers a chance to display their artwork with the general population. The theme will be around my book on young, marginalized males; their everyday struggles and how they overcome. Below are some samples of what we hope will both inform and inspire--





























Cecil Bernard


Jay Doune


Steve Williams


Ije Akpoke


Jimbe


Chris Carter


Ocean Morisset


Paven Carter


Terry Beverly





































































































Stay tuned...

Why Your Kid Doesn't Like to Write...

Teacher spends more time on correcting spelling
than on what he has to say;

She was taught early on that good writing means
having someone else's voice;

He doesn't want to get picked on
for being different;

If she stays still
she's forced to reflect on her actions;

He won't ask for help
cos he doesn't know what help looks like.

The Andrew Glover Youth Program

I recently had another opportunity to not only sell my books, but also talk to a group of teens who avoided incarceration by entering an alternative program for youth offenders. The Andrew Glover program is one of those jewels in our community that work to keep as many youngsters as they can from entering the prison system. I was honored to be asked to speak to their current clients and grateful for the respect the youth gave me. It was a reminder to myself of why I chose a career in helping young people reach their potential in and out of the classroom. It began as a chance visit on campus by one of their staff. She read my book and within days contacted me about purchasing copies for the Program, then invited me as their guest speaker for an event celebrating the completion of required time and work. I was especially honored by the fact that the Program's director, Angel Rodriguez gave the okay for all this to happen. I'm looking forward to more collaborations with these good folk, as well as other forward thinkers who are dedicated to the saving of our sons and daughters.

Pause, Reflect and Eject: A Note to Parents

My understanding is that we’re here to bring forth a well-adjusted young man; to bring the spark back in his eyes. The same spark he lost some time around junior high school, and maybe even before that, when the world went from amusement park to war zone. Let’s not ask what they don’t hear. Young people hate stupid questions— What’s wrong with you? Why do you stay out late? Who are you hanging around? Did you do your homework? Try, instead, Are you happy? Are you happy living here? What is it like to be you? How can school become more fulfilling for you? What am I not getting? So let’s put the punitive approach aside and find alternative ways of relating to our handsome young man, without all the judging and usual chastising, but to allow him to process and relate back in his own way. Let’s press PAUSE, REFLECT and EJECT old ways of parenting and teaching, since he’s not responding to traditional formula. Pause to notice what isn’t working. Reflect on how it felt when you were his age and add to that his indifference, disillusionment and functional depression. Eject your assumptions about him and start from here.

K Workshops

Besides writing books for and about hard to reach populations, I also teach language arts and urban psychology, and do workshops on topics ranging from general life skills to alternative education. For those interested in having me come speak to their students and participants, the following is a list of workshops I've either done or are on-going--


Message to a Youngblood - Reaching and Understanding Our Sons
Before You Fly Off - Lessons and Advice for Our Teen Daughters
English Can Be Fun -- Helping Students Fight Their Fear of Writing
Educating Urban Youth - When the Curicculum Doesn't Fit
Counseling the African American Male - The Audacity of Not Judging
Trouble Girls - Working With Female Teen Bullies
Single Parenting - Parent Stress/Peer Pressure
The Marginalized Student - From Identifying to Celebrating
Am I in the Right Major? - Learning and Developing College Skills
Prison Bizness - Why Are So Many Black Men in Jail?
Teaching the Young, Gifted and Incarcerated
You Talkin' to Me? - The 411 on Conflict Resolution
Gay Youth - Counseling Them, Counseling Us
Beyond the Bling - Black Male Self-Awareness
Black Masculinities - Hyper-Masculinity in the Black Community
Love and Happiness - Developing a Relationship With Yourself First!
Creating Your Job and Finding True Purpose
Learning How to Better Manage Your Time
Wholistic Wellness - Creating a Positive Environment For Success
Writing the Autobiography - Leaving Your Written Legacy
The University Male Center - Challenges, Tools, and Leadership
The New Academic Advisor - A Different, More Wholistic Approach
Despierta! - How Culture Can Affect Academic Performance
Toxic People - The Art of Recognizing and Avoiding
Doing It Your Way - How to Self-Publish Your Book
Doing It Another Way - How to Create, Market and Sell Your T-Shirts
No Rage, No Guilt - The Difficult Process of Addressing Race-ism

K Books
Message to a Youngblood - A Conversation with Our Sons
Before You Fly Off - A Father Offers Advice to His Teenage Daughter
Before You Fly Off - Volume Two (Released July, 2009)
The Dredlocks Tree - Prose and Poetry
Throw - Photos and Words (tba)

Recent Essays
From Ground Zero With Love
50 Means Reset
The Color Complex
One Drop of Blood
How the Haitian Government System Works or, The Waiting Game
Dear Oprah
If I Interviewed Obama...
The Writing Process: On Writing For and About Young Black Males
When Doves Cry - The 2010 Haiti Earthquake
Dancehall Music is Not Reggae
When Dumb Wasn't Cool
Bang, Bang. I'm Dead!
Youth Participation in Neighborhood and Community Settings
Letter to My Prez - Wyclef Jean for President
The Other Writing Process
How'You Like Her Now?-- The Makings of An Irish Rasta

Interviews
Naj
If Life is a Dance, Where's the Music?
Akasan: Rap and Hip Hop in the Haitian American Community
Generation Entitlement: Where We Went Wrong With Our Youth
What Are You Doing Here? - A Conversation With a Former Inmate




My current project is on the overall development of young urban American Black males; how parents can better relate to their troubled sons; their education and spiritual wellness; social identity concerns; hyper-masculinity and buffoonery; and how we can help them define and discover their purpose.




"Most books about us are about teaching us how to fit in.
Your book helps us understand our rage and learn how to be ourselves in a world that has a problem with that."‎--22yrld Tariq









For more info on workshops and book orders, feel free to contact me at Lifejak@aol.com

Thank you again for your kind support!