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Leading in the Struggle to Serve
%
of Black kids
in special education are boys
%
Boys of color
represent 58%
of school suspensions
%
of all homicide
victims are boys of color
We Can Save Our Boys of Color
By Dr. Malik Muhammad
Boys of color continue to be at risk, and we are responsible for doing everything in our power to save their lives. Thankfully, some schools and activists are working tirelessly to turn the tide. Dr. Muhammad's latest book is a comprehensive guide that outlines three of six practices and strategies that can help save the very lives of our boys of color. We must understand the severity of this issue and take action before it's too late. We owe it to our boys to provide them with a safe and secure future where they can grow and thrive without fear of violence or discrimination, a future where equity includes caring for our boys of color.
We Can Save Our Boys of Color
The Role of Schools in the Plight of our Boys of Color
We need a comprehensive solution for our boys of color
The 6 Practices to Save Our Boys of Color
We Can Save Our Boys of Color excerpts...
We often find well-intentioned practitioners encouraging Black and Latino boys as young as ten to “man up” and “start taking on responsibility.” This encouragement is admirable at times, but it is also damaging.
In the face of overwhelming odds and a brutal system that will ‘take your body’ according to Ta-Nehisi Coates, the notion is that we don’t have time to waste in giving the message to our boys to mature even before they are biologically and psychologically ready. The critical flaw in this strategy is that we lean heavily towards the punitive approach as we attempt to temper the spirits of our boys into this patriarchal and stereotypical steel.
Chapter 2, A Complex Problem Needs a Comprehensive Solution
Being emotionally vulnerable and appropriate models this for our boys of color and communicates that they are worthy of your attention, care, and concern.
You demonstrate, better than anything else, that you have a connection and relationship.... we develop and build these connections even more by reaching out to them first, being human with them first, and being vulnerable with them first. This means we have to shoot down all idiotic advice like “don’t smile until January” because this doesn’t lead to authentic connection.
Chapter 4, Relationships & Repairing Harm: Restorative Practices
For our boys of color, it is more than just an unwillingness to be vulnerable. When faced with often real and perceived negative environments, not only do you not openly share vulnerabilities, but you actively conceal your challenges, weaknesses, and struggles.
Chapter 5, Healing Emotional Pain: Mental Health Supports
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