Midterm Essay

                Among the many obstacles that we have discussed as issues affecting the Black community, it is the plight of Black men in this country that astounds me the most.  Young Black men in America have higher dropout rates, higher imprisonment rates, higher unemployment rates, and are less likely than young Black girls to even pursue higher education.  In an article dissecting the situation of Black men in this country, Erick Eckholm writes that, “focusing more closely than ever on the life patterns of young black men, the new studies, by experts at [various collegiate institutions] show that the huge pool of poorly educated black men are becoming ever more disconnected from the mainstream society, and to a far greater degree than comparable white or Hispanic men” (Eckholm 2006: 1).  The factors affecting young Black men are issues not just for them as individuals, but for that of the entire Black community because it is the success of these young men that ultimately affect the success of the Black family in the future.  Drawing upon the Systems Ecological Framework and Afrocentric Theory, I examine the ways in which young Black men can experience positive changes and greater expected life outcomes.  I make an appeal to the Black community as well as to elected officials and policy makers to work toward affecting changes for Black men both now and in the future. 

                The Systems Ecological Framework is a broad social work theory that is useful in assessing the impact of a person’s environment and the various influences within an environment.  Consisting of various levels, such as the individual; the microsystem that includes influential factors that affect an individual; the mesosystem, or the interactions between various microsystems that interact or affect the individual; the exosystem or area’s that affect them in which they do not actively participate, such as their parent’s workplace; and lastly the macrosystem, which looks at the various factors in the larger society that affect the individual.  In this theory, we are presented with many levels on which change can be implemented and ultimately affect the Black male. 

                The first level is that of the individual, which includes individual functioning, capacities, worldview, motivation etc.  For young African American men there are various elements within their environment that are beyond their control, one of these such factors include growing up in environments in which the sense of family is skewed or non-existent.  In his article on the Black family, John Hope Franklin writes that “until the 1960s, a remarkable 75% of black families included both husband and wife”…but that since then “rapid urbanization, and especially ghettoization, has had a devastating impact on many Black families” (Franklin 6).  Because of this, many young Black men grow up in environments in which positive Black male role models or mentors are few and far between.  This may ultimately lead to low actualizations of self, due to a low understanding of one’s history, including importance of the Black male within the family.  This individual level for Black males can best be understood using the African Centered Behavioral Change Model.  According to this model individuals live in low or high Maafa environments, which measures the level of distress.  This model emphasizes the importance of a high authenticity or Afrocentricity.  Those in especially high Maafa environments with low authenticity may be in a sense culturally lost and engage in maladaptive behavior, while those with high authenticity in high Maafa environments may simply adapt to fit in with the expectations of the community.  It will take the various microsystems in young Black males’ mesosytems to positively influence young Black men in the right direction.  The video we watched in class about the Urban Prep Academy in Chicago exemplifies the level of greatness that young Black men could reach if just provided with the right support and placed in a heavily afrocentric environment that is truly pushing for the success of the Black man. 

In this sense, we see the importance of the community, being well versed in Afrocentric principles.  The objective of the Afrocentric Theory is to “promote alternative social science, dispel negative assertions of ‘others,’ and a worldview that promotes human and societal transformation through spiritual, moral, and humanistic ends.”  According to Karenga the Afrocentric Theory heavily emphasizes “establish[ing] high standards, commitments, that would tend to enhance our human possibilities as a person, family, and as a people” (Karenga 88).  Urban Prep is a perfect example of the Black community addressing the educational needs of African American boys.  Many of these young men felt that they had no hope for the future or to even attend college, better yet graduate high school.  The support of this school highly emphasizes Afrocentric values.  Of the Nguzu Saba principles, this solution offers a way to promote unity, collective work and responsibility, and purpose that works toward helping to solve each other’s problems and not just leaving them to themselves.

        One of the greatest factors affecting the Black male is the high rates at which they are convicted and imprisoned.  This greatly affects the Black family and works to ensure that the cycle continues.  According to Eckholm, “by their mid 30s, 30% of Black men with no more than a high school education have served time in prison, and 60% of dropouts have” (Eckholm 2006:4). For many of our African American brothers, part of the problem is being denied resources and assistance due to a criminal history of felony convictions.  Americans who have been convicted of a drug related felony in a sense become second rate citizens, with a large number of African American males accounting for those convictions.  Even after they have paid their debt to America, they are ineligible for welfare assistance, are denied Federal education benefits, and no longer have the right to vote. In his article on the impact of welfare reform for the Black family, Robert Hill brings up a fact that many Black men are affected by a lack of resources or welfare assistance in pursuing upward mobility, such as vocational skills and higher education.  These factors leave Black men ill equipped to bring about any changes on their own behalf.  In addition Black men have the highest unemployment rates in the country and have several negative stereotypes to overcome that portray them as violent, lazy, and irresponsible.  In order for the Black man to overcome these obstacles that are stacked against him, something must be done on his behalf.  There must be a change in the laws and policies that deny convicted felons the right to federal welfare and education assistance, as well as the right to vote.  While I understand that these changes in laws would affect more than just Black men, overall the Black man and the Black population would benefit greatly from such changes.  Black men would also benefit from the creation of a welfare program that helps convicted felons reinstate his voting rights, and temporarily assists Black men who would like to attend institutions of learning.  In addition society must learn to address and challenge the negative stereotypes that exist about Black men in America. 

Lastly, in order to greatly enhance the effects of an Afrocentric value with the community, there also needs to be great changes made as far as within society’s views of African Americans, especially African American males.  This would cause for a great change at the macrosystem level.  The Black man has long had to contend with the idea of the Black man as the “Brute Negro (Ethnic Notions).”  Throughout history we see the savagery of Black men depicted and the means that have been inflicted in order to retain control over the Black man, and Blacks in general.  Since before the start of this great nation, the idea of the Black person as inferior has existed, and continues to be perpetuated in society today.  If Black men are to truly be able to overcome the roadblocks that stand before them, there must be changes in societal attitudes about Black men.  This could prove a major area of challenge, as people must confront within themselves the negative ideologies they hold.  Some may say that society has become more accepting and that racism is no longer an issue for African Americans and other people of color.  They must become more aware of the racism that has become covert and institutionalized in America’s society, which is evident particularly in the criminal justice system and the rate at which Black men are being propelled into the prison system.  One must begin to look at the similarities between enslaving the Black man in chains and through enslaving the Black man in the chains of society’s idea of him.  One must begin to realize that ensuring that Blacks are convicted at higher rates than whites, that they are denied access to higher education through an inability to afford it, and that the Black vote is dramatically reduced by the number of people ineligible to vote due to felony convictions, is just a form of modern day Jim Crow laws that were enacted to keep Black people at the bottom of society.  One must decide to end this oppression that afflicts the Black male in order for them to make a positive impact on society.  In an article written by Paul Offner, he writes in regards to Black men and women that according to sociologist Robert Staples, “unless unforeseen social forces reverse current trends…the future is likely to bring one of the first cases in history where women have achieved superiority over men in the vital areas of education, occupation, and income” (“What’s Love Got to Do With It” 2002:18).  I feel that it is imperative that someone intervenes in enabling the Black male to make viable contributions to society.
Ultimately we see that there are many factors that affect the black male at individual, microsystem, exosystem, and the macrosystem level.  In order to have a more positive emphasis on the black male, it will take the black community instilling Afrocentric principles in our young men such as those that emphasize self determination, collective work and responsibility, and purpose.  Implementing these and other Nguzu Saba principles, will create environments in which young men can begin having a high authenticity and obtain higher levels of success, whether in low or high Maafa environments.  For those Black men who have already been greatly affected by the system (welfare, criminal justice, etc), implementing changes at the macro level will enable more Black men to rise out of their socioeconomic status and gain access to a more promising future.