Men Give Boys a Lift in Life
 

Men give boys a lift in life


By BARRY SAUNDERS, Staff Writer

Only one thing kept me out of college: high school.
That's a funny line from an old vaudeville routine,
but there's nothing funny about the thousands of young
black boys for whom it rings tragically true. Not only
does their high school performance keep them out of
college, it also knocks the bottom out of any
aspirations they have for a better life. It limits the
kinds of jobs they can get, the kind of money they can
make and the kinds of husbands and fathers they can
become.
To paraphrase my favorite philosopher, Fred G.
Sanford, the odds of success for a black boy without a
high school diploma are "lower than the price of
chitlins in 1929."

So why isn't the current dropout rate among black boys
-- in some places it's as high as 50 percent -- a
national scandal?

After speaking to a group of educators at N.C. Central
University last week, I was approached by a teacher
whose frustration was etched in her face. She told me
of teaching a class of 8- and 9-year-old black boys
who have already decided they're going to be
professional football or basketball players and thus
see no reason to turn in homework.

By the time they realize they're not going to be the
next LeBron James or Donovan McNabb, they're so far
behind academically that they drop out. That, no
doubt, is why by some estimates half of all black boys
who entered ninth grade in North Carolina schools this
year won't graduate.

Decades hence, when future generations read that,
they'll shake their heads and ask, "Where the hell
were the black males who did graduate, and what were
they doing?"

The answer is, "Not enough."

Ken Martin, Tony Jeffreys, Owens Franklin and the
local chapter of the national organization 100 Black
Men of America are trying to make sure that not all of
us, when weighed in the balance, are found wanting.
They are working to change not only the way we're
going to be viewed by future generations but also the
lives of young black boys in the Triangle.

Martin, Franklin and Jeffreys are trying to teach
young black boys the finer points of being a man. They
are taking 200 boys to the CIAA championship football
game Saturday at N.C. Central University -- not just
to see the action on the field but also to introduce
them to a college environment.

They work with high school students on schoolwork,
social responsibility, even etiquette, Martin said.
"Our main focus is on tutoring and one-on-one
mentoring, but [etiquette] is a major component. We
try to talk to them about behavioral stuff, how to tie
a tie, dress properly for an event, how to address
their elders."

Martin said most of the boys are eager for such
lessons. "Helping Hands of Wake County works with them
through middle school, so by the time we get them,
they're already attuned to the mentoring concept," he
said.

Sadly, though, "100 Black Men" is merely the name of
the local chapter. "We only have about 35 men right
now," Franklin told me Thursday. "We have far more
boys who need mentoring than mentors."

If you're a black man and think you'd like to help --
and you'd better -- call Jeffreys, the chapter
president, at 368-6397.

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