Conversations in Black by Ed Gordon

Author:Ed Gordon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 2020-01-13T16:00:00+00:00

HOW DO WE HELP STRUGGLING BLACK MEN AND BOYS?

CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: We got a lot of trauma and a lot of pain and hurt that we don’t deal with. When we don’t deal with it, it manifests itself in other ways, and we end up redistributing that pain, and that’s how you get the violence. That’s how you get the anger. That’s how you get the shootings, the stabbings. You mad at me because I bumped you in the club? You mad at me because I stepped on your sneaker? You mad at me just because I came through in a fly car, and your girl said hi to me? Your ego is that fragile? No, not only is your ego fragile, it’s because you’ve got so much pain and so much hurt that you’re willing to do something bad to someone just because they’re not living the life that you live.

JAMES CRAIG: Unfortunately, young African Americans in these urban centers are quick to go to a gun and use that type of violence to settle a dispute. That part of it is the evidence of mental illness or PTSD among some of these young people who have been left untreated. We really need to put significant focus on treating not just our children but the adults.

Anybody who is managing a jail will tell you a lot of the people of color are suffering from some sort of mental illness and they’re not being treated.

KILLER MIKE: Part of the violence comes from our boys having been mistreated, misused and abused, given power or authority when they should not have them, and wanting some type of paternal friendships, and they don’t have them. If you want someone to throw a ball with you and you don’t play football, basketball, or baseball, where are you getting that from? That’s when they turn to street violence and gangs.

JITU BROWN: Young people don’t grow up wanting to kill people or wanting to be killed. Every shooter was once in third grade. Every shooter had this time when he was an innocent little boy and anything was possible. What was their experience? Well, a lot is clear that they’ve grown up through massive school closings. They’ve grown up through zero-tolerance policies in schools. Being pushed out of school. All of this stuff is relevant.

CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD: You know how many potential Black architects and doctors and lawyers and engineers we lost because they were doing things in the streets? They heard these guys [in the streets] talk, and they actually wanted to be like these guys? That’s why you have so many of these street guys who turned rappers. When they look around in their community, the people that are getting the money, the people that are getting the girls, that are driving the big cars, wearing the fly clothes and jewelry are probably the drug dealers and then those drug dealers turned into rappers. And some of those rappers weren’t even selling drugs, but

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.