Working With Black BoysWhy they are targeted for discipline

Macheo Payne

Lincoln Child Center

August 2010

IntroductionsWhere are you from?

• Name, zodiac sign (optional), talent

• What can you offer to this topic?

• In what capacity do you work with Black boys?

• How do you work with Black boys?

Training Goals

• Frame the context in which Black boys are served in various context.

• Develop a shared understanding of what impacts our work with Black boys

• Build critical questions that can inform our continued work with Black boys

Visioning Activity

• Close your eyes, visualize a Black male student you have worked with that made an impact on you.

• Think about why they impacted you, positively or negatively

• Think about how you responded to this student

Paired Share

1. Talk about your student and share your reflections:

1. Who this student was

2. Why they impacted you

3. How you responded (what was the impact)

How Are They Targeted?The endangered species

Safety Health Education

Homicide

Prison

Environmental hazards

Profiling

Disease

Illness

Low quality of life

Discrimination is psychological warfare

Suspension/

Expulsion

Drop out

Low graduation

Special Ed/ ADHD

Remedial/ Tracking

Risk vs. Protective Factors

• Risk Factors• Environment (liquor store)

• SES (income, class, social status)

• Race (“old and black”)

• Poverty

• Community violence

• Trauma

• Neglect

• Poor schools

• Lack of nutrition

• Broken family structure

• Protective Factors• Supportive relationships

• Positive engagement

• Skills

• Education

• Access to resources

• Internal motivation, drive, determination, talent

• Resilience

Who Is The Oppressor?Oppression as the overt domination and exploitation of people, institutions and thought.

Everyone is an oppressor or sub-oppressorIf you passively or actively benefit from the oppression or exploitation of someone else, you are an oppressor

• Primary Oppressors

• People (interpersonal oppression)– Act of bigotry– “ism’s”

• Institutions (institutional oppression)– Police brutality– “ism’s”

• Ways of thinking (ideological oppression)– White supremacy (white privilege) – Any thoughts of superiority over others

• Overt domination and exploitation of people, resources, and thought

• Secondary Oppressors or sub-oppressors

• Internalized oppression– Black on black crime

– Negative self image

– Inability to name source of oppression

– Inability to identify the existence of being oppressed

– Acceptance of negative stereotypes and labels into self concept

– Inability to actively resist oppression

What Oppression Looks LikeHow are Black boys targeted

• Negative presupposition

• Escalation

• Ultimatums

• Leverage power and authority

• Threats of consequences

• Deny they a ‘choice or a voice’

• Forget they are children

• Refuse to apologize

• Treat them like adults

• Intimidate them

• Fail to hold them accountable

• Black boys are limited culturally, in what they can express and how they can express it

• Care, concern, fear, hurt, sadness, shame, embarrassment,

• Most of our students are acutely aware of their positioning in society.

Strength-Based"Men are whipped oftenist who are whipped easiest."

• “The strength of someone who has endured the greatest hardship is best equipped for creating great social change.”

• Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery. A ‘foster’ child, dropped off at 6 by his grandmother who disappeared.

• At 16, he fought back, struggling for 2 hours.

• Douglass escaped slavery and rose to become an advisor to President Lincoln during civil war.

Strength-BasedAll behavior reflects a strength or a hidden strength

• Name some of the hidden strengths that Black boys exhibit:– Flashy < Creative & expressive– Persistent < Resilient– Bold < Courageous– Outspoken < Honest & transparent– Moody < Passionate & compassionate

How Can You ImproveIf you’re already perfect, you can float up to Heaven, otherwise, roll up your sleeves

1. What do you do well with Black boys?

2. Where can you improve?

3. How can you strengthen your work with Black boys?

Internalized ImpressionHow we oppression based on our impressions

• Internalized impressions of Black males in the media and broader society do impact and contribute to your impression and assumptions about the Black boys you work with.

• Write down as many Black men in the media, larger culture, world, that you can think of.

Internalized Impression

Put a – or a + by each name and tally up the results.

Empathy ActivityYou should not present yourself to students everyday unless you can do the following.

Imagine the following:

1. Your teacher being afraid of you and as a result unable to comfort you appropriately

2. Never feeling safe when you see the police even when they are there to “help”

3. Any enthusiasm that you express being interpreted as aggressive or even violent

4. Passion or excitement that you express being cast as sexually deviant

5. People not getting on the elevator with you or getting off as soon as you get on

6. People treat you as if you are going to steal something

7. Not being allowed to be angry without being viewed as dangerous

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Questions?

• Thank You for your participation!