Commentaries

Bad boys rise high when good men bend low!!

Dr. Neals J. Chitan

I am totally convinced that the black man is the new endangered specie and that there seem to be a systemic and systematic process that renders him absent from family, civic, professional and religious life. Despite Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of racial equality, respect and opportunity, the dreamer himself met the tragic fate of elimination by the gun fifty-one years ago, a fate which the average black “Joe” faces on any given day.

As we take an objective look around North America with its constant white on black interrogations, attacks and murder, one can conclude that there seem to be a thriving system of growing racism which specifically seeks the elimination of our race. This system does not only recklessly manipulate law enforcement but also influences the clasping of hands by the home and school to mercilessly squeeze the life out of our boys and men.

Outdated and irrelevant learning pedagogies with their male unfriendly approaches quickly drive young black men into a cycle of frustration and failure. School administration teams and staffs that are top-heavy with females while seriously lacking male representation, drive the level of frustration, conflict and defiance in schools even higher, as females struggle to cope with the challenges of teaching, mentoring and disciplining boys.

Local, regional and international school stats reflect a much higher rate of truancy and high school drop-out amongst boys as oppose to their female counterparts. This unaccomplished, dishonorable and frustrated exit from high school by boys can be considered one of the main roots feeding the illegal drug and gang sub-cultures, as they attempt to find what they see as an easier way to earn a living. Of course, this only leads to a life of crime which sets the stage for more record-breaking numbers among males when compared to females in jail.

This downward spiral if not intercepted will not only feed the cycle of crime, violence and recidivism but will also create a fatherless vacuum in the lives of the upcoming generation of men, leaving them predisposed to repeat the same pattern they experienced.

Working in the thirty-five schools across the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis and regularly visiting the homes of so-called “troublemakers” I get to see the impact of this self-fulfilling predicament on the next generation of men. And after serious consideration, I have concluded that what we need are strong successful men-tors who will commit to helping shape the lives and future of our boys. Men who despite their high level of professionalism and accomplishments are caring enough to bend low and put their arms around an at-risk young man to reassure him of his heritage, worth and abilities. Men who are brave enough to be vulnerable and transparent by using their experiences and challenges to inspire and ignite a spark of hope in the mind of a youngster, and I am glad I found them.

On Wednesday, March 13, 2109, I pulled in at the Tyrell Williams Primary School on the western side of St. Kitts in the village of Old Road, to engage Session #6 of our GRADE 6 TRANSITIONING PROGRAM. As I was getting ready to set up my equipment, I was called to an adjourning room by Mr. Stewart Joseph the principal, who asked for my assistance in dealing with a young man who had a reputation as a troublemaker.

This young boy had just been transferred to this school because of behavioral issues and was given a probationary period to remain trouble free. However, here he was again to be dealt with after serving a ten-day suspension. The consequences were clear! Expulsion or being sent to a juvenile centre seemed inevitable. I looked on as Mr. Joseph quietly stared deeply into his eyes, then slowly stepping behind the silent boy, the principal bent down and put his arms around his shoulders in a fatherly embrace. Then very passionately, with tears in his voice, he appealed to the young boy’s heart, “Son, I know it must be hard for you. You seem to be a good boy who can do well. Son I too grew up without a father, it was difficult, and I too got in trouble, but look where I am today! I am your principal! If I can do it so can you. We all have our different issues, but you can make it.”

I stood there fighting back tears as I saw the calmness and reassurance in that boy as he looked into his principal’s eyes and I somehow believed that this act of mercy, love, care and empathy by Mr. Joseph will change that boy forever!

Today, March 25, 2019, at the Washington Archibald High School in Basseterre, I again saw the magic touch of veteran scholar and teacher Mr. Archie Williams as he too bent low to put his arms around the shoulder of what seemed to be a boy who needed some encouragement. Although I wasn’t privy to the conversation, I could tell that Mr. Williams was passionately and lovingly encouraging this young man to attend classes and to do his work so he can avoid the frustration of failure.

After observing the changed demeanor of these young men who had a caring encounter with these stalwart Kittitian educators, I fully realized that despite the systemic and systematic processes that we have inherited or may have created to hurt, negatively profile, incarcerate or even kill our boys, indeed, “Bad boys will rise high when good men bend low.”

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