The [Black] Kids Aren’t Alright : Honoring Black Youth Trauma & Resilience
While recently discussing cultural incompetence in response to Black youth suicides in Cincinnati, a fellow activist sent me an unrelated yet chilling op ed. The piece, authored by a respected elder, tasked the Black community to address "interracial homicides" in the same manner that the Black Lives Matter movement has tackled state violence. This superficial yet passionate essay spoke specifically to the need for "us" to reinforce values and discipline upon our [Black] youth, to restore order in "our" communities. I was generally unamused by his appeal, however I audibly chuckled when I read the author's byline. He was the esteemed past chair of a teen mentoring group, which I assume has positively impacted Black youth. While some would insist that his credentials authenticate his tone deaf message, I found it to be proof of indifference to the daily struggles of being young and Black in America. Perhaps it was because his soliloquy read like yet another condemnation of children whose love seems to only come in doses of tough. Begging the question, why do we expect Black children to practice empathy in a society that prescribes them everything but?
Op ed aside, across this nation young Black people are tasked with the assignment of mitigating the affects of trauma, while enduring economic insecurity, substandard schooling, with little hopes of social and economic mobility. In the event these youth are "privileged" enough to escape the geographical realms of poverty, they are submerged into institutions woefully unprepared and downright hostile to their existence. These circumstances are not impossible to survive. However the preservation of ones dignity and wellness are at odds, resulting in the decay of their physical and mental health. The consequence of this decline varies. Unfortunately the culmination of these circumstances commonly manifests itself in the form of gun violence, substance abuse, and self harm. All too often are these complex issues met with lectures that pathologize Black people, inadvertantly absolving the history and systems responsible for fertilization of racialized violence.
Many cannot comprehend Black youth stagnation fifty years after historic civil rights gains, and in an era of a Black president. The symbolism of these feats are undeniable, however it is equally indisputable that today's Black youth are modern products of an ecology of oppression which remains unaddressed. Our young people are offered lectures daily, affirmations rarely, and access to opportunity sporadically. This is not an antidote to their / our struggles. Our remedy must begin with an inquiry about their wellness, and validation their righteous anger, frustration, and disappointment.Black youth are not a problem to be solved, they are problem solvers. They are cultural gems (just ask these corporations) and they are geniuses. Our kids aren’t alright, but if we rally beside them instead of against them ... they will be. Word to Kendrick.
- Christina D. Brown
Gif credit: ColaChampagneDad.tumblr.com
