Smart’n Up Black male SUmmit

By: Crystal LaShan

Young Black males are our diamonds in the rough that we must mold, support, and help polish to ensure the successful future of our culture. Black men are sometimes not given second chances if needed and often, society assumes the worse and expects the least from our young men. We know as a culture that our Black men are amazingly brilliant and talented. Our responsibility is to make sure our children have the knowledge, tools, and information to be their best self in the classroom, the public, and in any situation, they may find themselves in. I felt proud, excited, and grateful for the exceptional Black men who were a part of the summit and willing to share priceless knowledge with the young men in the room.

Brother Deric Muhammad, the author of the empowering book New Rules, has captured the tools our young Black men need to survive and thrive in our world today. We can no longer depend on a society that doesn’t value our young Black males’ greatness.

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Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D. - Editor

Contributing Writers

The Overflow President/Chief Editor

Dr. Bobby Mills

A Revival of God Consciousness

Bobby Mills, Phd

Education is the Dividing Line in Politics

Even so, the Founders believed that citizens knowing how to read the Bible was extremely important in relation to the spiritual well-being of a democratic society. Every American citizen must spiritually understand that a democratic society is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Thus, this is what the right to

Bridging the Gap

Police were created to serve and protect our communities, but over the years, the trust between police and communities have dwindled. We can’t forget the tragic incident of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and sadly, a host of many others, which has led some individuals to lose trust in their law enforcement. To help rebuild this trust, some individuals have tried to find different ways to bridge the gap between the community and police officers. There is one New York City community that has tried civilian policing. The organization is called Brownsville in Violence Out and they have civilians prevent crimes that range from shoplifting to assaults. This civilian patrol takes place over a span of five days, and any 911 calls are forwarded to the civilian responders rather than police officers. Law enforcement is present in plain clothes to look out for the civilians and can engage if needed. I find this experiment to be interesting, and I can understand the concept, but

I don’t think I would want that to happen in the city of Houston. There is too much crime going on in our communities and we need experienced and trained officers on our streets. Building trust is one thing, but police presence is needed. There are ways to rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement without having civilians act as police officers.

Some of these things do take place, but sometimes they do not happen on a regular basis. Consistent community events would be great as families from all over can speak with officers and get to know them in a different setting. For some individuals, their first time engaging with a police officer may be during an arrest, an accident, etc., but I think that is part of the problem. When something happens and police have to be called, it is usually because something has gone wrong. In addition, having police officers go to the schools regularly and talk to kids and engage in fun activities with them can have a positive impact on how they view police officers. If you have this positive engagement at a young age, it could help bridge that gap in the long run.

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Education cont.

This slave code was “a set of laws that restricted aspects of slaves’ lives to depending on the state.” In addition, it also controlled other elements like slave travel, marriage, and employment. These codes also gave certain rights to slave holders, according to the Smithsonian American Arts Museum. There were some slave owners who taught their slaves to read and write, but this quickly changed after the actions of one man named Nat Turner. He was born in Virginia on the plantation of Benjamin Turner, where he was able to learn how to read and write. After being sold three times as a child, he ended up working for John Travis. Nat was a “fiery preacher” and led many enslaved individuals as he felt he was chosen by God to do so. On August 21, 1831, he and a few others started an uprising when they killed the Travis family, stole weapons, and killed 55 White people. Nat was convinced by voices and signs he believed in that told him to do it. Nat was eventually found after hiding for several weeks and was hanged with 16 others for their involvement. Because of this rebellion, there were great consequences. According to History. com, “His action set off a massacre of up to 200 Black people and a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of enslaved people.”

This tragic event put fear into many slave owners, and it was the beginning of stricter laws for enslaved people.

It was now up to slaves to educate themselves and help others learn as well. One person who made it his mission to learn how to read and write was Frederick Douglass. As a young child, he recognized the connection between literacy and freedom. He always found ways to educate himself despite laws that restricted it. He even began to teach other slaves how to read and write as he knew that his found knowledge would benefit all slaves and not just himself. It is because of this selflessness that many others found their way to freedom.

It is important for us to fight for our kids and their education, like Nat Turner and Frederick Douglas fought their way through literacy. We can’t be afraid and just sit back and watch our kids receive less than they deserve. While it is legal for our kids to learn how to read and write, there are still other elements that could hinder them from reaching their full potential. This could include a lack of resources, access to technology, books, funding, and lack of leadership. In addition, when some school districts do get resources, they are not effective because they may not be implemented effectively which means students are not benefiting from the resources. Also, diversity plays an important role when it comes to our students as they need teachers

Developing Places with Purpose

METRO’s Tidwell Transit Center will be a key connection point for the upcoming METRORapid University Corridor Project and we want to make it even better.

We’re looking for suggestions on how METRO can unite outstanding transit service with housing, mobility and economic development to help enhance the vibrant Eastex-Jensen community.

Join us at an open house in your area or scan the QR code for more information.

that not only look like them but can understand them and their background. Representation does matter and it can make a difference.

How are our schools failing?

According to Good Reason Houston, an organization that transforms schools, stated that “about 1 in 3 students in Houston are attending a lowperforming school,” and “only 44% of thirdgrade students are reading on or above grade level.”