Where have all th Black men
gone? Some have come to see
young Black men in America as
endangered species. While this
description contains many ker-
of trut� there' n
to report and much that e can
do to save our broth rs from this
threat of d truction.
A Black boy today has a one
in 4,000 ch nce of getting a
Ph.D. in mathematics, engineer­
ing, or the physical sciences; a
one in 684 hance of b ming a
physician; a one in 372 chance of
becomihg a lawyer; and a one in
45 chance of becoming a teacher.
But that same Black boy has a
on in 45 chance of becoming a
cocaine abuser; a one in 24
chance of being imprisoned in
his twenties; a one in four chance
of dropping out of school; and a
two in five chance of becoming
an alcohol abuser.
Starting at age 20, the ratio of
Black men to Black women
drops dramatically, reflecting
the steady loss of Black men in
communities to violence and
early death, incarceration" un­
employment and hopelessness
that .make them difficult to lo­
cate.
TENS OF THOUSANDS of
THIS FEUD HAS gon so
far that the a ociation in-
,
young Black males (16 - 24 years
of age) working full time, whose
median weekly earnings de­
crease by 19 percent 1979 and
1991, are unable to find jobs to
fonn 01' . pport table families ..
They frequently ,Succumb to de­
spair or to the underground
economy and crime - too often
th only doors open to th m.
In 1991, 36 Percent of young
Black males (15 - 24 years of age)
reported no income. This is one
of th circumstances leading to
the rise in out-of-wedlock births
'in the Black community. Mar­
riage is influenced not only by,
personal values, but by hope and
the self- respect that comes from
gainful employment that en­
ables one to support-a family.
More young Black men die
from homicide - mainly at the
hands of their gun-wielding
peers - than we lost in all the
horrible decades of lynchings,
An increasing number of urban
youths seem to accept prema­
ture death as nearly inevitable.
In 1990, two out of five Black
male high school students re­
ported carrying a weapon -
more than half of them guns -
in the previous month.
BUT T�ERE'S GOOD
.ourn:
• •
Ices
e
By ROBBIE CRUMP-McCOY
Sp!c�1 to tI'NJ Michigan Citizen
Mrs. Grace Cobbs and several
members of her family have re­
turned from San Francisco
where they attended the funeral
services of her son, George L.
Newkirk, h ld at the Third Bap­
tist Church with R v. Amos
Brown officiating.
Newkirk, a nativ of Detroit,
was raised by his stepfather,
Charles H. Cobbs Sr., after the
death of his father in 1943. After
he was discharged honorably
from th United State Air Force
in 1964, he mov to S n Fran­
cisco and earned the under-
graduate and gradua d ,
from San Franci co ta e U ni­
versity, a communicatio rna­
jor. At hi d th h was director
of Labor R .lation and Manage-.
ment D v lopm nt th.. u-
o
ew
1'8-
privil
.l)E�� in
al ys
ree��, with one ion
r, right h 1'8 in Michigan.
I urp . on day after
arriving to to learn that I
not to enter t pulpit, and
it women' day. So I proudly
followed the doctrin of the p
tor, but h h centlyinvited
me to r turn to that ame
church, I did not accept, e
don't to be on the same
ceord, n though '1'9 both
Baptist.
•
.0
news, and we need to spread it.
Since 1967, the high school
. graduation rate among Black 18
- 24 year-olds has' increased
from 56 percent to over 76 per-
cent. From- the ly 1970'
199 ,Black en m de sig­
nificant progress in math and
reading. And, the percent of
Black males betw n 25 - 29
years of age who had oompleted
four or more years of college
nearly tripled from 1967 to 1991.
Although Black youths are
less likely than their white coun­
terparts to be employed, they are
more likely to be actively look-
ing for work. .
Despite prevailing stereo­
types, drugs and alcohol use
among Black adolescents and
young adults is generally less
than among their white peers.
About one in ten Black young
adults has used 'cocaine, com­
pared to one in five white young
adults. Reported cocaine use by
Black high school seniors was
lower than the use reported by .
their white classmates through­
out the 1980's. In 1990, white
seniors were almost twice as
likely as their Black classmates
to report using alcohol.
YES, THERE IS good news,
Commission; the American
Transit Association \ and the
Bayview Hunters Point Growth
and Development Center.
SPEAKING AT the services
were Fr. John Sullivan of All
Hallows Catholic Church; Fr.
Daniel Carter of Half Moon Bay
Lady of Pillar, as well as govern­
ment officials. It was reported by
the news media that more than
500 persons were gathered Out­
side the church to pay their 1'8"
spect. .
Surviving relatives include
his wife, Gale; one daugther,
Lorraine; mother, Mrs. Graoo'
Cobbs; one sister, Mildred
Newkirk; two brothers, Ulysses
Leroy Newkirk and Charles
Cobbs Jr.; and many other
loved-on I family and friends.
I nterment at Olivet Memo­
rial Park, Colma, Ca.
"
Child
Watch
THE ILLUSTRATED BIBLE
o
y'
By Marian Wright Edelman
g
nicipal Railway and was an ar­
biter with the Arbitration Asso­
ciation. Flags were flown at
half-mast city wide from the
time of his death until he was
laid to rest.
Newkirk served as lead nego­
tiator of the Citywide Negotiat­
ing Team and served in 15
community and civic organiza­
tions, such as the San Francisco
Black Lead rship Forum; Mu­
nicipal Executiv Association;
San Francisco Democratic
League; the Bayarea COMTO;
and the. Hannibal Lodge; F &
AM Prince Hall Masonic Lodge;
and a trustee at the Third Bap­
tist Church.
Among the m ny awards r -
ceived by Newkirk were "Man of
the Year Aw rei" from th San
Pra nci co Chapt r of Negro
Bu ine and Profe io na l '
Worn n; th Public Utilities
and we must work to make sure
there's more. As we face poverty,
racism, crime and violence, it's
easy to see why so many of our
young men succumb to hopeless­
ness and despair. We must come
together as a community, and a
family, and overcome the obsta­
cles before us.
We eed our young Black men
to be healthy, contributing mem­
bers of society. We must begin by
investing in the youngest chil­
dren, demonstrating the values
we want them to adopt, and
guiding them in positive dirac ..
tions. We must begin to replace
the "junk food entertainment" of
violent television shows, movies,
music and video games with the
history, art and music that char ..
acterize the richness of our his­
tory. We must get the men in our
oommunity to act as big broth­
. el'S, role models, tutors, mentors
. and, yes, as fathers, to our young
men. We must create quality af­
ter-school and weekend pro­
grams, rite-Df-passage programs,
and constructive recreational
outlets.
The road ahead is full of obsta­
cles and challenges, but there is
no doubt that we can move to­
wards the kind of future that our
children deserve. When the go­
ing does get tough for our Black
men and they need our shoul­
ders to lean on, we should offer
our help gladly, and remember:
they ain't heavy, they're our
brothers, our sons, our fathers,
our uncles, our cousins, our he­
roes, our neighbors, our partners
and our friends.
Call us at 1-800-ASK-BCCC
'to join the Black Community
Crusade for Children.
Marian Wright Edelman. is pre 'dent
of the Children.l Defen Fund, a na­
tional voice for children, and a leader of
the Blade Ccmmunity Crusade for Chil­
dren. (BCCC).
"For there is nothing hid, exc�pI to be made manifest; nor is
an thin ecret, e cept to come to li iu. •
r :11
� children, w 11 played hide nd seek, so we all know that
eventually the e hiding w found. So in dult life we all
know th t when we try to hide something from ch other or
iety, the secret h a way of comin to light. Either through
our own conscience or the prying of someone else, those thin
we. want concealed eventually become bared. It i our con­
science usually that brin about exposure. And what is con­
science? It i the of morality that we learned from the
script nd the fear we have of God' displ ure. God is
all-wise, all-knowing, therefore it should be obvious that you
cannot hide from God.
01993 by Kina �tu Synd.
ford tor
to tt nd outli
Mri can , meeting
Dr. Charles G. Adams, pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist
Church, along with his assistant pastor, Rev. Mangodwa
Nyathi, will leave next month to attend the World Council of
Churches Central Committee meeting in Johannesburg, South
Africa, Jan. 20-24.
Dr. Conrad Raiser, general secretary, said, "For many years
it was impossible for the WCC to meet in South Africa. Now we
feel that the gathering will be an expression of the ecumenical
family's long-standing and continuing solidarity with the
churche and people of South Africa."
South African council notified . l'tne1'8-wot'lcdWide that
"The process of transforming �qutq . ica rrqlU _ eid to,
democratic rule has now entered an irreversible stage." They
now believe that selecting the theme and venue for the Eighth
World Council of Churches Assembly in 1998 will be its key
agenda. '
-Arnong other issues to be addressed will be the Ecumenical
Global Gathering of Youth and Students in Brazil, last July,
which made it evident that new approaches must be forthcom­
ing to engage youth in the church and the ecumenical move­
ment. The Central Committee will also highlight WCC/Roman
Catholic Church relations; the Ecumenical Decade of Churches
in Solidarity with Women, particularly women and racism and
violence against women.
In Santa Rosa, Ca., Southern Baptists in that state overruled
their credentials committee and parliamentarians, refusing to
seat messengers from a San Francisco church because its pastor
is a woman. Rev. Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of Nine­
teenth Avenue Baptist Church, Santa Rosa, said "This is amaz­
ing," although the woman minister had large support. Rev.
Martha McNeil, associate pastor of Tiburon Baptist Church, of
Tiburon, Ca., said, "Voting not to seat the messengers wouldbe
'going against Baptist history: You're abandoning your heri­
tage."
Manhood Inc. plans
roundball classic
. ,
Manhood Inc., a non-profit organization, sponsors a Round­
ball Classic on atwo-day weekend in February. Manhood Inc.,
� designed to bring together male youth in the Detroit area
with adult male role models, involving them socially, education­
ally, morally and spiritually into manhood.
The organization will sponsor its second annual Roundball
Classic at the University of Detroit's Calihan Hall on Feb. 5,
which will serve both as a fund-raiser and provider of quality
sports entertainment for the youth. Last years participants,
Alabama A&M, Huntsville, and Morehouse College will com-
pete in the classic., I
Local non-profit organizations, churches, alumni associa­
tions, fraternities, sororities, etc., are offered a special opportu­
nity' to "piggyback" and raise funds for their own groups by
selling tickets at $15 each, earning a percentage.
Contact persons are William McGilVco-chairman - 863-
1782; Tommie Summerville/executive director - 342-0929;
Clinton Carter/president - 898-6811 or call the Manhood office
at 894-0088.
Special events will be held at the Westin Hotel: A "Miss
Roundball" pageant on Feb. 4, 7 p.m. with reception at 7:30 p.m.
A Prayer Breakfast Feb. 5, 8 a.m., with a luncheon at 11 a.m.
and "battle of the bands" at 1 p. m ..
- By Robbie Crump-McCoy
IU)
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