Undercover Brothers
 

Two members of SDAEYC recently presented a workshop at the NAEYC conference in Atlanta, Georgia.  Rodney West and Larry Brantley co-presented a workshop on “Building relationships with African-American male teachers and boys.”  The workshop was right on time; especially since the recent  edition of Young Children had a published article entitled, “Acknowledging and Reducing Stigmatization of African-American Boys.”  There seems to be more emphasis on the Prison Industrial Complex System than Early Childhood Education.  There can be no Universal Preschool without the presence of African-American male teachers. 

In order to qualify as a teacher, one has to have a clean record and meet educational requirements.  Many African-American boys will not have much of a chance if current conditions continue.  On a positive note, there are more than 609,000 African-American males that attend college.  There are also more than 400,000 African-American males that are single parents according to scholar Jawanza Kunjufu. 

Many of the males are disillusioned with school by the time there are in the fourth grade as past research has revealed.  I believe that many African-American male children disregard school at an even earlier grade level.  Governors often project more construction of prisons based on fourth grade reading levels and special education placements.  It is estimated that one out of every three African-American males will be involved with the penal system.  In addition, more than one million African-American males are incarcerated.  California also happens to be the prison capital of this country.  Early childhood educators must take a staunch stance in nurturing and protecting our young brothers and sons. 

The California Association for the Education of Young Children has the opportunity to make a positive difference.  SDAEYC could also be a pivotal part of this movement.  Our local affiliate is blessed to have three African-American men on the Men In Child Care committee; which is virtually unheard of despite the statistics mentioned.  All stakeholders must reach out and touch to embrace a true village which is often echoed in a popular cliché.  We must uncover our young African-American males so that they will be able to breathe the same air and be afforded the same opportunities of the mainstream.  There is an ancient symbol and term called Sankofa, which means “To correct what has not been done.”  The designated committee of SDAEYC will be moving forward in this campaign, and also keep local early childhood educators informed.

Rodney L. West Sr.

Men in Child Care