Invisible No More. The Urgency to Advance Achieving Boys of Color

About ten years ago, I was asked to do a presentation to a group of county officials and community leaders in Jersey City regarding a mentoring program I had just launched. During the presentation I explained that while we did not necessarily have a grade requirement we did want young men of color that we're achieving in the classroom or showed a strong desire to improve and succeed in life. While many in the group nodded in approval one individual did question my approach.

"Why are you targeting the achieving kids. They're ok. It's the at-risk kids that need the mentoring the most."

"They're ok."

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that statement when describing achieving boys of color. I also cannot tell you how that same statement has hampered the progress and advancement of those same youth to the point of rendering them invisible to the necessary mentoring, support and academic advisement they need to succeed in life at their level. Ultimately and unfortunately this mindset has left so many boys of color, with the potential to be great, in the unenvious position of having to fight harder and work more than they should or deserve to achieve at the level of their talents.

That is to say that in the movement to push, advocate and support more boys of color in at risk life situations to achieve it has come at the expense of those young men that have already made the decision to achieve. It is almost akin to making the decision to bench a young MJ because he doesn't need as much work. Stop and think about that for a second. If you were a coach would you bench Michael Jordan because he had the potential to be great? Of course not.

But that's exactly what happens to so many achieving boys of color.

It happens because we often make the assumption that achieving boys of color have access to such things as two parent household, a strong father figure, great schools, great communities or are from a middle to upper middle class family. While that may be the case for many that is not the rule. Many of our high achieving boys of color actually come from the same communities and socio economic backgrounds as those we label as "at risk." So while their mindset and approach to academic achievement and career aspirations may be different, their access to the proper resources and support to ascertain the level of achievement they seek is often at the same level as that of their peers whom are deemed "at-risk." Thus, in some tragic sense, they too can be considered "at-risk." That is to say at risk of not being provided the resources necessary to advance in life to the level of their potential.

Who knows, in the rendering invisible of those who do what is asked of them, how many great young men of color dreams we have deferred of attending Ivy League schools such as Harvard. Sending to enrichment programs at MIT or advocating for full tuition scholarships at Universities such as Howard, Morehouse, Princeton, ect in exchange for celebrating and investing in those who graduate from high school, stay off drugs, avoid gangs and never go to jail?

This is not about creating an "either/or" movement in the world of mentoring and K-12 education, but instead expanding the movement and practice to include, acknowledge and support both.

What this means is this. We in the educational, non-profit, philanthropic, public and corporate social responsibility sector need to shift our lens on how we view and define Black male achievement. That it is not just about helping and providing resources to those who we have to save from the trappings of inner city life, violence, drugs, gangs and mass incarceration. But to also help advance those who have made the personal decision to avoid those trappings even when still surrounded by them everyday.

So let us in all sectors work to no longer render these great achievers invisible. Let us no longer put them on the bench. Instead lets work to redefine the movement of Black male achievement not based the potential for a young man to do the worst but by providing the resources, support and mentorship to all young men of color to realize their best. It is then and only then that we can truly say we are investing in and advancing achievement for all Boys of color..