EDITORIAL COMMENT By President and CEO, B. Darcel Lee I am often asked why California Black Health Network has taken on the issue of Boys and Men of Color as a part of its policy agenda. Well, today is yet another clear example of why we need to engage ourselves in this work. The fact that there is a hung jury in the case of Jordan Davis is yet another example that the lives of our young Black men remain in the hands of a justice system that is not only unjust, but two-tiered. It is evident from this case, that the Stand Your Ground Law is becoming synonymous with a license to kill. In the spirit of John Grishams movie, A Time to Kill, please, close your eyes for a moment. Now, think about this...your child is in a car with his friends. They stop in front of a convenience store and they are playing their music very loud. A man in another car decides he does not like the music so he pulls out a gun, shoots your child, and fires 10 rounds into the car attempting to kill the other young boys. Then, the man leaves the scene with his girlfriend, does not call the police, drives to a hotel, orders a pizza, opens a bottle of wine, and proceeds to enjoy his evening as your son lays on the ground a few miles away with his blood seeping out of his body...his life quickly and abruptly ended! Now...suppose the boy killed was White...and the shooter was a Black Man? Yes, everyone, OPEN YOUR EYES. This madness must Stop! Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, and there have been others, far too many others. Will there be more? Unfortunately the answer to this question is probably far more likely to be yes, when it should be a resounding NO! So, what do we do? Race riots are not the answer. Am I angry enough that I could riot - Yes I am. But, in the words of Buddha, that is not what wise men do. I personally struggle with that, Dear Buddha, but I am trying to rise above this madness; rise above this racism and this prejudice that is so pervasive in this country. Instead of rioting, I will apply my anger and outrage, and that of our wonderful, but also angry staff, many of whom have young Black male children, to solutioning and constructive, system-changing activity. So CBHN will move with laser-focused energy and take aim at the criminal justice system, at our policymakers, and at anyone else who can impact the lives of our young Black boys. Because you see, this IS about the health of our communities. It is about the health and well being of our families; and this is about the health and preservation of our African American young men. That is why CBHN is committed to this work. No matter what a broken justice system says our Black Boys do matter. They deserve better. CBHN wants to see our Boys and Men of Color LIVE! Our young men should have just as much of a chance to reach and to enjoy their full potential as any other young male in America - without the fear of being killed just because they are Black!
Posted on: Sun, 16 Feb 2014 02:10:25 +0000