New beginning (www.wcmt.org.uk)

As the fellowship draws to a close, it's important to reflect on the journey travelled and to see it as the foundation for a new journey to be undertaken. I suppose I would see the following points as a mixture of summary points and findings.

1. Fatherhood:
The impact of father hunger and deficit is clearly visble in Inner city Baltimore and has created a void with the overall life of the inner city itself. The need for a father and to experience positive fathering is on an epidemic scale. The impact of this area of young black men’s lives cannot be underestimated or ignored. Once again my own research would suggest that many of those young black men have ‘opted out’ from wanting to address their feelings on this issue, and find solace in their crew and extended peer group. South African criminologist and journalist Don Pinnock argues:

… gangs provide more emotional support than the youths' often-dysfunctional families. But there's another, even more important, reason for the existence of gangs. In the history of all of our cultures, and in cultures people call 'primitive' today, adolescent boys face ordeals and trials that test their manhood and courage. In our urban cultures, which have lost ancient roots through migration, poverty or dilution young people continue to have (and act on) the same needs. Where ritual is absent it is created. (Pinnock 2003)

Pinnock highlights that the collapse of the contemporary families can give rise to a different type of family, namely the gang. Another common feature of father deficit and hunger is the issue of ‘being a man’. Talking to some young black men who are angry at their father’s absence, it is evident that many of them left the relationship and handed over the responsibility for being ‘the man of the house’ to his son, who was ill equipped to deal with such a role. However, the need to protect mum and show family leadership has placed many young black men in a role that at times brings them into conflict with mum’s new partner. This makes matters worse as it compounds the isolation of young black men who cannot actualize their own sense of masculine identity. The young black man, who loves his absent father, may choose to defend his father’s honour. The result is more chaos, confusion, and possible conflict.

Cultural commentator and feminist, bell hooks also argues that much is written about black men by black men, but little is written about “how black men might create new and different self-concepts”. hooks takes the position that young black men themselves must take a stronger position on critical thinking to begin the process of recovery from the huge deficit created by an oppressive history. If young black men cannot develop a positive self-concept it is questionable whether they can maintain a focus that will enable them to desist from crime, anti-social behavior, or risky lifestyles. The pressure brought about by not having time to heal or headspace to think for many young black men creates the level of internal distress resulting in projected anger, rage, and social conflict.

Hence the propensity to continue the cycle of masculine decline that ends up in prison, psychiatric wards, pupil referral units, etc, that in turn robs generations of younger black men of brothers, fathers, uncles, and significant elders. As the lack of communication from many black men becomes acute, the knock on effect assists in eroding notions of a ‘healthy community’. With unprecedented levels of personal violence on the increase; the extended family hurtling towards extinction; elders wisdom in short supply; relationships struggling to stay afloat; it is plain to see how many young black men returning back to the community from prison become institutionalised casualties who are walking around in a ‘self-destruct mode’. This moves the outcome away from a ‘Criminal justice issue’ into the realms of what could best be described as a wider ‘Public health epidemic’. When one analyses the contemporary journey of black men in prison as fathers and sons, words such as absent, negative, deadbeat, useless, and so on recur and manifest themselves in a generation of young black men who suffer a growing legacy of ‘father deficit’ that can and does lead to those same young men searching for replacement father’s within the confines of ‘gang culture’.

2. Criminal as victim:
In inner city Baltimore there is a hidden layer of criminal justice casualties; young men who have desisted from a life of crime, but have themselves become victims of crime. Attempts to leave the gang, beating the court case by informing on others, and community justice in the form of revenge creates more victims. These victims have no sympathy from society or the community. Their lives are ruled by fear, governed by the code of the streets, and have little pathway to a new life.

3. Poverty that forces you back into crime:
Having no money to live on, little or no healthcare insurance, limited employment and educational opportunities is forcing many young men back to the ‘corners’ as a way surviving and restoring lost masculine pride and status. The prospect of having nothing creates the lack of motivation to return back to a life of law abiding activity. This position results in forcing individuals back to the ‘corners’ as a way surviving and restoring lost pride and status.

4. Biography:
The need to access the stories of the real lived experiences of inner city people living in Baltimore is vital in terms of understanding what needs they have, and how solutions can be found to the problems they face. Little Melvin’s history of criminality and ultimate desistance has relevance for scholars looking at desistance. However, Melvin lives in the Inner city where many researchers fear to tred. This poses a dilemma for an important area of investigation. The need for capturing these important narratives are crucial here. Shows like ‘The Wire’, ‘The Soprano’s’, CSI, and so on, may be realistic but do little in terms of giving insight to the wider community about crime and it’s orientation.

5. Access to constituency:
Researching in n place like Baltimore’s inner city requires a reframing of the ethical considerations required when undertaking an investigation that requires high risk. Ethics are the bedrock of academic research. An important and necessary process of selection of methods to be used in accessing constituents. Thus ensuring objectification in the process. In most cases it requires negotiating access, brokering relationships, and finding formats that will satisfy both the commissioning agency as well as the subjects of the inquiry. In places like Baltimore’s inner city, ethical considerations are no less important, but different. The element of risk has to be carefully balanced against the need to undertake the work required. Gaining access at times is at the discretion of criminals, gang members, or go betweens who broker the access. It is important that any researcher undertaking work in a difficult environment make appropriate choices and selections without compromising the outcomes. It is also important to both include and exclude any outcomes, but not to avoid engaging in these hostile environments on account of protocols that at time should be questioned and challenged.

6. Secondary Victimisation:
Many young people are impacted by childhood neglect, abuse, and violence have major psychological issues that are not being addressed. The lack of support for these secondary victims in itself generates more victims, who themselves become perpetrators of acts of violence and abuse. These individuals have no access to public funds for therapy or counselling. They walk around the community like the walking dead and are literally dying a day at a time. Packed into a densely populated and over policed community, these individuals pass unnoticed and blend in well as another veneer of urban decay. Where is the morality in this situation? How can it be justified? How is it maintained? If we addressed this question, maybe we would have to do something about it as a society.

7. Faith based conversion - (Finding a new father – God):
The need for re-connecting to the Spirit becomes a fundamental need for many that is not couched in religious dogma and rhetoric. Blighted by slavery, denied access, racism, and still being ravaged by a system that over incarcerates, African American men are searching for a new identity that will rid them of the pain of socio-historical neglect and provide some much needed healing. Baltimore’s inner city people, read the Bible and Koran, find comfort in the arts, retreat inside the beats of music, and push for Spiritual guidance. It is a strong motivating force for staying out of trouble and transforming one’s life into new meaning and purpose as a way of transcending the burden of acute and on-going pain. There are strong faith community inputs into the lives of many, but for those who lose their faith, the American Dream can become a nightmare.

8. Mentor as enabling a rite of passage – Individuals who can break it down:
The development of a holistic space and dialogue where academics, strategic players, and community can come together is badly needed in Baltimore’s inner city communities. Too many young people in Baltimore are struggling to cope within the confines of the urban environment. My experience taught me that there is a need for anyone wanting to engage those young people to understand the practicalities of developing credibility. Many of the young people I encountered would not give you access to them unless you could demonstrate a clear understanding of where they were at, without judgement. The stories I would hear of young people being subjected to police brutality, violence in the community, disruptive home lives, father absence due to incarceration, death, or drugs, assuming Family responsibilities, gang culture, and numerous other aspects of inner city living, at times painted a bleak picture. These young people wanted answers, solutions, and strategies for managing those situations, not circular conversations, or voyeurism. What they needed was individual’s who ‘break it down’ and guide them to a new place.

9. Desistance:
The term ‘desistance’ is used in relation to understanding why and how former offenders avoid continued involvement in criminal behaviour. Without a clear understanding of the role race plays in the cessation of criminal activity for black men, any understanding of desistance could be both flawed and incomplete. Within criminological theorizing much is written about why black men commit crime and it’s relation to high rates of incarceration of black men both in the UK and US. However, little is known about black men and their cessation or desistance from criminal activity. Seldom do theorists engage in a discussion that looks at whether black men’s struggle to desist from involvement crime and disorder, is rooted within a socio-historical context. The acknowledged impact of racism on the lives of young black men that pushes them towards criminal lifestyles, highlights that developing a positive approach to transcending racism and its impact could play a significant role in desisting from criminal behaviour. It is also important for black men to have a sense of who they are, away from the history of their oppression. Author Dan McAdams suggests ‘that stories represents critical scene and turning points in our lives, and that the ‘life story ‘is a joint product of person and environment. In a sense the two write the story together.’ McAdam’s presents a plausible argument that suggests storytelling can provide a framework that identities desistance as a journey. Therefore it could be argued that the understanding of the destination arrived, must be understood in term of the journey travelled.

10 Community Businesses:
Raising the profile and development of community businesses within black communities is vital to increase the visibility of those services in the wider social economy. Baltimore has many problems that are being addressed by strategic agencies, academic institutions, and communities. However, the disconnect between them means at times the needs of the community can be rendered invisible or struggle to become visible in the wider social economy. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that responses to community need are placed within a business model to create the possibility for self-determined actions, as well as reducing the systemic dependency that occurs all too often. The diversity of business responses to community need demonstrated innovation, flair, and resilience. Street vendors, second hand furniture stores, complimentary educational programmes, arts based interventions, and numerous other activities highlighted what can be done to maintain and sustain community life where there is no Government support.

I want to thank all of those people in Baltimore's community who shared their stories. I also want to thank the Winston Churchill Fellowship for giving me the bursary. Finally I want to thank all of those who followed my blog. I hope you will continue to support me, as a new chapter has just begun.
 
Watch this space
 
Peace

Reality Check (www.wcmt.org.uk)

Seeing deep poverty up close and personal, meeting and talking with victims of crime, combined with numerous observations of the impact of social neglect on real people’s lives, I am confronted with a troubling feeling. On one hand I desire to be part of a process of social change and transformation, but there is a strong sense of feeling quite powerless to affect the changes I want to see take place. It was at this point I started to reflect on a book by Donna Merten’s called ‘Transformative research and Evaluation.’ She states:


‘The transformative paradigm recognises that serious problems exist in communities despite their resilience in the process of throwing off the shackles of oppression as well as making visible the oppressive structures in society. Researchers working in any type of community can learn from those who are engaged in this struggle, just as we learn from each other through critical examination of the assumptions that have historically guided research studies’

Merten’s point reassures me that research can transcend the boundaries of the academy and locate itself in the process of social change and transformation. It is an isolating place to be, as to do so means limiting the kind of resource opportunities available for conventional approaches to research. Ultimately it is down to each research to take a position in relation to their core values, passion, and vision for the work they’re doing. Baltimore has more than confronted me with that reality. I am now going to attempt to explain my reasons for taking this position:

For most of my working and professional life I have worked with many social groups, committed to enabling those with silent and invisible voices to be seen and heard. It has been a difficult journey at times, leading to many moments of self-doubt, trepidation, and emptiness. The contrast at times has been empowering, motivating, and energising. However, the continuing challenge to play a role in enabling black men to find their own voices is an on-going battle. In spite of being a practitioner of many years, and now venturing into the world of academia, via a PhD, I still have difficulties in raising the profile of the work I do. Mainly because the story of black men has been traditionally told by others. By moving away from this position has at times posed a threat to much of the dominant theories and practices. Baltimore has reaffirmed my commitment to continuing this struggle (and it is a struggle) as there are very few people committed to engaging with that section of the black community that has been written off and are not easy to access. It is not an easy type of work nor is it driven by ego. It is something more fundamental. The need for the community to be a place where black men go to prison less, are less mentally ill, and can restore their well-being back to some kind of balance.

Many black men within the UK and US are over represented amongst the prison population, are suspended and expelled from school more than their white counterparts, gang affiliation amongst many young black men is on the increase, black on black violence through guns is growing, and many young black men are struggling to achieve positive masculine development in relation to fatherhood. Equally as important is the recognition that there are many successful black men who have excelled in their chosen careers and professions, who are hard working, haven’t been in trouble with the law, and are taking care of their families.

Despite the increase in social mobility, earnings, and opportunities for black men in the UK and US, it is questionable whether they are more socially acceptable. The rise in extreme right wing activity, the absence of a positive black male presence within the UK and US media landscape, and a social infrastructure that addresses itself more to black men as a problem, as opposed to an asset. In investigating the current social positioning of black men within a UK and US context, it is important to identify key factors that both unite and divide black men.

It is this questioning that has led me to believe that black men in the UK and US are still being moved away from achieving a meaningful and productive life. I am of the opinion that living within a society that defines itself through a mono-cultural ideology, many black men have constructed a self-concept and masculine identity more as a coping strategy built more on survival than designing a template for holistic living. It is my view that this coping strategy sets up the possibility for the development of a false consciousness that is maintained through fears, pressure, and intimidation by social structures, who demand loyalty, restricting any questioning of its values.

For black men in the UK and US to gain more ground and have a bigger stake in the wealth of the country, there needs to be a re-framing of the current world view that many of us hold. Things are further complicated by an institutional response to black needs that uses ‘Street Level Bureaucracy’ as the conduit for handling the social aspirations of black men. This systematic approach to public policy delivery operates very effectively by stifling black self-determination, independence, and ultimately liberation from a system that serves its own needs. The net result is a black community that becomes trapped, disillusioned, powerless and ultimately controlled.

It is easy to fall into a rhetorical position about who has the best theory, best position, most coherent argument, and numerous other postures that have little validity or credibility with a gunshot victim, families living in poverty, or countless individuals who have no voice in how their communities are maintained where each member feels connected and takes ownership for making the environment a great place to reside. I started the journey in Baltimore unaware of the eventual impact of the trip. I’ve almost concluded my sojourn with a renewed sense of purpose and a desire to use my skills and expertise for the greater good. Not only am I comfortable with that decision, but I feel it’s is the right thing to do.

Peace

New thoughts (www.wcmt.org.uk)

Being in Baltimore has enabled me to view many aspects of my views, values, and insights in a whole different way. I have become and am now seen as a public intellectual, inasmuch as I occupy two spaces equally but different; community and academia. It feels like waking up in a strange room and things have changed. Many things have changed, not least me. The irony of feeling both liberated and trapped at the same time is a strange feeling, but one that I’m trying to manage. I can’t go back to what I was and I am not yet fully formed in terms of being re-birthed in a new form I have felt at times disconnected and dislocated, and wandered around in a liminal space waiting to make some kind of transition into something. Like many people I occasionally hover like a humming bird and at times being frightened to confront things that you have to let go of. In reality I am meeting new people, having new experiences, and have acquired fresh perspectives, not just about crime, but people. Ralph Ellison’s opening statement comes to mind:

'I AM an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who ' haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am l one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fibre and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible; understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination - indeed, everything and everything except me:


Ellison encapsulates how I have felt during a trip that will be dissected, debated over, and at times dismissed as a voyeuristic gaze at another culture. In conversation with a good friend he made a comment about notions of invisibility and referred to this state of being as like a 12th man (Substitute) on a cricket team. I reflected on my own situation and realise how at times I feel like the 12th man. I was told that any new journey would be lonely, transforming, and at times uncomfortable. The desire to be a team player, but being relegated to the bench because your style of play doesn’t suit people is very painful. Flair, individuality, and operating outside the box, are all qualities that scares a team that have been playing the same formation and tactics for the longest while. I do not want to be invisible, but if I continue to settle for second best, compromise myself, or play into other people’s mindset, and then I am destined to sit on the subs bench. I keep coming back to Ellison’s prophetic speech. Why do I feel this way? Maybe I’m invisible to me and need to become more visible. I buy a new book ‘The New Jim Crow – Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness’ by Michelle Alexander. An amazing book founded on the premise that not only is race a key factor in criminal justice, but the contexts that led to the enslavement of African American’s has moved into the prison industrial complex. I smile and am grateful for Baltimore’s invisible citizens letting me into their lives. I know why I’m here. More importantly I know who I am.

Peace

IZ (www.wcmt.org.uk)

Iz’s obvious distress becomes more intense out of the desperation of his situation. He wants to leave the gang, but if he can’t get money for his rent, he may have to reconsider his position. Outsiders to his situation would say it’s easy. The reality is far from true. Ted tries to calm the situation with seasoned wisdom and care. Iz listens, but the pain of this moment silences any responses he may give. I look at Iz’s puffed up eyes, clenched fists, and body rocking, and felt compelled to talk to him. As was the norm in these situations Ted had to vouch for me, as a way of brokering any conversation I needed to have. Trust is the most important value for gang members. So the sight of a complete stranger like me creates a situation where that trust must be earned.

The key to talking to guys like Iz is ‘keeping it real’. Don’t lie, keep your ego locked away, look the person straight in the eyes, and don’t make false promises. So I kept it real. I shared some of my own experiences of facing difficulties, as a way of connecting to his distress. A short while later, Iz smiles, nods, and begins to open up to me. I discover he has a passion for drawing. I give him a copy of my latest illustrated children’s book, and urge him to change his focus by re-connecting to his passion. For a few minutes Iz is no longer a gang member. He is a young man dreaming of a new future, escaping into the world of his imagination. It’s a breakthrough moment. Ted smiles at me and praises Iz for his interaction with me. The frown lines have gone, Iz looks less stressed, and any thoughts about gang life have disappeared. A call comes through. Iz retreats back to his gang demeanour. Iz touches my fist, exits the car, and ushers Ted into the apartment. I’m alone again.

It feels like it’s a long time, even though it’s a matter of minutes. Ted and Iz emerge, embrace each other. It’s time to go. I get out the car and thank Iz for his openness and vulnerability. We touch fists, I walk off. Iz calls me back and asks me for some contact details. I give him a card. We leave.Ted gets a text from Iz. He thanks Ted for introducing me to him. Ted smiles and tells me that my actions have not only assisted Iz, but I have averted a possible street robbery, based on his current situation. I felt good. Reality is you can’t save everyone, but you can bring some relief to a difficult situation. Small steps make a big one.

Peace

If only (www.wcmt.org.uk)

I met two young men on North West Avenue (Baltimore) both aged 15, both gang affiliated, both struggling with issues of trust of older men. Each one carrying the burden of fatherlessness, a lost childhood, combined with grieving the loss of many of their friends, who had become casualties of ‘street warfare’. They represent a generation without fathers. These young men shared stories and highlighted the invisibility and absence of nurturing and older loving men in their lives. For these fatherless children there was a familiar cry and pain and hurt, combined with the inability to deal with the loss of their closest and most significant male role model. What happens when the support's not there? When you feel unable to get up in the morning, face the day, or be able to reach out to anyone? That is my reflection on these two young men. These young men were desperately lonely, isolated, and unaware of what positive things can happen in their lives. This results in carrying a painful past, with un resolved issues, the trauma of a troubled past manifesting in living in dark void. Being in the gang they experience a sense of belonging, love, and security. Not the kind that the average person knows, but one that carries extreme risk.

Being fatherless for both of them is a label that at times is difficult, confusing, and full of external & internal conflicts. This can result in a daily struggle and at times can result in a loss of identity as a young man. The burden of depression; the weight of helplessness; and the pain of not having those you love and care for is crushingly painful. They merely exist in the confines of the inner city, the world of materialism, live a lifestyle with the absence of spiritual values, and the concept of dealing with 'self as part of a process of recovery is alien. For those absent fathers who are responsible for this absence I talk to you. Time can became an excuse for not addressing crucial issues. "I don't have time" "This is not the right time" "You've asked me too many times" "Some other time". All excuses many of us have said and sometimes still do. In an ideal world we should all be able to communicate effectively at the drop of a hat. But if the environment is not right, you don't have the space in your head, or it's just bad timing, we will oppose anything that highlights our vulnerabilities. As the media grips our consciousness, we talk to each other less, and rely heavily on TV to provide us with little or nothing in the way of guidance or upliftment. By default, meaningful communication or anything philosophical appears to be old fashioned, as we are supposed to believe that the new technologies such as The Internet, Mobile Phones, etc have replaced face-to-face communication.

As the lack of communication from many men assists in the decline of the community, the problems of getting us to talk to each other are escalating. Unprecedented levels of personal violence is on the increase; the extended family is becoming extinct; elders wisdom is in short supply; relationships are struggling to stay afloat; and we have all become casualties as many men walk around in a SELF-DESTRUCT mode. We can procrastinate, protest, fight each other, hold conferences, write another report, and employ numerous other strategies as a way of trying to unravel what is going wrong. If we ploughed all of that energy into meaningful communication with our sons we would save time, effort, money, and relationships. We would also provide a way back from the wilderness, and place words like community, self-love, sharing, and togetherness at the forefront of our vocabulary. Effective communication between us should involve a variety of approaches, but none of them are a substitute for talking, sharing, and listening. As I leave these young men prowling the streets of Baltimore I wish I could do more. We talked, smiled, laughed, shared our stories, but the reality of their plight was still unresolved. I also wonder how they will manage their own journey into fatherhood.

If only ……………..

Peace

Pacing (www.wcmt.org.uk)

My observations of many men in inner city Baltimore is they are always on the move. Talking to a lot of the young men who have not seen their father, are waiting for him to return, have watched him on the streets, watched him walk out of the house, and so many other scenario’s, it seems like many men will not stand still for a minute. The culture of occupying the corners and being constantly on the move is troubling. To the readers of my blog, I offer this poem:

Pacing

He paces up and down
The street corner
Pushin’ … sellin’ ‘n’ hustlin’
He paces up and down the streets
Lookin’ for the guy that owes him money
He paces up and down with rage
Havin’ beaten his woman
Coz she ended the relationship
He paces outside the liquor store
With a bottle in his hand
And stumbles around in the dark
He paces up and down at the bus stop
Waitin’ to go to his destination
As he has no car and is
Frustrated at standin' in the rain
He paces up and down
Waitin’ for his victim to emerge from the club
He paces up and down in the holdin’ cells
Waitin’ to be handed a life sentence
He paces up and down his prison cell
Unable to cope with his life sentence
He hangs himself
Coz he can’t face pacin’ up and down anymore
If only he’d stood still for a while

Peace

Black Leadership (www.wcmt.org.uk)

The latest edition of 'Ebony' magazine carried an article by writer, activist, and prospective congressman candidate Kevin Powell, centring on Black Leadership. On reading it I felt the need to reflect my own views on this on-going and endless debate. Powell addresses the issue of the symbolism of Barack Obama's presidency, and reminds us that in spite of being the first black president, he is in effect the President of the United States. An important and valid statement. I remember the day we watched this historic moment and for the first time exhaled. However, the euphoria was short lived. Not that it wasn't massive as an event, but the need for the black community to move beyond the confines of it's oppression is bigger than that of having a black president. Indeed my own observations of life in Baltimore's inner city raises some significant and searching questions around the issue of black leadership and why is it important? I have seen, interacted with, talked to, and engaged with a significant amount of prominent black individuals. However, no-one individual I met, had the credibility and power to unite and galvanise the different sections of the black community.


Leadership for me is a word difficult to pin down, much like the word community. It's a term that means different things to different people. Maybe that's the problem, there is no singular defintion of what leadership is, and what qualities leaders possess, in any definitive way. Yet there are countless books, articles, research investigations, conferences, and so on, all designed to create a unified understanding of leadership. Again I have more questions for anyone taking up the position of leadership. In a community that has gang leaders, business leaders, educational leaders, sports leaders, arts leaders, political leaders, and numerous other contestants, why is there such an outcry in both the US and UK for a single individual to lead the masses to a new place? Powell's assertion raises an important question. We have a black leader in the US, but the absence of a race context to the presidency highlights the difficulty of occupying such a position.

A presidency has to address a diverse range of concerns of which race is only a facet. However, a leader that can unite the masses where race becomes a key factor represents a different context and continuum. So therefore, how can one individual unite a community whose needs, difference, and social reality are so varied and complex? How does or can one individual forge links and empower Baltimore's disaffected, victims of crime, colleage graduates, parents, business people, faith leaders, the unemployed, veterans, the very young, single mothers, and so on. What is the glue that binds this constituency? And what are the ingredients in the make up of the glue? Maybe the answer lays within researching and reframing the history that gave rise to individuals who did galvanise the community. Maybe we need to go back and relook at Malcolm, Martin, DuBois, Fanon, Rosa Parks, The Niagara Movement, Negritude, The Harlem Rennaisance, and any other area of the hidden story. Maybe it's less about one leader and disovering the leader within all of us.



Peace