Boys into Men: Raising our African American Teenage Sons

Journal of Negro Education, The, Summer 2002 by Morrison, Harriet R

Boys into Men: Raising our African American Teenage Sons, by Nancy Boyd-Franklin & A. J. Franklin, with Pamela Toussaint. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. 260 pp. $14.00, paper.

Reviewed by Harriet R. Morrison, Mary Baldwin College.

With an inordinate number of African American teenage males incarcerated on a daily basis, concern over the fate of the African American male in our society is not without merit. Statistics indicate that anywhere from 66-86% of youth incarcerated in correctional facilities are youth of color, so it comes as no surprise that parents of African American teenage sons are exploring ways to take their sons back from the streets.

Nancy Boyd-Franklin and her husband A. J. Franklin, both psychologists and therapists with over 25 years of experience in helping parents face the challenges of raising African American sons, deliver a moving representation of the challenges our sons face and the struggle parents face in avoiding pitfalls as they try to navigate their sons through the teenage years. They outline approaches for parents to keep communication open so that they are able to offer help to their sons, intermingled with personal accounts of how they have survived the "parent trap." The authors encourage us to tap into our strengths as a people to sustain us during difficult times.

The purpose of the book is to guide parents through the myriad of obstacles their teenage sons face on their journey to "manhood." Through personal accounts of their own trials and tribulations, the authors attempt to instill a sense of caring and hope that will empower parents to plot a course for their sons to lead them safely through the pressures of the adolescent years. The authors' strategies for solving problems, improving communication, and instilling a sense of racial identity are simple and effective.

Organization of the book is significant in that it takes the reader through the ubiquitous temptations and pressures teenagers' face on a daily basis, and then suggests ways in which parents can appropriately manage these situations. Chapter 1 focuses on the challenges teenage boys face and the proactive stance parents must assume to provide a protective shield for their sons. Fostering racial identity is prevalent in this chapter as racism remains at the forefront of issues confronting young African American males. According to the authors, fostering a strong sense of racial identity will help parents build their son's self-esteem and prove a powerful force in his life.

Chapter 2, " `If We Stand Tall, It Is Because We Stand on the Backs of Those who Came Before Us': African American Families and the Manchild," expounds the virtues of strong family ties for the African American family. Extended families and families created out of a need for support or belonging all enhance the world in which the African American teenage male will thrive. Having a network of family members will contribute to his success and provide valuable options for him when he is ready to communicate his needs.

Chapters 3 and 4 explore how spirituality, positive parenting, communication, and discipline can provide means for parents to instill in their sons a sense of who they are, and what they can become. Through love, open communication between child and parent, and discipline that is not punitive but instructive, our sons can build a foundation of confidence in self that will serve them later in life, and disable those "street influences" that would seek to control their souls. Spirituality has always been a "presence" in the lives of African American families, and the strength that is garnered from our faith is instilled in our children so that, when the time comes, they will know where to go and whom to seek.

In examining the emphasis placed on education and the needs of African American males in White communities in chapters 5 and 6, Boyd-Franklin and Franklin illustrate that there is a connection between the two for African American males. Education has always been stressed as the way out of oppression and the weapon with which to fight racism for African Americans. However, being educated in a White environment has played itself out as the way to survive and prosper within the system. Consequently, young African American males find themselves torn between two worlds. Because parents' experiences in these situations can be very different from that of their sons, parents need to develop approaches for their sons to cope with these situations. The authors suggest organizations like Jack and Jill of America, Inc., which provides a lifeline to the Black community and its values, could prove invaluable to African American teenage sons as they cope with living in two worlds. Networking with other African American families and keeping communication open are also suggested as ways for African American parents to help their sons.

"'If You Are on a Road to Nowhere, Find Another Road': Taking Our Sons Back from the Street" is the chapter that encapsulates everything that has been examined in Chapters 7-11. The issues of gang violence, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure, rap music, media influences, and hoop dreams, have proven troublesome and problematic for parents over time. This chapter addresses how to know when "the street" has won over your son, and strategies on winning him back. Developing a game plan with the commitment and willingness to dedicate the time, energy, and resources necessary is instrumental according to the authors, if taking your son back from the street is your goal.