Confessions of a Drug War Veteran

The War on Drugs helped to promote mass incarceration and has been one of the single most destructive forces to hit the black family since slavery.

The latest statistical analysis by the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows black men represent over 56% of the incarcerated males in the United States, that’s over 500,000 men. With the leading cause of incarceration being non-violent drug offenses; experts have said poor individuals have a one (1) in three (3) chance of escaping poverty in any given year. Higher education levels improve the likelihood of leaving poverty, yet graduation levels are reduced by children’s inability to “trust” that education will help them to escape their current impoverished conditions. Often times black children (boys especially) have witnessed brothers, fathers, and uncles leave school, engage in illegal activities, and go to prison.

This trend becomes the norm and is incorporated into the thinking, feelings, and actions of these impressionable children. We see a growing number of disconnected youth with limited economic prospects as they attend poor schools and return home to poor neighborhoods to be force fed into a continuing cycle of social and economic isolation that leads to the belief that incarceration is a “rite of passage”. This continued practice ensures we lose valuable social capital and human resources in our communities.

Comments

Succeeding as a Single Mom

1 in 4 children are growing up in homes without a father, single mother households account for more than 80% of household with children living in poverty. I've seen it written that there are two types of poverty that exist in America, generational and situational. Generational poverty is defined as, having lived in poverty for (3) or more generations. It's players operate on a set of values that is passed on from parent to child...generation after generation. Situational Poverty-is defined by one (1) incident that lead to your impoverished condition: Death Divorce Disaster Disease Each type of poverty comes down to one factor... belief! If we believe this (where we are in this moment) is all there is... then this is all we get. I once heard a man say "This (poverty) is all I know, I'm from the bottom"; there was no room for him to even believe that he could learn something more. The past is gone, the present is a gift, the future is now...

B.O.S.S... Its a Movement

We're often asked...What are your goals for the B.O.S.S Movement? B.O.S.S is a uniquely positioned (built from the bottom up) organization that has one (1) mission... and that is to teach people how to become self-sufficient. B.O.S.S. is an acronym that stands for Building Our Self Sufficiency. We are a cooperative organization on a mission to end generational poverty . We know this is an ambitious goal, (you wouldn't be a BOSS if you lacked ambition) and this is why we are reaching out to our fellow bosses to enlist YOU in this movement! You may be asking the questions Who? Us. What? End Generational Poverty. When? by year 2031. Where ? everywhere we live, work, and play. Why? because happiness belongs to the self-sufficient and everyone deserves to be happy! How? Commitment + Communication=Stronger Communities Steps We Need to Take to Strengthen Our Communities: Remove what no longer works Don't concentrate on process, focus...

Royal Coils

Photo Courtesy of: Black Girl Long Hair Growing and maintaining natural hair has been a challenge for many of us. I remember when I did my first BC (big chop). I had to research my hair type...was I 4a,b, or c? I had to research the products that would work best with my hair type, as well as educate myself on the L.O.C. (liquid, oil, and cream) method. Throughout my journey of falling in love with my natural hair I have discovered 10 Tips for Growing Out Your Hair : Deep condition once a week Eat healthy (clean foods preferred) Take hair vitamins (prenatal vitamins work wonders also) Drink LOTS of water Massage scalp with natural oils Moisturize and seal ends Cleanse with SULFATE FREE shampoo or co-wash with conditioner Protective styles are a must! NO HEAT! Be patient. All hair is "good hair", acceptance is the key to confidence.Embrace your texture and realize patience pays off! Remember your hair is at its weakest when its dry so make...

B.O.S.S. NEWS

Search This Blog