FORWARDEVER MEDIA CENTER
Writer Alex
Haley writing The Autobiography of Malcolm X with Brother Malcolm.
"The
media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make
the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.
Because they control the minds of the masses."
- Malcolm X
Mission
The Forwardever Media Center is 100% committed to providing unconventional writing workshops and media literacy training to "at-risk" Black youth, particularly males, ages 14 through 24. Working in partnership with The Mentoring Center in Oakland, CA., the Center's writing workshops, website internship, and film forums, help students develop critical thinking skills and discover their creative talents. We recruit youth for our programs from the California Youth Authority (the state's largest prison for youth) as well as from universities and high schools. This cross-pollination of young minds creates dynamic shared experiences.
Programs
Whatchusay Cinema–A monthly film forum hosted at schools or community centers in Northern California that explores issues such as race, class, gender, and society. Students are joined by a panel of activists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. to rate the films and convene roundtable discussions about corresponding relevant issues in society. For info about film screenings and schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Writing Workshops–We offer intensive seminars in journalism, creative writing, cultural criticism, new media, film production, etc. These seminars are taught at the center, located at 1224 Preservation Park, Oakland, CA, 94612. They are also available on location, at schools, community and detention centers, churches, etc. For info about class schedules contact: cheo@whatchusay.com
Internships–Whatchusay.com offers competitive internships to young writers who have clearly demonstrated a passion for the craft of writing or media production. The 3-month internship covers news writing and reporting, feature writing, creative writing, media literacy and new media. Working in partnership with community based organizations, universities and international and national media outlets, we produce a pipeline of informed journalists of color who will go on to create their own independent media organizations or work for major media organizations.
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Jumper Cables: Hook a Young Brotha Up
By Pendarvis Harshaw
All around the nation, young Black men can be found on corners, front stoops, backyards, in garages, so on and so on. There is a common thread: Dormancy. These young men are motionless, without drive. Much like these boys, cars with dead batteries can be found curbside, in garages, in backyards sitting dormant, motionless, with no drive. Both the automobiles and these boys fall victim to the restraints of the battery life they were manufactured and born with, and in time, die out due to limited energy.
Both the car by the curb, and the Black boys with curbed passion for life have a common need: jumper cables.
The 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys
A good connection, a spark, a burst of energy, some juice, some drive- the jumper cable adequately symbolizes so much of the topic of discussion at the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys recent meeting, which was held December 5 through December 11, 2007, in Chicago at the Little Black Pearl Community Center.
The question that was posed to me while participating in a youth panel discussion: "What do Black boys need from Black men to become Black men?"
“Jumper cables,” I responded. Two words seemingly snatched the attention of every cynic on the South Side.
I continued my point, “jumper cables can figuratively be in the form of mentorship, mental management, or monetary support. No matter how the individual, group, or organization so chooses to go about coming to the aid of these Black boys, there needs to be an understanding of the potential of the Black Boy’s mind, and why this potential has not been tapped - if the battery doesn’t start, the driver will never know how far the car can go, or how fast it can get there…”
My interactions with cats younger than me, observations of my peers, and analyzing myself- at my lesser times- I have realized that the black mind sits dormant behind layers of frustration. The frustration emits from the common forms of oppression we encounter in our everyday lives: financial fiascos, health hardships, and educational errors- but the biggest form of frustration is the looming thought of a premature death. This alone is the driving reason behind much of the disregard for life in the black community. When the disregard for life is the fuel, and frustration covers the windows- obstructing the view, this is where jumper cables need be applied.
If the body were a car- this is where the battery light on the dashboard of your conscious would begin to illuminate. However, people don’t come equipped with for warning technology- instead, it is up to the mentors to play the role of the neighborhood mechanic- judging by the actions, the noises, and the drive in the car whether or not it need be worked on.
In closing- to the men who look to see an improved condition within the state of young black males- I ask you do as all good mechanics do: get down in the oil and dirt- check under the hood and see what needs to be fixed- and then "hook a young brotha up."
Pendarvis Harshaw is a writer and student attending Howard University. You can hit him at: pensandpistols@hotmail.com
Posted on January 4, 2008 8:26 AM
