By Amber E. Williams

     Perhaps it was a moment of deja vu as the nation watched another hurricane form in the Atlantic after Hurricane Harvey had already devastated Texas just a couple of weeks before.  This time, it was Irma who threatened the Caribbean and the state of Florida as a category five hurricane. Florida residents took heed of the impending threat of the storm and evacuated to safety or prepared to ride out the storm, learning from Texas to take the situation seriously. The nation held its breath as Irma pounded the Caribbean islands and loomed toward the United States. On September 10th, Hurricane Irma landed on the southwest side of Florida and, like Harvey in Texas, left a trail of tornadoes, flooding, and destruction.

     Even though Houston and other parts of Texas are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, help and aid has not run out, and this assistance is extended to victims of Hurricane Irma. Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. stands ready to support moms in the state of Florida, just as it has done over the past few weeks in Houston. It is the goal of MOBB United to help moms in Texas and in Florida to recover physically, emotionally, and mentally from these natural disasters.

     In Houston, moms are using this opportunity of service and volunteerism to change how law enforcement and first responders view our Black sons. The sons of Houston moms are participating in the volunteer effort alongside their moms by donating items, serving others, and providing meals and refreshments to those who are helping.  As recovery efforts in Florida and Texas continue, MOBB United will continue to be there to support our moms and their sons.

By Amber E. Williams

    All eyes look to Houston, TX in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and the devastating flooding that resulted. Since last weekend, many Houstonians have held their breath as rains continued and loved ones had to evacuate or be rescued from stalled vehicles and flooding homes.  Homes, businesses, and roadways have been destroyed. Many lives have been lost. The emerging rays of the sun inspire hope in the greater Houston area that the end of the torrential rains have ended and recovery can begin. For our city of Houston, nothing will be normal for quite a while.  

    In the midst of this disaster, a caring and empathetic spirit has emerged. Neighbors are helping neighbors, families have united, and strangers are offering each other assistance. For the thousands of Houstonians who have been displaced and have lost everything, the kindness of strangers is welcomed. However, Houston MOBBs are not strangers. MOBB United leadership in Houston has reached out continuously to check on the welfare of fellow MOBBs, assessing the needs of MOBBs who have been impacted by the storm. MOBB United for Social Change (MUSC) stands in solidarity with the Houston chapter and is ready to offer support.

    MOBBs in the greater Houston area are encouraged to take advantage of aid being offered in and around the city. Helpful links include:

• Texas Workforce Commission (www.texasworkforce.org)
• EMA Disaster Relief (www.fema.gov)
• Disaster Assistance (https://www.disasterassistance.gov/)

    There already has been an outpouring of love and support from MOBBs across the nation. In the upcoming weeks, Houston MOBBs in need and their families will be connected with other MOBBs for resources and support. Recovery will take months, and MOBB United will be there every step of the way.

As a White woman, when I married a Black man 20 years ago, I promptly inherited a piece of the history of Black wives in this country: concern for my husband’s safety at the hands of law enforcement. His 6’2”, 280 lb. frame seemed to factor by inches and ounces his vulnerability to being perceived as a threat and therefore victimized. When, 2 years later, I gave birth to a Black son, I was quickly reminded of the tragic mythology of even that totem of racism. From Emmet Till and George Stinney, Jr. to Tamir Rice and Tyre King, slight boys, half my husband’s size and half his age when I married him, are subject to the same stereotype or just pretense of threat and the same consequence of extra-judicial execution.

So, as a white mother of a Black son, I also inherited a piece of the history of Black mothers in this country: a concern for the safety of my child in the presence of those pledged to protect. Maternal concern transcends spousal concern. It holds no self-interest. It mingles the tenderness of love and bonding with a proprietary protectiveness and a fearsome and ready reservoir of instinctual aggression.

Although I live a life fairly rich with diversity, I was largely alone in that formidable amalgam of maternal anxiety. White mothers could not appreciate my experience; Black mothers held a complex relationship to it. The demographics of my circles would need to narrow considerably if I were to seek out a pure commonality. Or so I thought when, in the wake of an increasingly frequent series of graphically portrayed murders of Black men and boys by police officers, including Alton Sterling and Philando Castille, at the moment when my grief and anger were peaking, something crossed my Facebook feed inviting me into a group called Mothers of Black Boys United. I clicked join and follow and almost instantly, I was in a community of over 160,000 women who understood. The frequent assertions that the group was for all mothers and primary caregivers of Black boys seemed like an undue generosity on the part of my hosts, but even that betrayed a bias on my part. In this particular Venn diagram of society, maternal identity eclipsed racial identity.

Fortunately, I was a part of this supportive community as the carnage continued with Terrence Crutcher and Alfred Olango, and we found ourselves suffering together a kind of collective PTSD. It is not for nothing that one of the pillars of this group is Promoting Self-care, that one of its committees is dedicated to Health and Wellness. But was it further fortuitous that I was a member of this group when last week’s presidential election voted in a candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan? No, there was a continuous line that connected the array of dots between police brutality and the imminent Law and Order administration.

I have heard it said that when a white person has a child of color, they become a family of color. For me, it was as if an invisibility cloak of privilege had partially fallen from me, but then only when I was in the presence of my husband or children. I live a double life, marked by not fully sharing my children’s mantle of race but having an inside line on it. In this position, I began with a certain conceit that I had the opportunity to build bridges, that my privilege could be used to educate those who shared my complexion. But increasingly, in recent years, I have simply wanted to shake my fist and walk away from even some of those quite close to me. Now, post election, I cannot in good conscience shake my fist and walk away from the 60,071,650 people in this country who voted for the candidate of hate. That number, almost precisely half the voters in this election, lays stark the brutal divisions to which this populace bound together by geography is subject. It intrudes en masse upon the idealized complacency in which so many of the other 60,467,245 would like to take refuge. And we are a country that in many ways enacts the roiling of race relations for the world stage, broadcasting ideological tropes. Now we have to acknowledge and appreciate the rippling that is occurring for our children in all directions of our global community.

As mothers of Black boys, we muddle together in contradictions, admonishing our sons to be fearful enough to afford themselves a margin of safety, while simultaneously trying to instill them with pride, courage, and integrity. We seek to model and teach the morality of compassion and forgiveness, the value of intellectual inquiry and debate, while ever ready to strike out at anyone who would harm our babies, either physically or psychologically. We are more than ready – it need not even be said – to give our lives for them. This is not melodrama; this is not grandstanding; this is not the imaginary of fantasy any more than are the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Freddie Gray. This is as real as the mourning of mothers; as real as the mourning after the election of hatred to power. Racism need no longer hide within institutions. It is written clearly now in the halls of middle schools newly emblazoned with swastikas.

Recently, I had an opportunity to help a young, black man who was in distress, while the white people in my liberal enclave stood around regarding him with suspicion. Having made eye contact with him, I noticed a trace of panic. Ushering him inside from a storm, literally, I learned he was having difficulty breathing. After I was able to provide him with the requisite inhaler, he looked at me with gratitude and he offered me a fist bump; he offered to give me ‘dap,’ but the gesture didn’t register for me so I didn’t return it. I think I smiled and said, “You’re welcome, no problem!” Afterwards, I felt so sad. I knew he was offering me a guest pass into a community that needs its signals to acknowledge friends among enemies, allies among indifference and ignorance.

It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, but that admirable chestnut in our current world belies a trace of respectability politics. The village has a more important task at hand than rearing good citizens in this post-election world. It takes a village to keep a black child safe, and MobbUnited is now one of the players in that village of mothers and others, of partners and allies. We are ready to influence policy. We are ready to change perception. We are ready to demonstrate our power.

By Pamela Garcia

Get Up, Get Out, and Cast Your Ballot

The events of the past 10 months have been like being caught in a riptide. You have to take a deep breath and focus to figure out the direction of a riptide before you make an attempt to get out of it. If you don’t do these things you could drown.

2020 started off in deep uncharted waters. So many of us had our vision and mission ready. We were going to conquer 2020 with everything in us. Then, Kobe Bryant and 8 other people (including his daughter) were killed when his helicopter crashed on January 26, 2020. This must have been a sign of things to come, because shortly after that the world was struck with COVID-19

COVID-19 is the deadly virus that is wreaking havoc on America with Black Americans at the greatest risk. America is currently up to 70, 000 cases daily. 1 in 920 African Americans are dying from this deadly disease. As if having to shelter in place, wear masks, and being isolated from friends and family to prevent this virus has not been enough, the President had a very lackadaisical stance on preventing the spread of the virus which may have led to more deaths due to neglect, than America should have had. In the midst of COVID-19 Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd were killed by law enforcement. The most igniting of these killings was that of George Floyd. Minnesota police officer Derrek Chauvin kept his knee on Georoge Floydd’s throat for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while the world watched via social media. This led to nationwide protests on a scale that America had never experienced. Protestors were treated unfairly at times, which led to civil unrest.

In the midst of all of this our voting rights were threatened by our nation’s leaders occupying some of the highest positions in our government. Some of them have done all they can do to suppress the vote. They have spread the rhetoric that voting by mail leads to fraud and also believes no votes should be counted after election day. Let’s not allow our voices to be silenced with these antics. No matter who you vote for, voting is your legal right.

Voting is a right that African Americans fought for in this country. Many of our ancestors died in this fight so that we could make decisions about who leads the United States. They took on a great task in the face of their own fear and violence by white nationalist and law enforcement. All of that caused President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law. This law made poll taxes, literacy tests, and the forcing of Blacks to recite the entire Constitution of the United States in order to be allowed to cast their votes illegal. As a people we must push through this.

Voting is not just our right, it is our responsibility. Just like our ancestors, we have to cast our ballots by any means necessary. Waiting in a long line, or walking past white nationalist as they attempt to intimidate you at the polls on election day (Tuesday, November 3, 2020) should not keep you from voting. If our ancestors did it, surely we can do it too. Focus your thoughts, study your ballot and get up, get out and cast your ballot. It is not just your right, it is your responsibility. It not only affects how you will live now, but how your children and your children's children will live once you are gone.

By Aimee Wilson and Carla Canty-Byrd

Organize, Mobilize, and Demand Change: Outraged Moms of Black Boys Rapid Response and Call Center are Ready for Action

We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, moms who were on the frontlines of past Civil Rights movements and moms who resisted the status quo. We organize in the spirit of our righteous mentor, Fannie Lou Hamer, who infamously stated, "I am tired of being sick and tired.” We activate the principles of MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC), which include showing our power and creating strategic partnerships. And we mobilize to stand in the gap for our sons, fighting the injustices of police brutality, and lack of accountability, fighting for justice for the lost lives and lost potential of our Black boys and men and their traumatized families and communities.

If you are "tired of being sick and tired", if another incident of police violence makes you want to holla, and if you are ready to move from talk to action, the Rapid Response team needs you. You can work as a dedicated advocacy volunteer on the Rapid Response Team and stand on the frontlines of justice in our Call Center. You also can just jump in from time to time with our published MUSC calls to action. To volunteer, please complete the volunteer form and specify that you're interested in the Rapid Response team.

To report a possible incident for Rapid Response, email us at [email protected] with available details of the excessive use of force or school-related racism, discrimination, or bullying incident.

Moms of Black Boys United, Inc., the 501c3 sister organization if MOBB United for Social Change (MUSC), needs financial resources to do the important work required to protect or sons. Please consider donating to Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. this month at mobbunited.org/donate. Also, please learn more about fundraising plans and what else you can do to help.

By C. K. LeDaniel

     On February 14th of this year, a young man armed with an AR-15 rifle entered his former high school, killed 17 people—mostly students—and injured 15. This was, by no means, the first school shooting we’ve seen; in fact, there have been at least 17 school shootings to date in 2018 alone. In part because of its scale, this one captured the attention of the country, but more so because of the remarkable activism of the surviving students.
 
     In the weeks since we began to see their faces on our televisions and in our Facebook feeds, these students are also becoming increasingly “woke” about the racial issues involved in gun control. To be sure, the predominantly White affluence of the Parkland students has allowed the issue to gain traction and mobilize the country to “March for Our Lives”—the DC march was one of the largest in history. But the Parkland students are not all White. Many are Black and Latina. One of the most recognized among them is the young, queer, Latina woman, Emma Gonzalez. Her Black classmates have seen less airtime on our major news networks. But the visible White students have begun to “check their privilege” and call this out, while Black students, many of whom participated in the National Walkout Day on March 14th, have helped to check them.
 
     In watching the march on television, I found that people of color were far more amplified than they were initially. The remarkable Naomi Wadler, an 11-year-old African American girl, has gone viral with her powerful message, stating she is speaking for those Black girls who are often forgotten. We also saw many young brothers, including Zion Kelly, a resident of D.C., and Christopher Underwood of Brooklyn, who both lost siblings to gun violence. Alex King and D’Angelo McDade from Chicago took the stage with tape over their mouths and their fists in the air.
 
     But what exactly are the racial issues involved in gun control? First, let’s take a quick look at the racist history of the Second Amendment itself, which supported the rights of White people to form militias better known as “slave patrols”, some of which were later known as the Ku Klux Klan. When Black people sought to arm themselves and exercise their constitutional right to self-defense against these groups, it should come as no surprise that legal institutions were able to easily circumvent a “race-neutral” application of the law. In other words, the Second Amendment and gun control have largely only ever been implemented to the disadvantage of people of color. Think back to the Black Panthers exercising their right to “open carry”; the Reagan Administration and local California legislators swiftly imposed restrictions.
 
     Today, we see the racist implementation of the Second Amendment as gun rights activists, mostly White people, have their rights respected and protected despite their overt aggression. One need only recall recent pictures of heavily armed White Supremacists in Charlotte, flanked and unchecked by law enforcement. Meanwhile, a legal gun owner in full compliance with the law, like Philando Castile, cannot reach into his glove compartment without being shot to death in his car while his killer, a police officer, goes free. White people armed with assault weapons and bombs, weapons of war and mass destruction, who are members of known White Supremacist groups, are referred to as “challenged young adults” with mental illnesses or tragic victims of bullying, while unarmed Black people are thugs so frightening that they are gunned down, not only by police officers, but also by “neighborhood watchmen” like George Zimmerman, who took out Trayvon while he walked home with a package of Skittles in his hand.  The “law” allowed Zimmerman to be acquitted.
 
     The March for Our Lives youth and teachers’ unions oppose the “hardening of schools” promoted by Trump and the National Rifle Association (NRA), in which teachers would be trained and armed and more safety officers would be placed in schools. They oppose these for good reasons. It is a cynical attempt to increase gun sales. It will likely lead to more loss of life. A gun will not stop an AR-15. Teachers want to teach, not be armed, and they want funding to support the teaching, not the gun manufacturers. But we moms of MOBB United are keenly aware that the “hardening of schools” will mean the increased loss of Black life, as the armed fear for their lives around dark-skinned children. More safety officers in schools already has meant a dramatic growth in the school-to-prison pipeline as our sons are criminalized at an ever earlier age. This will only grow more, feeding the beast of mass incarceration.
 
     Much was made in the march of the concerns of communities of color regarding the presence and use of guns in their own communities. Fortunately, I did not hear the problem referred to as a so-called “Black on Black” crime issue, a racist construct, at least not from the march speakers and not on the media outlets I frequent. The issue was more appropriately raised as one of racially determined, socio-economic problems heightened by the easy availability of lethal arms. D’Angelo McDade, cited above, said, “I stand before you representing the body of those who have experienced and lost their lives due to gun violence. For we are survivors. For I am a survivor. For we are survivors not only of gun violence, but of silence. For we are survivors of the erratic productions of poverty. But not only that, we are the survivors of unjust policies and practices upheld by our Senate. We are survivors of lack of resources within our schools. We are survivors of social, emotional, and physical harm."
 
     For us moms, the gun violence that breaks our hearts all too often was reflected in the murder of Stephon Clark, a young Black father holding a white cell phone in his own backyard, whose phone struck such terror in two police officers that they shot him 20 times within 3 seconds of seeing him and cuffed his lifeless body on the ground. I was relieved that Stephon Clark was invoked several times at the march, including by Edna Chavez, a young Latina student from South Central Los Angeles. Let us hope that the youth involved in this new movement—many of our sons and daughters among them—will continue to be mindful of race and of intersectionality in all of their activism

By Delicia Hand and Frankie Robertson

     The MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC) Policy and Advocacy Committee sets the strategic policy priorities and drives advocacy initiatives for the organization. As a committee, we set and lead execution of MUSC’s policy agenda, research policies that impact Black men and boys, identify opportunities to advocate on behalf of our sons, and guide MUSC’s approach and responses to instances where Black men and boys have been victims of unjustified force and violence by police.

Legislative Platform Launched
     The Policy and Advocacy Committee finalized and recently launched a new advocacy resource, the organization’s Legislative Policy Platform. The Legislative Platform outlines MOBB United for Social Change’s policy priorities and equips members to be informed about our policy priorities when they engage with partners and policy makers across the country. Think of the platform as your quick reference fact sheet that you can use to quickly outline the concrete policy changes we seek. Since it has been launched, MOBB United moms have used the platform to engage with their state representatives and advocate on key criminal justice reform issues. In March, moms in Louisiana and New Jersey have used the platform in meetings with their representatives.  Additionally, leading up to the close of the state legislative session on April 9th, Maryland moms relied on the platform as they weighed in with their representatives on key initiatives. Policy moms in California may soon use the platform to engage with their representatives. Check out our new resource here: http://www.mobbunited.org/MUSCPlatform.

What’s happening in your state?
     If you’re not familiar with the state legislative process or state legislative advocacy, here’s a quick overview. State legislatures operate on varying schedules and time periods within a year.  Some states have part time legislators, others have full time legislators; each correlated with whether the state has a year-long legislative session or part-year legislative session. For example, California, New York and Pennsylvania have full-time legislatures; Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin have limited full-time legislatures. Other states have legislative sessions which are only in session for a few months of the year. For these states—Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, Georgia, for example—typically the beginning of the calendar year, January through March, marks a very fast paced sprint to engage with a policymaker and have an impact on the process.  

     Over the past few months, Policy and Advocacy Committee members have been monitoring activities in various states across the country. In the spring, state legislatures typically start to introduce measures which go through the process of introduction, committee assignment, committee hearing, consideration by the main body, and, assuming passage, then signature by the state executive. When MOBB United engages on legislative policy issues at the state level, it can be during any of these stages. Sometimes when a measure is introduced, we reach out to state legislators and try to encourage them to sign on. In advance of a committee hearing, we urge members to attend to learn about a measure.  Once a measure is adopted by the legislature, we often weigh in to try to impact budget negotiations so that the enacted measure is actually funded. Otherwise, we continue to apply pressure to ensure the state executive branch moves to implement the measure.

     Below is an overview of some of the measures we have been following and advocating on this legislative season. Some of these measures have advanced and become law; others, have not advanced.  All represent initiatives where MOBB United moms reached out to their representatives and weighed in on behalf of our sons. 

• California
  • SB1437 - [SUPPORT] will reform the felony murder rule and accomplice liability in certain types of second-degree murder. This act would abolish felony murder liability for an accomplice: a person who did not personally commit the homicidal act or intend that a homicide occur. PENDING; April 24, 2018 hearing.
• Louisiana
  • HB560 - [SUPPORT] Creates the State Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct. PENDING; April 13, 2018hearing.
  • HB709 - [SUPPORT] Creates the State Commission on Prosecutorial Oversight and the Code of Prosecutorial Conduct.
• Maryland
  • HB1801- [OPPOSE] Requiring each public school to have an armed school resource officer present on school grounds during regular school hours on school days; requiring the Department of State Police to assign a State Police officer to a certain public school under certain circumstances; requiring a certain State Police officer to be present on school grounds during regular school hours on school days and to carry a firearm; and authorizing a private school to have an armed school resource officer present on school grounds. Did not progress this session.
  • HB1173 - [SUPPORT] Requiring a law enforcement agency to report beginning October 1, 2018, and every 2 years thereafter to the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention on policies and procedures related to use of force, de-escalation training for law enforcement officers; requiring the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention to adopt procedures for the collection, analysis, and compilation of use of force de-escalation training information received from a certain law enforcement agency; requiring a certain report; etc. Did not progress this session.
  • HB480/SB484 - [SUPPORT] Repealing a certain requirement that a certain defendant pay a certain fee to a certain private home detention monitoring agency; and providing that a defendant who is subject to pretrial release may not be required to pay for certain services provided or security measures taken by the State, a county, or another entity acting on behalf of the State or a county. Did not progress this session.
• New Jersey
  • S406 - [SUPPORT] Creates New Jersey Innocence Study and Review Commission.
  • S428 - [SUPPORT] Provides for review of juvenile sentence of more than 30 years imprisonment without parole eligibility under certain circumstances.
• New York
  • S3579A - [SUPPORT] Bail Elimination Reform Act of 2018 - eliminates money bail, protects the presumption of innocence and the right to freedom, sets strong limits on when and how any pretrial conditions are instituted, and prohibits the use of biased risk assessment tools.

As these measures progress through the respective state legislatures, MOBB United needs pumps on the ground and moms on the front line who are willing to engage on behalf of their sons! We can train moms on how to be able and effective advocates. Join us! If your state is not represented and you are willing to send an email, make a call and take a meeting with a representative, email [email protected].

Electoral Engagement
     The Policy and Advocacy committee will soon shift to educating members about who will appear on their ballots when they go to the polls this fall, and engaging candidates for electoral office so that they are aware of the issues impacting black men and boys. This year across the country, many policy makers, who can affect the standards and measures of accountability for law enforcement when they interact with our sons, will be elected into office. Many MOBB United members will vote for these persons, without any idea or information about how the official feels about important issues that impact our sons. How does your member of Congress feel about structural reforms to criminal justice law such as bail reform, ensuring that juveniles are not unnecessarily charged as adults, teen life sentencing? How does your city council representative or mayor feel about the standards that apply to police officers wearing body cameras? Does your local police chief care that his/her officers are sufficiently trained on issues like implicit bias, de-escalation, and crisis intervention?

     The Policy and Advocacy committee is developing Candidate Questionnaires and will soon shepherd a series of events where members can engage directly with those seeking offices to learn how they feel about these important issues. Specifically, we will be seeking answers from candidates for U.S. Congress, State Attorneys General, local prosecutors or District Attorneys to survey their views on our organizational priorities. We will be seeking answers from the candidates in seats that are up for election this year. We will develop a questionnaire that will be available on our website that you can download and send directly to candidates, to find out their position on issues impacting our sons. If you are interested in helping or participating in this initiative, email: [email protected].

If you have the drive to seek policy solutions and be an advocate for your son(s), then please join the Policy and Advocacy Committee. If you have a background in law or policy, then the committee especially needs YOU! We meet every other week on Thursdays via conference call at 10 PM ET. For more information contact: [email protected].

By Delicia Hand and Frankie Robertson

     The MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC) Policy and Advocacy Committee sets the strategic policy priorities and drives advocacy initiatives for the organization. As a committee, we set and lead execution of MUSC’s policy agenda, research policies that impact Black men and boys, identify opportunities to advocate on behalf of our sons, and guide MUSC’s approach and responses to instances where Black men and boys have been victims of unjustified force and violence by police.

        It’s a new year for MOBB United for Social Change’s Policy and Advocacy committee, and we will soon be rolling out our Legislative Platform. A new resource, the Legislative Platform, will equip members to be informed about our policy priorities when they engage with partners and policy makers across the country. We will launch the roadmap with a training on February 24th, followed by a series of opportunities for members to engage directly with their representatives in March and April. Make sure you sign up for the training by emailing [email protected].

        We continue to fight for progressive change and a better world for our Black sons through direct engagement in state legislatures! States all across the country are beginning their legislative sessions. The Policy and Advocacy Committee is monitoring legislation in key states on issues that align with our legislative platform.  Specifically, we are monitoring legislative proposals that touch on:

• De-escalation training for law enforcement officials
• Implicit bias and diversity training
• Police oversight mechanisms such as body camera laws
• Structural intersections with poverty such as bail reform or teen life sentencing

     This March and April we also will be organizing a series of lobby days, encouraging members across the country to meet with their representatives to talk about these issues and how they impact Black men and boys. 

     To be successful, however, we NEED your help! Below are some ways you can join and support this year's campaign.

1. Monitor legislation in your state. This year, we have a one-stop-shop software that allows us to quickly access information about what is happening in each state legislature.  We need people to communicate directly with sponsors of key legislation in their home states and identify opportunities for MUSC to get involved. If you have 30 minutes during the week, this is the job for you!
2. Sign up to lead a state lobby day. Are you ready to connect with your representatives and let them know about the key issues impacting Black men and boys? Want to learn what is happening in your state? Interested in joining or organizing other moms to advocate for our sons? If so, join or lead a lobby day! When we organize the series of lobby days across the country this March and April, pick a date and join us to make sure your state is represented. Policy and Advocacy Committee members will train you and provide you with the resources to have a successful lobby day. Email [email protected] for more information.   

     If you have the drive to seek policy solutions and be an advocate for your son(s), then please join the Policy and Advocacy Committee. If you have a background in law or policy, then the committee especially needs YOU! We meet every other week on Thursdays via conference call at 10 PM ET. For more information contact: [email protected].

By Vanessa McCullers

The following posts were shared originally in the Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. private Facebook group: H&M Op-Ed “No Monkeys Here” by Vanessa McCullers Picked up by Blavity and TVOne Screening and Panel with Eric Garner's Mom. Mom Vanessa McCullers, our Communications Committee Lead, gave us permission to share them publicly. If you are a mom of a Black son and member of that group, you can read and/or respond in the comments via the links.

H&M Op-Ed “No Monkeys Here” by Vanessa McCullers Picked up by Blavity

TVOne Screening and Panel with Eric Garner's Mom

By Uchechi Eke

     During President Barack Obama’s era, as it relates to judiciary and more specifically, prison and bail reform, the former President gave state judges discretionary powers to find alternative options to a custodial sentence if the perceived offender could not afford bail, such as a payment plan or community sentence. Just recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to repeal and roll back these powers, declaring that state judges no longer can practice such discretion, and if someone is accused of a crime, and cannot pay the bond amount, they will have to pay with jail time.

     Millions of people are separated from their families for months at a time—not because they are convicted of committing a crime, but because they are accused of committing a crime. On any given day, more than 400,000 people who are convicted of no crime are held in jail because they cannot afford to buy their freedom.

     We all know how discriminatory this is, especially as the majority of those stopped, searched, and arrested are young Black men—our boys. This policy also makes no fiscal sense for the public. For example, in the state of Texas, it costs over $50 per day to incarcerate someone, but less than $2 to supervise them on a community order. When Black and Brown people are over-policed, arrested, and accused of crimes at higher rates than others, and then forced to pay for their freedom before they ever see trial, big bail companies prosper. Every year $9 billion dollars is wasted incarcerating people who’ve not been convicted of a crime, and insurance companies, who have taken over the bail system, get richer.

     There is nothing more traumatic in this scenario than knowing that your son does not have the financial means to pay his bail and you are also unable to raise the exorbitant amount. This reminds me of the Kalief Browder case. Kalief’s family was too poor to post bond when he was accused of stealing a backpack. He was sentenced to a kind of purgatory before ever being brought to trial and finally the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Meanwhile, of the nearly 3 years that he was at Riker’s Island, more than 2 of those were spent in solitary confinement, ultimately creating irreversible damage that lead to his suicide at age 22.

     The judges reviewing the bond limit are required to assess the risk of ‘flight or danger’ to the community. Many Black boys and men pose neither of these risks. Many offences with which they are charged are minor misdemeanors, i.e., shoplifting or possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

     The impact on the Black boy who now sits in jail awaiting a trial date or sentence is formidable, as he now faces multiple hardships. His education is disrupted. His mental state declines. He is estranged from his family and friends. He will be ostracised upon his release, labelled,and stigmatised. He will find it difficult to reintegrate back into society, including by finding gainful employment, which may lead him to repeat his behaviour.

     And what about the impact on his mother, not knowing when her son will be home? Mom worries herself sick, knowing he will be ill-treated. This worry accompanies tremendous guilt that weighs her down for not being financially able to bail him out, not to mention the emotional strain on his siblings and father and the mental anguish when confronted by family members, friends, neighbours and teachers who constantly ask “where is your boy?”

     Families are forced to take on more debt, often in predatory lending schemes created by bail bond insurers while their sons languish in jail, sometimes for months or years—a consequence of nationwide backlogs and prosecutorial interests. Not to mention, the Prison Industrial Complex, which also profits from vulnerable families who cannot afford bail. We can’t fix the broken criminal justice system until we take on the exploitative bail industry.

     As mothers, we have a duty of care. This includes social, political and economic activism.

     I hope this piece has ignited a flame, one that will help MOBB United and MOBB United for Social Change to distinguish this discriminatory practice and continue the fight to ensure that our sons do not pay such a harsh price for their freedom—whether at the hands of the police or the prison system.

By Pamela Wood-Garcia

With Super Bowl LII just concluding with a Philadelphia Eagles victory over the New England Patriots, one has to wonder what happened to the Black Community and its allies taking a knee for justice? Just the other day, I was on Facebook, and my timeline was flooded with posts about how the Patriots were going to beat the Eagles in the big game. People of color were paying homage to Tom Brady and his athletic ability and his winning record. I was mortified, to say the least. Not that Tom Brady is not worthy of another Super Bowl win, but how the hell did any of my Facebook friends know anything about the Super Bowl? Were they actually watching playoff games? These were the same people who just a few weeks back were posting “Blackout the NFL” videos and hash tagging that they “stood with KAP”. So many people were so passionate when Spike Lee and other celebrities decided to publicly stand with Colin Kaepernick after he was blackballed for taking a knee during the NFL games in which he played. Many of the same people have now abandoned the process of bringing forth change. Kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner or skipping NFL games is not just about boycotting a few football games, it is part of the long process of bringing forth change. When did we, as a people stop trusting the process? The process is all that we have ever had in this country. When did we become so out of touch with our power that we would relinquish it to watch a football game? Did they forget about the vicious killings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Eric Garner? Have they really lost sight of the slayings of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, and Mario Woods?

If we recap a few of the social injustices of 2017, it would give us plenty of reason to take a knee. Let’s start with January 2017 being the deadliest month for police brutality since 2015. In a report in the Washington Post, it is noted that 250 people were killed by law enforcement in the first month of last year. The rest of the year proved to be equally as disappointing. Betty Shelby was acquitted for the murder of Terence Crutcher. Darius Smith of California, Jordan Edwards of Texas and Jason Negron of Connecticut, all just 15 years old, were all killed at the hands of law enforcement within days of each other. Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of the murder of Philando Castile and our criminal justice system was placed under the leadership of very well known White supremacist, Jeff Sessions. The current president stood in front of a group of police officers and instructed them to use excessive force on “thugs”. There was the demonstration in Charlotteville, which was led like a Klan rally of old and took the life of Heather Heyer, who was peacefully protesting with friends. As if that was not enough, the president stood before another crowd and called NFL players sons of bitches for taking a knee during the national anthem. I think that is enough to justify kneeling for justice but if the events of 2017 are not enough to make you want to take a knee, then maybe the following will be.

We, as Africans in America need to trust our own processes. If we say that we are taking a knee for justice, why did so many of us fall off of the boycott Spike Lee and so many other celebrities started? It is a sad day when we are not connected enough as a people to skip a few football games or take a knee during a song that is about murdering our predecessors to ensure that we are treated fairly and that our sons and daughters can move about the country they live in without law enforcement being a threat to their very lives. We need to quit playing woke on social media and wake up in real life! Things will not change if we don't trust our own processes. Our ancestors trusted the process of making change and they saw the process all the way through.

Sojourner Truth, a Women’s Rights activist and an African Slave abolitionist was one of the very first Black women to take a stand to protect her son by way of legislation and win. Truth, who lived in New York, learned that her 5-year-old son, Peter, had been sold illegally by her former slave owner to a man in Alabama. With the help of white abolitionists, she took the issue to court and in 1828, after a long drawn out legal battle, she got her son back. The process of getting her son back took close to 2 years. Many Black Women in that era would have given up hope before their case reached a high court, but Truth stuck it out and saw victory by way of trusting the process that she started.

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to serve in the United States senate. She was also the very first Black person to run for President of the United States after reconstruction. She never made it past the primaries but she did blaze a trail for future generations. People like Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama ran after Chisholm and each made mention of her while campaigning.

Rosa Parks trusted the process of small incremental change based on major sacrifice. She and the entire Black community of Montgomery, Alabama, boycotted the bus system after Rosa was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. This sparked a large scale boycott of the bus system in Montgomery Alabama and marked the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. For 13 months our predecessors walked miles to and from their jobs and anyplace else they needed to go. They did this until the Supreme Court changed the segregation laws of the bus system in Montgomery. They became a cohesive unit and saw the boycott process through. Through this boycott, they fought for themselves, but they also fought for us. Our children need to see us the same way we see our ancestors.

As moms, we are Black History in the making. Changing the perception that society has of Black boys and men, influencing policy, demonstrating the power of the Black woman and our allies, and partnering strategically with groups and individuals who can help further our mission is no easy task. We are women on a mission to make change but there is a process to making that change. On a daily basis, MOBB United leadership puts it all on the line to ensure that the world knows that we are here for our sons. We actually are marching, writing letters and emails, making phone calls, going to funerals, raising funds for families, meeting with legislators, having group chats and national calls, and educating ourselves, and we do it all for the love of our sons. It is not just a good look on social media; it is a daily sacrifice of time and energy. We have to let go of what seems normal and comfortable for what is right. Everybody mentioned in this article chose to do what was right. Kneeling for justice may have been perceived as a good look to some; those who boycotted until their team was in the playoffs. But Colin Kaepernick didn’t take a knee because it was a good look; he did it because it was the right thing to do. He did it to protest the atrocities that our sons face everyday. Taking a knee for Justice needed to be backed by the entire Black community throughout the entire football season for it to be most effective, but some people dropped the ball—they fumbled!

As moms, we cannot drop the ball. We have to give our all to push our mission forward, and each mom’s contribution makes up part of that united “all”. Being on social media with MOBB United is a great look for any mom of a Black son, but it is the work that makes that look so amazing! Please help us to do our work and see our processes through by becoming an official member of MOBB United today. Sign up on our website and join a committee. Become a part of Black History. Help us to help our sons. We are carrying on the legacy of our ancestors by being an unstoppable, unmovable force in the communities that we serve. Our children should look back and see us the way that we see our ancestors. They should see all of us complete our processes.

We take a stand for all moms whose Black sons love the game of football. We understand that most of them cannot simply choose to take a knee against injustice publicly. whether our sons are paid to take the field, do it purely for the love or don't play a sport at all, they ALL deserve to be treated fairly! On the field and off! They should be allowed to express their opinions. PERIOD.

By Aimee Wilson and Carla Canty-Byrd

Organize, Mobilize, and Demand Change: Outraged Moms of Black Boys Rapid Response and Call Center are Ready for Action

We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, moms who were on the frontlines of past Civil Rights movements and moms who resisted the status quo. We organize in the spirit of our righteous mentor, Fannie Lou Hamer, who infamously stated, "I am tired of being sick and tired.” We activate the principles of MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC), which include showing our power and creating strategic partnerships. And we mobilize to stand in the gap for our sons, fighting the injustices of police brutality, and lack of accountability, fighting for justice for the lost lives and lost potential of our Black boys and men and their traumatized families and communities.

When excessive use of force incidents occur involving Black boys and men within the continental United States, a team of dedicated advocacy volunteers takes a series of actions and responds strategically to those incidents. Those volunteers are members of our Rapid Response team. Other incidents assessed for our organizational response may include excessive imprisonment or alleged mistreatment while incarcerated and school-related incidents of bullying, racism, and suspension/expulsion.

As MUSC expanded during our young organizational life, we knew that advocating for our sons was critical for justice in our country. Operating from within the Policy and Advocacy Committee, the Rapid Response team examines and methodically analyzes if, how, and/or when our organization will add our unique voice to the ongoing conversation of police violence and social justice. In partnership with our organization's Communications Committee, we let our community and supporters know when it is time to take action.

An important element of our organizational response is our Call Center, comprised of moms who have volunteered to contact key local leaders regarding identified incidents and demand responses to our calls to action. These volunteers, who are affectionately called "Gladiators" take a few minutes out of their day to call, email, and/or post on social media to share our expectations around an incident. All volunteers are given instructions on who to call, what to say, and how to say it. We operate as a united force. The power of our efforts comes in our numbers and our consistency.

After making an initial Call-to-Action for Euclid, Ohio’s Police Department, new developments occurred with a local activist being beaten by that Police Department. With the updated Call-to-Action, MUSC escalated our request to direct our advocacy not only to Euclid’s Mayor and Police Chief, but also to local state legislators and the Governor. One of the state legislators is open to learn more about our concerns with that Police Department and is willing to meet with local MUSC members on this matter.

When an incident is over, some organizations move onto the next cause. Our Rapid Response team conducts a series of check-ins to determine if any new developments might affect our organizational response and/or if the families involved need help connecting to resources. During each phase of Rapid Response, our team seeks partners from our MUSC community and other social justice organizations to build strategic partnerships. These growing partnerships may include local social justice organizations and/or local chapters of national organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Black Lives Matter (BLM), or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapters, to name a few.

Did you know that police departments and city leaders bank on average citizens moving on after a short while? This leaves them free to do as they please. We cannot let this continue. That is why the Rapid Response team is here: to call out injustice, pressure key leaders, and make a lasting change!

The Rapid Response team, including our Call Center volunteers, are members of the MUSC Policy and Advocacy Committee. The Rapid Response Team is welcoming new team members and would like to continue to grow with new researchers, writers, and Call Center volunteers.

If you are "tired of being sick and tired", if another incident of police violence makes you want to holla, and if you are ready to move from talk to action, the Rapid Response team needs you. You can work as a dedicated advocacy volunteer on the Rapid Response Team and stand on the frontlines of justice in our Call Center. You also can just jump in from time to time with our published MUSC calls to action. To volunteer, please complete the volunteer form and specify that you're interested in the Rapid Response team.

To report a possible incident for Rapid Response, email us at [email protected] with available details of the excessive use of force or school-related racism, discrimination, or bullying incident.

By Tiffany Bargeman and Vanessa McCullers

     On January 20th, thousands of women descended on Waterfront Park for the Women's March in San Diego, CA, to demonstrate their unity and be voices for those in need of support. MOBB United's Communications Committee Chair, Vanessa McCullers, gave a powerful and passionate speech on behalf of the sister organizations MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC) and Moms of Black Boys United, Inc., explaining just how valuable the lives of our Black men and boys are and demanding social change for them and all moms of Black sons in America. Please take some time to read her speech below.

Speech:

“Good morning, everyone! I am so excited to see so many new and familiar faces today. To the organizers of today’s march, Sarah, Poppy, and your teams, thank you. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak this morning.
 
This same time last year, I was preparing for the Women’s March. My daughter, Jazz, was beside me, proudly displaying her Girl Power. I was beyond thrilled with Jazz’s desire to be heard and to raise her voice against racism and discrimination, exactly like we do at MOBB United.
 
In 2016, I joined our hours-old online network of mothers called Moms of Black Boys United on Facebook. We moms shared our concerns and fears.  In fact, many of us mothers agree that our Black children; specifically, our black boys, live in a society that is both hostile and threatening to them.  Statistics indicate that 1 in 3 Black men will enter prison at some point in their lives. The killings of unarmed black men are now being streamed via social media. Our members knew we needed to speak out against the negative things that were impacting our families and our communities. But we knew that simply complaining about injustice was not the way. So we have developed a nonprofit, Moms of Black Boys United for Social Change. We are committed to using our strength and power to fight police brutality.

The emotional stimuli to fight and never give up comes from many different sources. Like Trump and his harmful remarks about women, African Americans, immigrants, poor and disenfranchised lets us know that our voices are needed.
 
With its longstanding history of bias and insensitivity toward racial and ethnic minorities, I believe there is no justice in the Department of Justice. I say this because the DOJ declines to enforce laws that benefit and protect communities of color. Whenever communities of color are under attack and under siege, no one is held accountable.  
 
Not only should the officers be held accountable, but also those who encourage them to be “rough” when arresting citizens!

 If we are to find justice for all the sons, brothers, husbands and loved ones we have lost, we must encourage our state and local officials to embrace our agenda—an agenda that cries POLICE BRUTALITY NO MORE, and seeks accountability from those who use their position of influence to break the law.
 
MOBB United for Social Change is committed to holding the Trump Administration, our local, and our state officials accountable to creating policies that benefit all people, especially communities of color.

We are serious about the fight for justice in America. We will not rest until our Black daughters and sons can feel 100 percent safe walking alone to the convenience store to purchase ice tea and Skittles.  They shouldn’t have to run from the police. They should be able to run to the police if they are in trouble!
 
Together, we stand asking you to stand with us. We believe that by using our collective powers, we can create change, and build a better, brighter, kinder and safer world for your sons and daughters, for Jazz, for future generations, and for all of humanity.
 
Thank you for hearing the cry of MOBB United! Stay alert, vote in every election, and never give up the fight!”

 
The following posts were shared originally in the Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. private Facebook group, and mom Vaness McCullers gave us permission to share them publicly. If you are a mom of a Black son and member of that group, you can watch her deliver her speech.

By Vanessa McCullers and Tiffany Bargeman

    Moms of Black Boys (MOBB) United, Inc. and MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC) are sister organizations that are dedicated to positively influencing how Black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement and in society. MOBB United, including both organizations, is a nationwide coalition of concerned moms of Black sons who represent every race, age, socioeconomic background, marital status, and education level. What we share is unconditional love for our Black sons, and we want others to see them through our proud eyes.  

    MOBB United applies a multi-pronged approach that includes media campaigns and storytelling, education and engagement, political and economic empowerment, self-care, strategic partnerships, sustained advocacy, and community involvement. MOBB United’s heavy online presence includes:

Website: http://www.mobbunited.org/

     Our website is our online home base, which contains our MOBB-generated content, as well as the gateway to our membership website. With our member-accessed section of the website, our members benefit in the following ways:   

• Maintain focus on our shared concerns and shared power
• Gather the resources and tools to advocate on an individual and broader level
• Maintain continual connection to organizational activities and active members
• Obtain targeted information on key organizational initiatives and calls to action that may affect members and their families’ lives

     Like most websites, anyone can visit and learn more about our organization. In addition, our online store can be accessed here. MOBBUnited.org supports these MOBB United pillars: Influence Policy, Demonstrate our Power, and Partner Strategically.

Facebook:

    Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. (closed): As our original online home, our closed Facebook group provides a space for moms and female caregivers of Black boys to share their joys, concerns, fears, tears, and celebrations with other moms.

    MOBB United for Social Change (public): This page is open to MOBBs AND non-MOBBs and provides a platform to illuminate issues that require action to affect public policy.

    Moms of Black Boys United page (public): Leadership uses this open Facebook page to share information on upcoming events and interests of Moms of Black Boys United, Inc.

Twitter:  Our Twitter account is our way to contribute to the public discourse on a range of topics, including race relations, social and racial justice, and political topics affecting our boys.

Instagram: @mobbunited On Instagram, we share real-time video, as well as personalized depictions of moms making a difference. We use this space to promote initiatives and events for Moms of Black Boys United.

By Kumari Ghafoor-Davis

     Happy December, beautiful MOBB United Moms! We have had a busy year. One of the goals of the organization is to provide critical support to Moms and further their ability to advocate on behalf of their sons. The Education and Engagement Committee has several projects we have been working on to stay true to the MOBB United mission.

     The Education and Engagement committee kicked off a collaboration with “Black Minds Matter”, a course created by Dr. Luke Wood of San Diego State University. This 8-week course ran from October 23 through December 11 (Mondays at 4:30 p.m. PST / 730 p.m. EST). The course’s purpose was to help us understand how the school-to-prison pipeline can affect our sons from preschool onward due to the way our boys are treated, engaged, and spoken to by teachers. We have learned about how we all can have unconscious/implicit bias and how our boys can be deliberately disregarded by racial preference in classrooms. We also learned about the ascriptions of intelligence, which assume that our boys are not intelligent, and how criminal behavior is assumed from very early ages. The course also had a forum after the calls where participants asked questions and voiced opinions and comments in a safe space. Drs. Luke and Idara Wood were our featured guests on the November MOBB United National Calls. You can find the links to listen to those calls here and here.

     We also recently partnered with Katie Ishikura and her non-profit organization “The Conscious Kid Library.” For the holidays, we launched a project together that gives moms access to a list of books for our sons as well as allows us to subscribe to the Conscious Kid book rental model where for a minimal charge ($9 a month), our boys can receive three books a month that are written by black authors with black heroes/main characters. The books will be delivered around the 1st of the month and picked up around the same time, so our sons (ages 4-18) can read more books that help them identify with characters who look like them. This project honors our mission by not only assisting our boys to have better perceptions of themselves but also by helping them to read more. Getting our children to read more has become the goal of many school districts across the country since studies like the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s have shown that the success of our boys is strongly correlated with learning to read at grade level by the 3rd grade.

     There’s much more to come as the school year moves quickly. For now, we would like to remind high school senior parents to connect with your school’s guidance counselor/social worker so that your children can apply for college financial aid for next Fall. Applications can be submitted from October 1st every year and should be completed by June 30th, 2018. Please be aware that filing early can allow for more funds to be available for your child for college. Also, be mindful that parents of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors should already be taking their children on college tours and considering college size (including classroom size), majors, course offerings, college philosophy, and professor experience. All of these can indirectly affect our children’s success in college and their ability to complete their coursework and graduate. Parents of all children should take advantage of any assistance their children can utilize during the school year, including tutoring, summer programs, SAT Prep, College Prep Courses and programs, (like Upward Bound), etc.

     As we move into the new year, we would like to remind parents to review the School Tips that were posted in August with their children. Follow up can include discussing/reviewing any goals that your family decided to work on for the school year. Revisit your vision board and see if you are on track. For example, if a mom had a “parent promise” of not yelling, she should revisit and discuss this goal with her child to see if she has been yelling less. We all have things in our lives we would like to change to make us more productive and sometimes we need to revisit our goals and tweak them accordingly.

     Have a wonderful holiday. See you in the New Year.

By Delicia Hand and Frankie Robertson

     The MOBB United for Social Change, Inc. (MUSC) Policy and Advocacy Committee sets the strategic policy priorities and drives advocacy initiatives for the organization. As a committee, we set and lead execution of MUSC’s policy agenda, research policies that impact Black men and boys, identify opportunities to advocate on behalf of our sons, and guide MUSC’s approach and responses to instances where Black men and boys have been victims of unjustified force and violence by police.

    In early October, we facilitated a Train the Trainer session with city and chapter leads and hosts for Pink Postcard Parties, which occurred throughout November. The session highlighted for participants the key objectives of advocacy, the importance of having a clear message, and the effectiveness of having concrete proposals and solutions to offer to policy makers. We then outlined the important role of the postcard, as well as the importance of gathering together as moms committed to a better world for their sons. City and chapter leads then took this information and provided trainings at the start of their postcard parties and deployed the postcards to introduce MUSC to policy makers all across the country. As we move into 2018, the Policy and Advocacy committee will provide regular training for our moms to ensure that members become effective advocates. Additionally, we will begin to deploy the pink postcards on a regular basis to drive and communicate about key initiatives.

     A successful Policy and Advocacy program isn’t always out on the front lines. Successful advocates know how to identify the right moments to push and pull to ensure visibility and progress on the issues they care about. In addition to timing, success also requires rigorous planning. It involves taking the time to build the necessary capacity to develop strategic plans and partnerships to ensure that when the right moments to advance an issue arise, we are prepared. This Fall, the Policy and Advocacy Committee continued to work with our Call Center to take action around Rapid Response incidents. Additionally, we doubled down to do the necessary work to ensure that we have a successful legislative season when it begins in January, 2018. In addition to digging into the key issues affecting our sons, we have been exploring potential opportunities and partnerships for the key legislative issues that we will take on in 2018.  Watch this space; as this work nears completion, we will soon be back on the beat with new tools and a refined focus for 2018. Specifically we will have:

• 2018 Legislative Platform -- A clear roadmap and summary of the key legislative issues that the organization will be supporting in 2018. This will become a new resource for members who can bring our platform with them to meetings with policy makers across the country
• 2018 Electoral Advocacy -- Quarterly initiatives that are geared toward ensuring that our moms, sons and other loved ones are engaged in the electoral process. We will sponsor voter registration drives, prepare candidate questionnaires, identify and organize attendance at candidate forums, and help to increase voter turnout.  

     If you have the drive to seek policy solutions and be an advocate for your son(s), then please join the Policy and Advocacy Committee. If you have a background in law or policy, then the committee especially needs YOU! We meet every other week on Thursdays via conference call at 10 PM ET. For more information contact: [email protected]

By Uchechi Eke

     This article discusses the impact of negative, derogatory terms and stereotypes on the psyches of mothers and their sons. Influencing policy impacting how Black boys and men are treated and perceived by law enforcement and society is central to the mission of MOBB United. At the heart of our work is the need to dismantle wrongly held views of our sons and redress racial perceptions of crime. When our sons are labeled as ‘thugs’ and criminals, how does this affect our ability to raise and protect them? Moreover, what role does stigma play on their mental and emotional health?

     If our sons repeatedly are told that they ‘never will amount to anything,’ and the only place fit for them is a prison cell, this feeds the myth that Blacks are pathologically predisposed to crime and as such, are more menacing and represented more in the prison population. The challenge to dismantle these lies is a real struggle.  

     An irrational fear of Black boys and men exists, evidenced by older White women who clutch their bags and cross the street when Black men are nearby, and ranging to accounts of police officers fearing for their life as they gun down unarmed Black boys and men.

     Being labeled as a stigmatized person and carrying the burden of being Black has substantial effects on the way people think and feel about themselves, as well as how they expect to be treated by others in their environment. The labeling theory posits that people come to identify with and behave in ways that reflect how others label them. It is most commonly associated with the sociology of crime and deviance, where it is used to point out how social processes of labeling and treating someone as criminally deviant actually foster deviant behaviour and have negative repercussions for that person, since others are likely to be biased against them because of the label.

Social conditioning not only affects how we relate to others, but it also influences the way we see ourselves. If all visuals point to a negative image, then the self-fulfilling prophecy is hard to dispel, especially for young Black boys.

     Psychological research shows that stigma -- especially when it relates to the label ‘criminal’ -- can interfere with functioning and lead to maladaptive behaviours, poor mental health and difficulty participating in the community.

According to the US Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health (2016):

• Adult Black/African-Americans are 20% more likely to report serious psychological distress than adult whites
• Adult Black/African-Americans are more likely to have feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness than adult whites.
• While Black/African-Americans are less likely than white people to die from suicide as teenagers, Black/African-Americans teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide than are white teenagers.

     The data reveals a continuing trend -- that our sons face multiple mental challenges affecting their ability to be resilient and predisposing them to succumbing to psychological issues due in part to societal pressures and racial bias.

     Black men find themselves disproportionately subject to criminal punishment, for example, because society expects them to commit crimes. Black boys in school find themselves subject to labels such as ‘disruptive,’ ‘disobedient’ or requiring Special Education to temper their ‘hyperactivity’. These labels cause social stigmas, which impact not only our sons’ self-worth, but cause their peers, teachers and authority figures to view and treat them differently.

     This association of crime with Black males has been widely researched. Lisa Bloom, in her book Suspicion Nation, points out: “While whites can and do commit a great deal of minor and major crimes, their race as a whole is never tainted by those acts. But when blacks violate the law, all members of the race are considered suspect.” She further says: “The standard assumption that criminals are black and blacks are criminals is so prevalent that in one study, 6% of viewers who viewed a crime story with no picture of the perpetrator falsely recalled seeing one, and of those, 7% believed he was African-American. When we think about crime, we ‘see black,’ even when it’s not present at all.”

     If this unconscious bias is held by the general public, the same must be true of police officers – who are also members of society. There is a tendency for law enforcement to view our sons as ‘predatory'. In many cases, police are allowed to rely solely on race as a factor in selecting who they deem to be engaging in criminal activity or posing a threat. With racial profiling a standard practice, our sons are under constant surveillance. They are unable to travel freely without the risk of being held under suspicion.

     This suspicion leads to high rates of unlawful ‘stop and searches’ incidents.It leads to officers harassing, interrogating and humiliating Black and Brown boys and men on the streets and in jails, which heightens tensions and induces a climate of fear.

     In a report by the Sentencing Project, it is suggested that the entire government and media machinery is complicit in the distortion of our sons. According to the report: “Whether acting on their own implicit biases or bowing to political exigency, policy makers have fused crime and race in their policy initiatives and statements. They have crafted harsh sentencing laws that impact and disproportionately incarcerate people of colour…. Many media outlets reinforce the public’s racial misconceptions about crime by presenting African-Americans and Latinos differently than whites. Television news programs and newspapers over-represent racial minorities as crime suspects and whites as crime victims.”

     Social conditioning has led many to have inherent biases. How our sons are viewed are framed through a number of lenses and mediums – from stories and comments relayed by parents, to false and demeaning historical accounts in textbooks at school, to the vast deconstruction of Black men in the mass media.

     We must use the same vehicles to counter these narratives. We must also help our sons know that no matter how others view them, they must have a strong mind, self-worth, personal conviction and a strong value system – one that is reinforced by people who love them. They will undoubtedly face prejudice, but our role is to instil a sense of self-assurance rooted in their heritage and identity that will fortify and increase their confidence. They also need to know their rights, whether in the workplace, in school or when encountering police.

     Register at www.mobbunited.org/join as we band together to change perceptions and challenge policies affecting how our sons are perceived and treated by police and society. Also, Moms of Black Boys United, Inc., the 501c3 sister organization of MUSC, needs financial resources to do the important work required to protect our sons. To date, our organization has been completely self-funded; but to grow and expand, we need your help. Please consider donating to Moms of Black Boys United, Inc. this month at mobbunited.org/donate. Also, please learn more about fundraising plans and what else you can do to help.

Protect them? United we will! Moms of Black Boys United continues our mission to protect our Black sons, and people are noticing. On Wednesday, September 27, Huffington Post featured a heartfelt op-ed written our very own Kara L. Higgins, who also volunteers as a MUSC newsletter writer, in response to President Donald Trump's attacks on America's football players for exercising their right to protest.

This MOBB United mom's op-ed was featured on September 27, 2017 by Huffington Post.

I am that B____

By Kara L. Higgins

    Allow me to introduce myself. I’m a 30-something, working American mom. I don’t identify with Democrats or Republicans; I’m a middle of the road kinda girl. I’m a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, women’s health care provider and Naval Reserve Officer. I have five kids, and I live somewhere in the middle of America. I’m also that B___ that President Trump called out last week.

    My son is a football player. He’s also Black. And he’s the kid that every white, corn-fed football fan wants on their team. Neighbors jokingly place bets on which Division 1 team he’ll play for someday. He’s strong, fast, and a naturally crazy-good athlete.

    My same Black athlete also is the boy that recently, while on vacation in Florida, reminded me of Florida’s gun laws and Trayvon Martin’s death and said that he wanted to hold my hand whenever we entered a public place. We, his very white parents and older siblings, listened as he and his Black brother told us how every time they are in a public place without their family, they feel afraid. Afraid that white people don’t like them and policemen think they are “bad guys”. While we personally know police officers in our church and community, it took a pep talk to get him to stand next to a State Trooper during a recent college football event. It’s not fair to the officer, whom I believe entered his profession with the intention to serve and protect, is being feared by a little boy. But I also believe that the officer, like too many Americans, has not had the personal relationships with Black friends that would strengthen his belief in equality and shatter his preconceived fears of Black America. Being my son’s mama, my eyes have been opened wide to his experience being Black in America.

Kara L. Higgins and her sons

Kara L. Higgins and her family

     A few years ago, friends, I would not have been offended if you joked about my Black son being a better athlete than my white one. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have worried if he wandered around our local high school stadium without me by his side, protecting him from crowds of white people. And I may not have even noticed when that security guard at Target followed him as he went to look for a can of tomatoes for me.

    But now I see it. I see how my friends that once wanted to hold and snuggle my African babies will quickly complain that the athletes of their favorite team need to keep politics out of sports. I carry it in my heart when congregants in my church will joke around with my boys, yet lecture me that Black Lives Matter is promoting police brutality. I feel completely betrayed when my white Evangelicals side with our President in saying that kneeling isn’t about race; it’s about disrespecting the flag. You can talk to my son about what skills he can offer your team, but you can't listen to him when he shares his experience as a Black American.

    Don’t you see that America is not a flag or a ritual? America is built on the ideal we don’t have to be the same to be equal. America’s patriotism is in serving one another in times of despair and crisis. America’s patriotism is not an exercise toward the flag, but in joining together for the greater good of others, and in protecting those that cannot defend themselves.

    America, I want you know that every mom of every Black boy in America sees you. We see that you want our sons scoring touchdowns and standing quietly on the sidelines while their friends, their fathers and the men with whom they identify are profiled, labeled, misunderstood and made to stay quiet. I want you to understand that kneeling is about not getting arrested or shot. It’s about generating a dialogue that America needs: This anthem represents pride and patriotism to some, but to others, a history of oppression. We still need to fight for liberty and justice. And I want you to know that every mom of these Black boys is committed to using education, politics, prayer and unity to bring liberty and justice for all Black boys and men too.

    Yes, Mr. President, I am that B____, with that son, on that field.

Kara L. Higgins, is a volunteer writer and member of a non-profit organization formed by concerned mothers who want to work together to make a difference in how Black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement and in society. What started as a Facebook group of about 30 women has grown into an online community of more than 180,000 moms nationwide and globally, representing every race, age, religion, socioeconomic background, marital status and education level. Learn more @ mobbunited.org