Last night I watched the first few minutes of the NBA draft, and saw the top three draft picks learn what teams they'd be playing for. For those of you paying no attention whatsoever, the Pelicans had the #1 pick and chose Zion Williamson from Duke, the Grizzlies had the #2 pick and chose Ja Morant from Murray State, [...]
When we talk about raising boys, we often speak of teaching them how to become men. And we view "manhood", (which tends to involve some combination of strength, squashing down feelings and being stoic) as the target at which we are aiming our boys; it is the goal of their adolescence. But a new book suggests that encouraging our [...]
On Tuesday, the Obama Foundation’s first national My Brother’s Keeper Alliance convening, MBK Rising!, began in Oakland, CA. This two-day event brought together civic leaders, young men of color and representatives of the MBK organizations that are supporting these young men nationwide. The opening session of the convening featured a session with President Obama and Steph Curry answering questions [...]
News of mass shootings at concerts and bars are occurring with horrifying regularity. These are places where our teens and young adult children are likely to frequent. What should we tell them about how to prepare themselves for the worst case scenario? Here is some advice from security experts (via this Washington Post article): Prepare an Emergency Action Plan: [...]
Late yesterday a gunman walked into a Southern California bar populated with college students and opened fire, killing at least 12. Less than 2 weeks ago, a gunman walked into a Pittsburgh synagogue and started shooting, killing 11 worshippers and injuring 7. We can barely absorb the horrific news of one shooting before another takes place. It is hard [...]
A recent story about a white woman falsely accusing a 9 year old Black boy of sexual assault sends chills down my spine. If you haven't heard, here's what happened: a white woman in a Brooklyn deli claimed that a 9 year old Black boy sexually assaulted her (by grabbing her backside) in the store. She confronted the child [...]
LeBron James may have taken his talents to the LA Lakers, but he is leaving something very valuable behind in Ohio: a chance for 240 at-risk third and fourth graders in his hometown of Akron to get a brand new public school designed to help them achieve. James and his LeBron James Family Foundation have partnered with The Akron [...]
Ok GCP parents, time to turn away from the seemingly endless stream of national bad news coming at us and focus on some good news about African American men. A team of researchers from The University of Virginia, The Institute of Family Studies and Columbia University recently released a report, "Black Men Making It in America" which reveals that [...]
Did you know that today is National Summer Learning Day? (We didn’t either, and thanks to Bill Lewis for bringing this to GCP’s attention.) With over 6 weeks to go until the end of August, there is still plenty of time to encourage your son or daughter to focus on sharpening his or her skills during the summer. No [...]
Miles and Malik George, twin brothers who were co-valedictorians at their Woodbridge High School graduation last week, are both headed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall. The George brothers, who got their last B's in third grade, both set their sites on MIT as high school freshmen, and worked towards this goal, both making near [...]