Understanding and Eliminating Violence: National Experts Offer Insights, Solutions

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Dr. Kunjufu spoke of NEIUs Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies long history. WEB Dubois, Ida B. Wells, Fred Hampton, and Dr. John Henrik Clarke, among others spoke there, lent their voices to the fight for equality. The forum was also an opportunity for community members, young and old, to lend their voices. Photo: Shanita Bigelow
Dr. Kunjufu spoke of NEIUs Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies long history. WEB Dubois, Ida B. Wells, Fred Hampton, and Dr. John Henrik Clarke, among others spoke there, lent their voices to the fight for equality. The forum was also an opportunity for community members, young and old, to lend their voices. Photo: Shanita Bigelow

The Association of Black Psychologists (ABP) held its 42nd Annual International Convention in Chicago this year (July 27-August 1). Each year, ABP hosts a forum with the community in the community. This year, ABP assembled a panel of national experts to discuss, to offer solutions to the unwarranted expansion of youth violence at last weeks forum, Violence and Black Youth: Repairing, Restoring and Renewing the African Spirit.

My only answer is love, said panelist Sister Afrika Porter, a member of the Deborah Movement, a group of women mothers, warriors, leadersdedicated to fostering youth, instilling a sense of hope and eliminating violence.

In 2009, 314 American soldiers were killed in Iraq, said moderator Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, an author, lecturer and mentor. That same year, 509 Chicagoans were killed. African Americans are 13 percent of the population, yet make up 49 percent of all homicides, he continued.

With growing disparities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems, in education, health and employment, African Americans must take action. There is no progress without a national movement, according to panelist Rev. Dr. John Porter, a founder of Operation PUSH and organizer for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago in the summer of 1966.

At the root are issues that have grown over the yearsa deterioration of family, home, community and accountability. Dr. Kunjufu outlined five major contributors to youth violence: fatherlessness, unemployment, illiteracy and dropout rates, gangs, guns and self-hatred. In 1960, 80 percent of African American homes had fathers, now there are fathers in only 32 percent of black homes. Kunjufu posed the question: Is the village strong enough to raise all the children without fathers?

As of June, the unemployment rate for black youth (16 to 24 years) was 31.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. For every thousand African Americans only nine will start a business, Kunjufu said. African American people spend $900 billion a year. Only three percent of that $900 billion goes to black businesses, he continued, suggesting the need for more community support.

A people without values are dangerous, Kunjufu said, quoting activist/scholar Dr. Maulana Karenga, while addressing the issue integral to any solution: self-image. Todays youth are most influenced by their peer group, entertainers and TV programs, according to Kunjufu. He asked the panelists for one solution to the challenges youth violence presents. Panelists agreed that there isnt one solution, but each provided concrete examples of what can be done.

Behavior is complex [and] multidimensional, said Dr. Carl C. Bell, President/C.E.O. Community Mental Health Council, Director Institute for Juvenile Research and Professor, Department of Psychiatry and School of Public Health at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

Healthy food and supplements are a solution, according to Bell. Omega-3s, the good fats found in fish and some plant and nut oils, according to Bell, are not just good for the brain, but also have a calming effect. I dont think theres one answer, said Dr. Margaret Spencer- Beale, Professor of Urban Education in the University of Chicagos Department of Comparative Human Development. We need to begin thinking of our youth developmental[ly].

It starts at home, with establishing order in your home, according to David Lemieux, activist and retired Chicago Police Officer. Sister Porter continued that sentiment, speaking as a mother, a proud parent: Parents are their childrens first teacherparenting never stops, educating never stops.

All humans are vulnerable, Dr. Spencer-Beale said later, adding that we buy into the language that designates those most vulnerable as at-risk. Parental monitoring, according to Spencer-Beale, is one way to combat negative influences that a parents presence, their lessons are with the child no matter where he/she is. Youth in attendance also had the opportunity to speak. They shared their experiences as well as their own personal solutions, echoing the sentiments of the panelists: the need for self-love, self-respect and self-knowledge.

Everybody cant reach 100 people [but] everybody has family, said Lemieux, adding that being a mentor to a niece or nephew is a solution. Healthy eating and becoming more active in community and national organizations are also solutions,said Sister Porter, adding that We are our own solution.

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