The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 09, 1999, Page 3, Image 3
Lack of identity hurts black men, speaker says Mentors needed for advice, guidance By Derek Lippincott Staff writer Young black boys need a dream, and they need people to believe in it But in a society where black males have picked up negative stereotypes, this is an increasingly difficult task. This was one of the messages given by Joseph White, professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday when he spoke of the psy chological challenges facing black males. About 150 people attended the lec ture at die Nebraska Union. University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor and chairman of psychology John Berman introduced White as “a legend in the field of African-American psychology.” And White is from Lincoln - “I’m a homeboy,” White said as he began his speech. vYimc sucsseu me negative aspects of stereotypes given to black males in America. Black people make up 12 per cent of the population in America and 50 percent of the population in American prisons. Facts such as these, White said, give the black population a bad rap. However, behind the curtains and left out of gangster movie scenes, White said, is the ordinary black man. “These are the guys you never see,” White said. “They pay their rent. They pay their bills. But they don’t make movies about these brothers. These brothers are the invisible ones.” Struggles to avoid the bad stereo types and attempts to be recognized as an ordinary man, White said, involve identity and intimacy. “What we mean by identity in psy chology is, ‘What is your dream?’” White said. “Every 13-to-14-year-old black male has a dream.” Intimacy, White said, is establishing and maintaining close relationships throughout the life cycle and with peo ple who will believe in the boy’s dream. “The closest relationships through out the black male’s life cycle are the peers,” White said. “They have a com a We have to set a u standard of excellence and a standard of responsibility” Joseph White University of California professor emeritus mon experience base. They are all black, American males.” White stressed that peers can pro vide either a positive or negative influ ence. White also stressed that black males need a mentor in their lives who guides them and believes in them. “If the mentor believes in the young man’s dream, the young man will ulti mately believe in himself,” White said. White used the story of Malcolm X as an example. Malcolm X had a dream that nobody believed in. It eventually deteriorated, and he went to jail. In prison Malcolm X found a mentor and he turned his life around, he said. Concluding his speech with a pas sage from his book, “The Black Man Emerging: Facing the Past and Seizing a Future in America,” White told the crowd what the black community need ed to accomplish. The hardest thing for people to do is separate blame from responsibility,” White said. “We have to set a standard of excellence and a standard of respon sibility. “We need to start trying to be for real,” White said. “You have to be real. You have to be down, or the children won’t relate to you.” Lonnie Michael, a junior business major, said the speech conveyed posi tive aspects of black society as well as gave him communication tips. “(White’s speech) gave us a lot of interesting ideas about communicat ing,” Michael said. Jncoln City Rugby Football Club Invites ■NlWMN = Play Rugby Tuee. & Thurs. at Abbott 8porta Complex 7600 IM. 70th St. 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Atow mnct Ejcportefyco<t Rtmywa We/comeS Contacts: John Boehm 423-5900 (H) 475-0881 (W) JBoehm9460@aol.com Susan Ely 420-2260 (H) buffy@nawix.net Discover Oxford University - Earn 6 Credit Hours I Summer 2000 Attend an information session: ALL MAJORS WELCOME!!! 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