SYMPOSIUM: TEEN TALK FOR BOYS: FERGUSON AND BEYOND

SUMMARY: OCTOBER 12, 2014

Symposium: Teen Talk for our Boys: Ferguson and Beyond

“At the end of the day, our number one goal is to get our boys home, safely.” ~Teddy Coates, President Black Professional Men, Inc.

SYMPOSIUM:

Teen Talk for our Boys: Ferguson and Beyond

“If I can help somebody As I travel along If I can help somebody With a word or song If I can help somebody From doing wrong My living shall not be in vain.”

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Recommend Reading: Series: I - IV

Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys ~ Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

“We must assess how well our boys are doing against seven barometers that we are using to monitor their growth and development:” • Spirituality• Racial awareness• Scholarship• School• Self-esteem• Peer pressure• Respect for authority and responsibility ~Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) & Jack and Jill, Inc. - Baltimore and Montgomery County Chapters - Host Symposium

(Laurel, Md.) In the words of one of the most prolific orators’s of our time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “If I can help somebody as I travel along; if I can help somebody with a word or song; if I can help somebody from do-ing wrong, my living shall not be in vain.”

Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) in partnership with Jack and Jill, Inc. sponsored one of the most impactful and life changing free symposiums for boys and teenagers ages 13 - 19 years old. Held in Laurel, Maryland, on Sunday, October 12, 2014, from 5:00pm-8:00pm, this life changing event was de-signed to literary “save a black boy’s life.”

2

ACTIVITIES DURING THE SYMPOSIUM

1. Opening Prayer - Pastor Marlon Tilghman2. Role Play developed by Educator David Miller

focused on the do’s and don’ts when interacting with law enforcement.

3. Teddy Coates, President BPM shared insight and strategies on how to come home safe.

4. Educator David Miller provided information on practical ways and strategies to keep boys safe.

5. Video and Musical production was produced by Kendrick “DJ5Starr” Tilghman and 5 Starr Enterprise.

6. Sergeant Scott Wilson of the Baltimore County Police Department provided insight on strategies to remain safe during interaction with the Police.

7. Doni Glover, host of “The Doni Glover Show” and author of the Glover Report provided an historical account of how we got here and how to move forward.

8. Attorney Anthony I. Butler provided the importance of knowing your rights and not sharing unnecessary information. It is imperative that you not “talk your way into charges”, says Attorney Butler.

9. BPM Member Theo Allen provided insight on the importance of being proactive and not reactive. He presented the case of “Zachary” and would the events that unfolded in the Michael Brown case been the same if he were white?

Fathers, Boys and Teen-agers listening to life-changing comments from one of the presenters during the symposium.

The symposium respectfully opened with a word of prayer offered by Pastor Marlon Tilghman. Moments later, a role-play, the brain-child of Educator David Miller went to work! Sergeant Scott Wilson of the Baltimore County Po-

lice Department along with several youth performed a scene in which Officer Wilson approaches a group of young people who are walking the streets after curfew. Newsflash, Balti-more City and many surrounding jurisdictions do have a curfew law and Parents should ensure that their young people are cognizant and in observance of this legislation. Officer Wilson sets the stage, engaging the boys in a professional, respectful, and yet authoritative manner. He says: “Hey, where are you boys going? Show me some ID.” In response, some of the boys are respectful and some are not. One young man, who appears to be the spokes-person of the group says: “Officer, we were just out taking a walk and on our way home.” Again, Officer Wilson ask for ID.

Most of the boys are not carrying an ID and one young man says with a measure of sarcasm: “I do not have to show you my ID.” Now, it is starting to get a little hot in here! Every-one knows, or

Officer Scott Wilson encounters a group of boys walking in the neighborhood after curfew.

should know, that if a Police Officer ask you for your ID, then by law, you are re-quired to provide it to them. As the role-play came to a close the dialogue began and what an riveting and solution-based dialogue it was. During their interaction with Officer Wilson, what did the boys do right? What did the boys do wrong? How was Officer Wilson’s interaction with the boys? What did the Officer do right and what did he do wrong? These were just a few of the many questions that set the stage for a rich and dynamic discussion between the presenter of this seg-ment, Officer Wilson and the audience. From this opening dis-cussion of the symposium the young people and Fathers, learned first hand about strategies to keep them safe during their interaction with Police Officers.

3

SYMPOSIUM:

Teen Talk for our Boys: Fer-guson and Beyond

Pastor Marlon Tilghman opens the symposium with prayer.

TEEN TALK FOR OUR BOYS:

Ferguson and Beyond “Be quiet. Do not talk your way into a charge (s).”

~Attorney Anthony I. Butler, Esq. The Law Firm of TBMG

Legal Advice - Be Quiet!

If you are going to have a symposium with boys and young male teenagers that features a deliberate, and life-changing discussion on ways to remain safe while interacting with Police Offi-cers, then it is imperative that you have legal representation in attendance. The skillful and priceless advice provided by At-torney Anthony Butler of the Law Firm - TBMG may have just saved the life of a young person in attendance. His ad-vice, simple, practical, and yet profound was this: BE QUIET! From a legal perspective it may have been the “secret sauce” of the evening. “A lot of times what happens is people talk their way INTO charges”, says Attorney Butler. The point is, do not volunteer information and always seek legal counsel to deal with the situation. Police Officers of-ten say - you have the right to remain silent; while it is impor-tant to be courteous and polite, it is equally important to take

4

The Top 5 Strategies and take-a-ways from the Role-Play:

1.KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

2.Be respectful and cour-teous.

3.Be mindful of your body language,

4. Do not fold your arms or place your hands in your pocket.

5. Look the Police Officer in the eye and maintain positive eye contact.

Teddy Coates, President of Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) shares life-changing insights with the audience.

them up on their offer and - BE QUIET. Another revelation that came from this segment of the symposium centered around the discussion on illegal search and seizures.

Legal Advice - Search and Seizure

A Police Officer does not have a right, and Federal Law pro-hibits, the search of you or your possessions (i.e., home, vehi-cle) without your permission or a search warrant signed by a Judge. Barring a few exceptions in

One thing was certain during the symposium - these young people were focused and came to learn!

some States and jurisdictions, as a citizen of the U.S. this is YOUR Right, and like the citizens that they have sworn to serve and protect, Police Officers are likewise required to obey the law. Another telling moment during the discussion, and

one that many attendees are well aware, that in spite of a non-consent to a search and seizure, they happen every single day. What is important here to remember is that again, barring a few exceptions, legally, consent MUST be given before a search and seizure can take place. The “red herring” from this powerful legal discussion was this: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!

Saving a Life

The black professional men presenting during the symposium came from all walks of life, to save a life! These professional brothers were taking no prisoners! The symposium was all about providing the fathers, boys, and young teenagers with strategies and tools to keep them safe. “We can deal with the legal aspect of it, on the other side” says, Teddy Coates, President of Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM). What was apparent from the start was that they had one singular thought on their mind: to save a life.

5

Educator David Miller leads the discus-sion after the role-play.

Edutainment - 5 Star Enterprises

Did I mention that the symposium was First Class? Well, the sympo-sium was First Class. Edutain-ment, yes that is a word, is the art of integrating and blending music,

video, technical expertise and DJ mixing skills into a presentation for the purpose of uplifting and empowering a people. Kendrick “DJ 5 Starr” Tilghman and 5 Star Enterprises showed up and as my Grandmother use to say: “showed out!” 5 Start Enterprises educated the audience through clips from the movie Fruitvale Station (2013) about various aspects of the Oscar Grant

III case, the 22-year old young man who was killed by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle at the Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, California.

The art of knowledge that 5 Star Enterprises brought to the symposium, and provided a platform for a rich discussion, con-tinued with video clips strategically mastered from the Trayvon Martin and the Michael Brown cases.

Strategies: Life-Changing and Life-Saving

It is one thing to talk about ways to keep boys and teen-agers safe, but it is quite an-other to provide them with practical “right now” strate-gies that they can implement right away that may very well change their life. Organ-izers of the event were mind-ful of the importance of giv-ing the audience strategies designed to not only be life-changing but life-saving

Some of the life-saving strategies presented included:

• Smile, be courteous, polite and look the Police Officer in the eye

• Respectfully, say Yes Sir and Yes Ma’am

• Place your license and registration in a clear plastic bag in the glove compartment whenever you are driving

• Do not reach for anything until you have advised the Police Officer that you are going to do so

• When driving, pull over and roll down your windows so that the Officer can clearly see inside the front and the back of the vehicle

6

DJ 5 STARR

Pastor Marlon Tilghman and youth

Positive Encouragement

There is a strategic, sustained, and concerted effort to destroy our black boys. Motivational Speaker Theodore R. Allen, III brought the session to a powerful close by reminding those in attendance of who they are: powerful, smart and “the bomb-diggity.” In a powerful rendition, he had everyone in the audi-ence stand up, face one another and repeat the following words: “You are, the bomb-diggity.” So, what was the moral of the chant and what does bomb-diggity really mean? The chant serves as a reminder to our fathers, young teenag-ers, and boys that they come from Kings and that they should not let anyone undervalue, underestimate or marginalize them. Bomb-diggity means awesome; powerful; problem-solver; witty and smart.

Presenters and attendees of the Teen Talk for our Boys: Ferguson and Beyond Symposium held on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 5:00pm - 8:00pm.

Symposium Photo Gallery

7

“Black Boys, one thing is certain: YOU are the bomb-diggity!” ~Theodore R. Allen III

Motivational Speaker and BPM Member

Youth attendees at

the symposium

Youth attendees at

the symposium

8

Wall of HonorThis page is dedicated to all of the black young boys and

men who have lost their lives to senseless violence. Whether at the hands of a Police Officer or other violence in the community, we dedicate this Wall of Honor to the

victims and their families.

Trayvon Mar-tin

(1995 - 2012) and

Michael Brown (1996 - 2014) Teddy Coates, President

BPM and Hasson Diggs, Youth Development

Chair BPM

Youth attendee at the symposium

Youth attendee at the symposium

9

Symposium Photo Gallery (continued)

Kendrick “DJ 5 Starr” Tilghman, Sec-retary BPM and Hasson Diggs, Youth

Development Chair BPM

Presenters and attendees at the symposium

Fathers and attendees listening attentively during the symposium.

Teddy Coates, President Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM)

10

About Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM)

Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) (www.bpm.org) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland. BPM was estab-lished in 1991 to address the social, economic, and political awareness needs of the African-American community, especially those of the African-American male. The motto of BPM is “Ensuring the Future of the African-American Male.” Under the dynamic vision and leadership of Mr. Teddy Coates, BPM is a 100% volunteer organization. Our members participate in a variety of community service initiatives to provide our youth with exposure to different experiences and posi-tive role models. We host seminars, workshops, and field trips within the Baltimore metro area for the young men and boys that we mentor. We sponsor our mentee’s on a cultural and educational trips, attend Bal-timore Raven’s games, and attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference. And of course, each year we host the Rays of Hope Scholarship Breakfast, where we award college scholarships to 10 deserving young men.

About Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) – YDCThis committee is focused on implementing youth based programs and partnerships in support of the mission of BPM. YDC strives to create programs and partnerships (i.e., with schools, business, professional /civic organizations, fraternities, and the general public) that target, build, and promote the youth in our community. Partnering with organi-zations, of shared values, is an integral part of the future success stories that are written at BPM.

Black Professional Men, Inc. (BPM) - MembershipTo learn more about BPM please contact the Membership Chair Mr. Louis Monk, III at (443) 623-9657 or email: louismonk@gmail.com.

About Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

Jack and Jill of America is an African American organization formed during the Great Depression. It was formed in 1938 African American mothers with the idea of bringing together children in a social and cul-tural environment. Since then, it has evolved into one of the best known family organizations in the nation. It is headquartered in Wash-ington, D.C.

The objectives of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated are to “create a medium of contact for children which will stimulate growth and devel-opment and provide children constructive educational, cultural, civic, health, recreational and social programs.” Since 1938, the organization continues on, dedicating its resources to improving the quality of life, particularly for all African-American children.

In 1948 the idea of dividing the organization into a regional structure was initially put before the members at the Third Annual meeting of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated held in Washington, D.C. It was suggested to shorten the travel time to annual meetings,  allow more time for discussions on issues by all of the membership prior to attend-ing national meetings and allow the inclusion of children at the meet-ings.

In 1957, at the Annual Convention held in San Francisco, the Regional Plan was fully adopted. Today there are seven regions which comprise Jack and Jill of America, Inc.