Dr. Rick Wallace Pushes Forward with Black Community Empowerment Initiative

DALLAS - May 22, 2015 - PRLog -- No matter where you look in America, there are signs of racial discord and disenfranchisement among African Americans. With issues such as the mass incarceration of black men to the mis-education of black youth — not to mention the senseless slaughter of young black men at the hands of police officers across the nation. While there are far too many individuals who would rather spend their time debating and discussing these issues on numerous platforms, such as radio, TV and social media, there is a hand full of individuals who have rolled up their sleeves to engage the issues from a direct perspective. One of these individuals is Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D., an author and community activist who is committed to producing authentic change in the black community.

Dr. Wallace has just completed his 16^th book entitled “The Mis-education of Black Youth in America: The Final Move on the Grand Chess Board, and he is extremely passionate about closing the gaps in education that are currently wreaking havoc on young black children. In his book, he goes to great lengths to reveal the numerous challenges that black children face as a part of the educational process, especially when it comes to the targeting of young black males through the special education system. When asked to submit a statement for this release, this is what Dr. Wallace had to say on the matter.

“Our children are at a disadvantage from the moment they walk through the doors of any school in the public education system. In fact, almost all schools have a Eurocentric focus that is immensely hostile to the average black youth. The system is not designed to plant the seed of entrepreneurship, nor is it designed to teach the importance of building wealth. For those who can successfully navigate through this pernicious system, it will lead to a lifetime of working to enrich someone else, while hoping to save enough to live off of after retirement. This is not the way to true empowerment.

First of all, blacks must begin to see education as a holistic experience that extends far beyond the attainment of academic skills. Education is the process of acquiring all of the knowledge and skills that are necessary to ensure success in life. This knowledge begins with gaining a knowledge of self, and this is where far too many black children are being failed. They are not being given a true sense of identity. What they are receiving is the reinforcement of the inferiority complex that has plagued blacks since our ancestors arrived on this continent 400 years ago.

There are multitudinous machinations at play that are hostile to our children, including the special education program that is being used to isolate and alienate our young black males, all while exploiting and capitalizing on them through the prescription of psychotropic drugs like Concerta, Ritalin, Vyvanse and more. We have got to do better.”

As a part of an effort to bridge the gap, Dr. Wallace launched an inner city community initiative that is designed to expose black youth to their identity and authentic black leadership. With programs such as “Talks My Father Never Had with Me,” the “Identity Infusion” program, and the “Promising Parent Program,” Dr. Wallace has worked feverishly to introduce children to their identity, while offering mentoring in the process. He is also working with parents to better prepare them to effectively engage and educate their children.

Here is more of what he had to say:

“We spend far too much time debating among ourselves. We have found comfort in the ability to eloquently expound on the struggles of the black man, but we lack the engagement necessary to do anything about it. Our children need us. Our communities need us. It is time to stop whining and complaining, and it is time to stand up and take action.

The Black Community Empowerment Initiative is designed to engage the needs of the community, and all of the programs are scalable, meaning that they can be expanded nationally, but we do need support. We need more black people to redirect their spending and charitable giving to support programs that are fixed on building up the black community. We have a proclivity to get involved in and support every program, except those that are geared toward us.

I wish that I could translate what it feels like to look into the eyes of a child who has heard that they are beautiful, powerful and full of potential for the first time. This should not be an anomaly, it should be the norm, but we need the support of the black collective to make that a reality.”

Dr. Wallace has made it lucidly clear that he is committed to seeing this thing through; however, he has also made it clear that the support that his program is virtually non-existent. He is looking for consistent support that can help fund the growth of his programs and the empowerment of the black community as a whole.

For those who would like to donate, you can visit http://www.gofundme.com/EducateBlackYouth