The Need For Heroes

Unless current trends change, the 5,100 African American boys who attend Wichita's public schools face a bleak future.

Analysts suggest a root cause is the absence of positive male role models. The Washington Post recently reported that nearly half of all black children live without fathers at home - twice the rate of any other ethnic group in the United States. The same trend is true in Wichita, where the majority of African American boys are growing up in homes without fathers.

Census data shows that children in mother-only families, regardless of race, are more likely to live in poverty, be arrested as juveniles or have children in their teenage years, factors that all contribute to a lifetime of difficulty.

Researchers say the absence of positive adult male role models creates a vacuum often filled by limited and often negative media images of black men, usually portrayed in the role of rap stars and athletes, flaunting fast lifestyles.

Pulitzer-winning columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., whose book "Becoming Dad" examined black fatherhood, said the effect is corrosive: "There's become an almost hyper-masculine, hyper-sexual idea of black men that has been embraced." As a result, man African American boys - especially those without a father at home - receive little exposure to more positive images of African American manhood, Pitts said.

This occurs despite the presence in our community of numerous worthy African American men who could serve as role models; it occurs despite the many community efforts to promote positive examples and healthy choices.

Our mission is to connect our at-risk boys with these positive role models and mentors, and with the organizations working to provide our children the chance for better life outcomes. Meeting this challenge is the goal of the Real Men, Real Heroes Project.

Polly Basore
Project Designer
Real Men, Real Heroes