Black Male Teens Dress Up and Go To School To School Folks About Racist Stereotypes

A Counter-Narrative on Black Male Students: At Champaign, Illinois' Central High School

For Black History Month2014, the Central and Centennial High School African-American Clubs released a joint video countering the negative images of young African-American males in the media. The students affirmed the following in a video highlighting the successes of young black males within the District:

• We are not gangsters and thugs.
• We are employees and volunteers.
• We are scholars.
• We are athletes.

"The negative stories told daily in the media and in our culture about our young African-American men tend to ignore their successes and don't tell the full story about how young Black men are becoming leaders within our community schools," said Central School Social Worker and African-American Club Sponsors Tiffany Gholson and Barbara Cook, who worked with the students on this effort. "In this video, our students reclaim the narrative of who they are and inspire other students to follow in their footsteps." In our assembly, we addressed the State of the Youth and highlighted what Black students have overcome from a historical perspective.

The assembly also highlighted how overcoming those obstacles has helped make America stronger and urged students of all backgrounds to carry the torch for future generations.

*Video Production by Sam Ambler of Ambler Video
amblersam.wordpress.com
ambler.sam@gmail.com
*Champaign Central High School & Centennial High School African-American Clubs
*Inspired by the men of Alpha Phi Alpha--Tau Chapter
*Music "Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake