Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys

Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys #1-4

by Jawanza Kunjufu

Advice for parents, educators, community, and church members is provided in this guide for ensuring that African American boys grow up to be strong, committed, and responsible African American men. This book answers such questions as Why are there more black boys in remedial and special education classes than girls? Why are more girls on the honor roll? When do African American boys see a positive black male role model? Is the future of black boys in the hands of their mothers and white female teachers? and When does a boy become a man? The significance of rite of passage activities, including mentoring, male bonding, and spirituality, are all described.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, History, Race, Teaching

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jerald Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent - motivated me to continue teaching elementary school in the South Bronx (at least for now!)

[Kimberly OutspokenMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book states that a woman can not raise a man. Of course she can love him , nurture him and bring him into adulthood. He will be an adult male, but he will not have the qualities of a man. There are significant moments between men and boys that help shape the boy into a man. A woman does not have these moments. Someone asked me why are these men leaving their children behind and my answer to them was that no man showed them how to be responsible for their children. These adults males were raised by women. The book makes this point clear with countless examples and studies. The man does not need to be the parent. He may be an older brother, cousin, neighbor, etc. Men have a responsibility to boys and they must commit to its fulfillment.

[Adra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book revealed unfortunate truths that were not surprising to me at all. Serving as a public educator for over twelve years, it's sad but true as to why young black males at a very young age lose the desire, hope,and will to do better in school settings due to the facts listed in this book and many more since this book was written. I was overjoyed to see that Marcus Garvey Academy, a school that I taught at for eight years under the sincere leadership of Dr. Harvey Hambrick was mentioned. I was honored to read that Dr. Kunjufu took notice to how Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit, Michigan and other schools assume pivotal roles in contributing to the solution to this horrible epidemic impededed on the futures and lives of young African American Males. Dr Jawanza Kunjufu did a great job at presenting multiple truths and the sad reality of how young black males are unfortunately targeted from the start.
Adra Young
Author of: The Everyday Living of Children & Teens Monologues Comment

[Nathy Nesmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys" by Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu easily gets a perfect 5-star rating from me. In this world, I see two types of people: those who work on curing problems and those dedicated to preventing them. I'm firmly in the prevention camp, and this book has become my go-to guide for understanding the core issues that affect young black men from as early as age 4. It's not just about highlighting the problems; it also backs things up with solid evidence and offers practical solutions. What's even more valuable is how Dr. Kunjufu doesn't shy away from discussing the challenges that come with those solutions. This book is now my roadmap for following my passion and career path. I'm truly thankful that I stumbled upon Dr. Kunjufu's YouTube video and grabbed this book on a whim.

[Candelaria Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never forget when I read Dr. Kunjufu's words that "Black women raise their daughters but love their sons." It made me pay better attention to how I was rearing my son and daughter, both of whom are proud, productive people in the world. (And both graduated from college although that is not my measure of being productive and positive.)

[Hasana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son Joshua was born in 1989. I bought this book and at least one other one. I never read either completely because I was so busy watching him and his sister. I will get these books again and this time I will read them because I have grandsons now.

[Uncle Trill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great on so many levels.

[Sabura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a MUST! #read this should be required reading for all Black teachers.

[Cynthia Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great resource for those who teach.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a brief description of the conspiracy, Kunjufu offers a plain and pragmatic prescription.

[Megan Henderson-Redding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless, a great read for mothers or prospective mothers of African-American boys.

[Myla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for any African American! There is so much valuable information in this book. I am so glad I read it!

[Ay Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

The data used in this book is outdated but the points presented are very valid and relevant today.

The perspectives, studies, and examples used allow you to see the struggles of students and the disconnect between the education system and the community in a raw fashion.

This book highlights the problems, provide solutions to the problems, and provide successful examples of when certain solutions were/are implemented.

Teachers, mentors, and/or youth volunteers should read this book for a different take you may or may not be familiar with. If you are familiar.. recommend to someone who could be enlightened.

[Slatticus Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Many books I have read detailing issues that plague the Black community fail to provide solutions and fall flat because of this. Dr. Kunjufu does a great job of providing clear solutions when he brings up problems.

[Enrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jawanzaa is a genius, and his book unfolds the plot meticulously.

[Lafayette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just straight awesome

[Tiffany Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title speaks for itself. In my opinion, this book is a must read for all parents - not just for the parent of a "minority".

[Adrian Hebard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sobering and needed reflection on what we need to do to empower and re-direct our African American male youth.

[Lisa McMillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an educator, parent and now a grandparent of six grandsons. I chose the book to read and share and pass on to my children and to give to as many parents as possible of young black boys. We are in a state of emergency, and we must do all that we can to end the conspiracy, and make certain that we are not contributing to the detriment of our young black men. This book will help you identify the problems and give you ideas for soultions for saving our young black boys at their most pivotal age.

I discovered this author by watching a video presentation on YouTube. An excellent presentation that peaked my interest in his work.

[Maritza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of Kunjufu's arguments are often over generalizations, sexist and homophobic. I believe he places too much of the blame of the issues that exist with Black male children on Black mothers.

[Loocuh Frayshure · Rating 1 out of 5]

This shit hates women, it hates the LGBTQ+ community, and it shouldn't be anywhere NEAR anyone's libraries these days. This had some good info in it for back when it was published, but with the progress made by other, much less biased and vile authors, this can be completely ignored and forgotten now. That ANY educator in the 2020s would look at and approve of this shit is troubling.

Also it goes off about white people being like aliens or some shit and it's hilarious how hard it makes you just want to invalidate every word.

[Brizreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like his bias were strictly opinionated and not fact. And it seemed more of stand up for your rights and bunk the white man type of message then an empowering one. A few good points but not completely fact in my opinion.

[Nath Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An illuminating look into the plights of Black Americans, this book provides many wonderful ideas on how to liberate a severely disenfranchised population. Reading abstractly, it has very good reasoning. Reading more specifically however, there are many illegitimate ideas relied upon that have been disproven since the release of this book. Ideas like “right and left brain thinking” and many social statistics cited just don’t apply to modern society. Reading between the lines though, one can approach a much better understanding of why certain issues face Black Americans disproportionately, and how to potentially solve it. Great read for anyone interested in sociology.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, and after reading it, I can understand why. Even though this work is almost two decades old, too many of the problems are still present (and some are even more prevalent, in my opinion). I agree that too many boys of color are unfairly treated and definitely unequally educated, and I agree with some of the reasons Kunjufu gives for this treatment. I think it is still an excellent wake-up reminder for educators to remember we are teaching human beings, who have emotional needs and cultural/social norms that may very well be completely different from our own.
I would be interested to see a current update or foreword, to see if he has changed his views on some topics that have had changes in overall society - submissive/passive role of females in workplace, homosexuality.

[Lumumba Shakur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Volume 1 of this series when I was an adolescent and plan on re-reading the entire collection again. From the little that I do recall, my own early childhood experience can testify to the truth of what this short work entails. The fact that the public school system has failed black men is obvious to any conscious observer. But at a time when the rate of incarceration of Black and Latin men is far beyond any reason, I would be curious to see how relevant this now 20+ year old critique remains.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can agree with other reviewers that there are a lot of generalizations, and even oddly homophobic statements. However, there are just too many important points and thoughts here to dismiss.

I am grateful that I have read this book, as it has opened my eyes to even more Africentric ideas that I had never considered.

[Andrea Henderson]

easy read. great insights.

[Shira and Ari Evergreen]

mentioned in "no more suburbs" (upski)

[RJ]

A great start for all educators as well as parents of boys.
I will add my overall views for 2011 following talks with my colleagues.

[Leolia]

Excellent book on understanding the issues facing young black boys.