Affirmation is the message

The last of the Wheelock two hour seminars on Black Male Youth felt a lot different from the other four. While prensenters Dr. Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson and Dr. Ron Rochon brought the same high level of academic credentials, their presentation was aimed at the heart as much as the mind.
Starting with Nina Simone's "To Be Young Gifted and Black" accompanying photos of great African Americans along with African American children Drs. Webb-Johnson and Rochon worked off of each other beautifully. While they presented the unacceptable figures of African American, and particularly African American Male, students in Special Education, they emphasized the importance of affirming these children and providing an educational environment that matches their past socializing experiences and needs.
While Dr. Smith acknowledged they may be preaching to the choir, she admonished, "The choir needs to practice."
Other messages were:
"Meet them where they are,take them where they need to go."

Dr. Rochon emphasized the importance of language. He felt students needed to have a clear understanding of the history and meaning of words that they use.
Change by hugging not scolding

Echoing Margaret Beale Spencer they said we must acknowledge their experiences and not ignore or deny them.
Also following Alfred Tatum they saw the need for the curriculum to reflect student experiences and engage them in school.
“Get in their faces with love”

Dr.Webb-Johnson showed thec 9 Dimensions of African American Culture of which teachers need to be aware as they teach Black children

• spirituality
  
• harmony
  
• movement
  
• verve
  
• affect
  
• communialism
  
• expressive individualism
  
• oral tradition
  
• social time persperctive

Two ways to deal with this:
A young female is speaking loudly
“You are a loud Black girl” or “You are a powerful young woman who needs to be less
powerful right now.”

Drs. Webb-Johnson and Rocher recommended two strategies:

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Affirmations

“I’ll never give up,” "I’ll do my best”
and other expressions of pride and determination.

They themselves were affirming and easy to listen to.