"If you, the youth, do not forgive us for fumbling, our race will be very far behind in the twenty-first century."
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From the Curse of Willie Lynch to the
New African American Generation by James C. Rollins Trafford Publishing
book review by Michael Radon
In this title, ideas, essays, and articles are combined to present ideas and explanations designed to elevate the African American community out of its negative portrayals and realities into a respected and powerful global community. The analogue is laid out that in order for the black culture to ascend as a unified community, the problems must be solved first on the smallest communal level: the family. With proposed reforms in education, a reconstructed familial two-parent nucleus, proper financial management and reduced media bias, it is proposed that the years of damage can be undone. By drawing inspiration from past leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. but looking forward to the future by investing in black youth, a new cultural era seems not only possible but likely.
Each chapter of this title focuses on a different aspect of African American culture and how the current system prevents widespread development of that necessity. Criticisms and proposals are laid out against the family dynamic, the school system, social welfare programs, reckless spending, and even the American political system. The ideas presented are well organized, cited, and bold enough to make change without being radical or lofty. The author draws on his own experience as a parent and an experience government worker at times, relating how he personally handled certain obstacles in his path. Like his previous book, this title frames itself around the centuries-old Willie Lynch speech purported to lay out a method by which to keep the black race subservient, and draws directly from it to suggest methods that can break that vicious cycle once and for all.