Ellington

Last spring, as I sat in a Murrah High School classroom, surrounded by the brilliant young minds of the Civil Rights, Civil Liberties Club, I was struck by the contrast between these young people—who were deeply committed to contributing positively to their communities—and the myth some media outlets perpetuate about Jackson's youngsters.

Too many news stories seem to be written in an attempt to make us fear our young people—reporting in gory detail about crimes allegedly committed by teens—but refusing to report on all the ways others are working to make our community better for us all. This is why I jumped at the chance to be a part of the Youth Media Project—because I want to help tell the real story.

In my work at the Mississippi Youth Justice Project, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, I spend a lot of time inside the state's juvenile prisons and jails. I see firsthand the results inaccurate media portrayals have on young people and their communities. The media directly influences the overly punitive policies that lead to their imprisonment—particularly youth of color—for minor offenses. Media reports have created zero-tolerance hysteria in our schools—and as a result, many youngsters are funneled into the juvenile-justice system from the schools.

But negative media portrayals influence more than just policy makers. These negative images affect young people as well. During one of my conversations with participants in the Civil Rights, Civil Liberties Club, talk turned towards the juvenile-justice system. Many of the youngsters participating in that day's discussion had been involved with the system. They told their stories of being arrested for tapping a pencil on a desk at school, of being targeted by a security guard at a grocery store, of the days and nights they spent in a maximum security facility for minor offenses. As they finished sharing their experiences, one of the other participants spoke up and confessed: "I thought everyone that got locked up deserved to be there and was a bad person."

The young people—by sharing their stories—busted a myth. This simple exchange illustrates the power of the Youth Media Project. The project is based on the premise that young people—telling their own stories—will get it right and will help all of us understand their exceptional promise.

YMP brings together young people across color and class lines: Through this project they cross the artificial boundaries that separate us. Youth from private and public schools collaborate, those who have spent time "in the system" and those who believe that boundaries must be broken against the will of their parents and grandparents' generation spar over issues that are important to them and that will resonate with readers.

The YMP will change the way Mississippi thinks about our young people. They can tell their own stories, while destroying the myths that older generations have created for them. Combining Internet, print and video mediums, members ofthe YMP are building skills that will force society to pay attention to their strengths and their promise. We need to listen to what they have to say because it is often more important, more thought provoking and truer than anything we, as their seniors, have to say.

I spend many hours each week behind bars talking and listening to young people as they describe events that may have led to their being behind the cold, punitive metal security apparatus, listening to their stories of economic needs or the brutal mental, emotional and/or physical abuses they have suffered while imprisoned. A common refrain is, "if only someone had listened to me before…"

It is a simple request, but one that—when overlooked by a child's parent, guardian or other influential adult—may have horrific consequences.

The desires of the young people I work with behind bars are not that different than the YMP: "Listen to me!" they shout. It is our responsibility to do just that. When you find yourself reading about youth crime, think rationally about it. Think about the myth that is being portrayed. Demand that your local media outlet spend resources reporting on the positive contributions of the youth in your community and not just on juvenile delinquency. And recognize that the answer to youth crime is not more prisons, but more jobs, better schools and more positive outlets for our young people.

"Any situation in which individuals prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence," wrote Paulo Freire in "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed." We must stop preventing our young people from teaching us the road forward.

Help YMP by buying Friendship Ball tickets from the JFP. Call 601-361-6121 x16 for details.

Previous Comments

ID

156296

Comment

As adults we also need to remember that many times the crimes committed by youth are planned and executed under the direction of adults - adults who are using the youth to make money. These adults recognize that they can control the youth by playing on their emotional need to be accepted and respected.

Author

deltabelle

Date

2010-02-25T14:07:58-06:00