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As a boy, young man and man, I have been blessed with innumerable influential, active, and positive people in my life. The most influential by far were my parents, Delores and Solomon Walker. They encouraged, advised and disciplined me when necessary. Both parents reminded me that having an education qualified me to " do something" in the service of others.

I only applied to one college. That college was the historic HBCU, Lincoln University, located in Oxford, Pennsylvania. Little did I know that this...

Young, Gifted, Black and Worried

by Ron Walker

In the Bible, Job was known for his perseverance while under extreme duress. He once said, "The churning inside me never stops, days of suffering confront me". As I fast forward to today, I often think about the constant churning that is omnipresent in the lives of black men and boys. There is a constant churning within caused by endless stress that confronts us.

I once had a robust conversation with a white male counterpart comparing and...

COSEBOC Passages

by Kamau Ptah

It is with great excitement that we launch this new blog through the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) centered on one of the most ancient transformative learning systems known as rite of passage. Our focus will be to present conceptual frameworks from this indigenous transformational method and explore effective practices that can be integrated into 21st Century schools, educational institutions, organizations and homes that are interested in creating the optimal educational and...

Education Excellence for African Americans?

By David Johns and Dr. Marcus Hunter

The new movie Dope stars Shameik Moore as a young brilliant Black Los Angeles high school student who gets entangled in a haphazard scheme to sell drugs. Playing on the stereotype of young Black men as “dope dealers,” the film illustrates a host of obstacles faced by Black youth when pursuing educational excellence and sometimes to survive. Is the film mere Hollywood hyperbole?

Truth is, it’s not.

In the United States, Black students encounter a series of educational detours that compromise academic success.

...

A Conversation About Growing Up Black

NYT Op-Docs recently released this short video of young black men explaining the particular challenges they face growing up in America. We are re-posting it here, and hope that you will take 5 minutes to watch this powerful video.

Dear Mama: Honoring Mother's Day

by Ron Walker
May, 2015

Delores Gwendolyn Walker, if she were alive today, would be in the vanguard. Without a shadow of a doubt, she would champion the movement to Save our Sons. As this Mother's Day approaches it gives me cause to pause and reflect upon the role that mothers have historically played in the lives of black and brown boys and young men. Think about the recent act of love publicly displayed by Toya Graham, the Baltimore mother who raced into harms way to save her son from himself.

Think about the regal grace and air of forgiveness extended by Sabrina...

Beyond Words: How America’s Schools Must Respond to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Scandal

by Hayden Frederick-Clarke
April, 2015

“I think that the only way we can obliterate racism is through our schools. Schools have always been the site, the laboratory where we shape citizens.”
- Dr. Henry Louis Gates

The Sigma Alpha Epsilon members at the University of Oklahoma have done the nation a huge favor with their jovial candor. The pallid-skinned citizens among us can wag their fingers at the young people with an indignation that insinuates that they themselves hold no adherence to similar notions and are not complicit...

Gone in the Blink of an Eye

by Ron Walker
April, 2015

In 1.84 seconds, a black pre-teen by the name of Tamir Rice lost his life in a Cleveland Park. As a lifelong educator, I often think about what it was like to educate 5th and 6th grade students. They came in a variety of shapes and sizes as they were making their transition towards adolescence and becoming a teen. Some were playful, some were studious and most were beginning to form a perspective on the world and life. And I think about my own growing up as a 12 year old boy in the city of Philly. I smile with fond memories when I think about the...

To the parents of Trayvon Martin

To the parents of Trayvon Martin,

I know that though time is said to heal all wounds, the loss of a child may surely be the exception. On this the 3rd anniversary of the loss of your son Trayvon, on behalf of the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color, I send you both our prayers, well wishes and support. As a parent and a grandparent with grandsons, in Trayvons age range I can't imagine what it would feel like losing either of them.

I have followed the stories that have emerged over the three years and have seen both of you in...

Ron Walker Awarded: 2015 Cambridge NAACP, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Education Award

COSEBOC is honored to share that Ron Walker has been selected by the Officers and Executive Board of the Cambridge NAACP to receive the 2015 Cambridge NAACP, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Education Award. The celebration is on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the 30th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Breakfast Celebration, 9:00 a.m. at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge, MA.

"Ron, we celebrate your leadership and your work to improve the lives of children. Your work in Cambridge and abroad has been one of excellence and we thank you for...

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