Men With Dreams: Helping the Youth of Lincoln to Reach Their Goals

Guest Post by Preston Harris, President and CEO of Men With Dreams

A video has surfaced showing youth stomping on the American Flag. This video hurts a lot of veterans and other Americans because they feel that these students have been disrespectful to this country. At the same time we have to ask what has this country done for these youth. 

My granddad was a police officer and has been a community leader my whole life. I attended a basketball game with him and he didn’t place his hand over his heart during the pledge of allegiance. I asked him why and he told me that America hasn’t done much for black people. 

It took me a while to think of why he would say something like that, and then I remembered where he came from. My granddad grew up in Indianapolis, IN the birthplace of the KKK. He went to an all black school, where they were provided with second-class equipment and facilities. They were extremely talented at basketball so the city would place them in a college arena because everyone else wanted to see them play.

The school received 25% of the concessions to go to their athletic budget while the other schools and city would retain the majority of the resources. Every team they played was all white, the teams would foul and abuse my granddad’s team but they were so good that they couldn’t be beat. Crispus Attacks went undefeated but there was no movie, even though they beat the Hoosiers team repeatedly because they lived in the same state. 

He came from a time where as a black man, you knew that you had to be better in every way to succeed. Being black made you strong because you knew that the chips where stacked against you but your pride would not let you fail. Now, we are at a crossroads of a revolution with the deaths of black men at the forefront. 

For too long we have taken ourselves for granted and allowed this country to do the same. At first I believed that race wasn’t an issue in this country but as I mature I am faced with the reality that race is no longer the only issue. With that being said this country has taken a systematic approach to destroying the foundation of any community through removing it’s male leadership. This is especially true of black leadership in this country as neither Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nor Malcolm X made it to age 40. 

To educate any man on whom he is and the power that is inside of him is to give him the keys to his universe. We must teach a history that invokes a sense of self-pride and aspire to proudly serve your community as those have before you. What history do we teach our youth of color? They come from slaves or immigrated to this country, were treated terrible until we actually decided that everyone man and woman had rights regardless of their color. 

I never lived through that but my granddad did and so did my grandmother who was an educator and the first black female senator in the state of Nebraska. There has to be a shift in our expectations and actions for engaging our youth. No longer can we be satisfied with low income and rural students getting a second-class education. We can no longer settle for voting for candidate and government officials who have no knowledge of their community and our fundraisers pawns. 

We must change the way we educate our youth by focusing on holistic education. Teaching on the basic fundamentals of reading and writing but also having a strong knowledge of self, interpersonal communication, health and spirituality. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Character plus critical thinking is the true goal of education.”

I can’t wait to live in a nation where I am proud to put my hand over my heart because it is a country I love. I’m sure that America will be beautiful again one day, until then we will work to heal America’s pain. By allowing it’s residents to choose the best option for their child’s education instead of sending them to dropout factories. Charter schools allow that option for Nebraska children and families, which is exactly what we need and deserve. 

They serve the students who need it most by providing a specialized option designed for student-focused success. Student focused, not test score focused. Holistic education, not teaching to a test for dollars. Physical education requirements, creativity (art, music, theatre, tech) focused, real life experiences and the expectation of success! Not shuffling from room to room, texting in class, outdated curricula, and coasting through school. 

The only renewable resource is our youth! Every single one of those kids deserves an education tailored for them to succeed. School choice gives our communities that option and gives us control over the future of our youth. I am successful because my granddad taught me a history that let me know that dreams come true and I intend to make sure that every youth has that same opportunity. 

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Men With Dreams is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by Preston Harris and Brandon McWilliams in September of 2013. Their goal is to make sure every youth understands that they have everything it takes to reach their goals and dreams. If you would like to volunteer for Men With Dreams or donate to their outstanding cause, visit their website or get in touch with them via Facebook or Twitter.