Back on Track: The Epidemic of Violence Among African American Youth in the Gresham Park Community

The future of African American youth in America is in a precarious situation. Violence and violent behavior have become a complex problem that seems endless and growing.

Dr. Hubert Brown's research offers an astounding reality check into violence which challenges the existence and sustenance of the future of African American youth. Moreover, statistics have proven that violence among African American youth is disproportionate to other races for a myriad of reasons. Therein lies a problem that speaks to the urgent need for sensible and successful solutions. This dilemma, in fact, suggests that violent behavior must be rehabilitated and could become the norm over time rather than producing healthy citizens in the wake of mounting youth violence in the twenty-first century.

The pertinent questions are as follows: What is going on? Why is it going on? What ought to be going on? Why is there prolific violence among African American youth? What is the way forward? Where is God and society in this violent epidemic? Is transformation possible? Is there a practical solution? And, how can the church, government, families, communities, and the populace come together to strategically approach this critical issue?

The pressing issue is this: African Americans have been bombarded by historical and civil woes, economic and educational disparities, racial and political complexities, and oppressive and systemic bondages, which ultimately contribute to violent behavior whether overt or covert, learned or self-inflicted. Without resolutions that promote change, the future of African American youth looks dim, despairing, and disheartening. One obstacle that stands is sincere and continuous attention to the problem of violence from the powers that be. Moreover, the African American community must seriously reconsider the role it plays in changing the status quo. The clarion call is to the value of youth and their future contribution to society regardless of race or gender. An open heart and open mind are the starting points for humanity. Dr. Brown suggests a reawakening to violent behavior across America, the causes and cures, the degeneration of the African American culture, and the eventual loss of generations.

Dr. Hubert Brown's book is a must-read to encounter a dynamic, thrilling, inspiring, informative, practical, and theological pathway for the renewal and transformation of violence among African American youth and youth in America.