Community Essay : ‘The Black Male Crisis Is Real’ : There are some bright spots, but black professionals need to apply more effort to training black youths and finding and creating jobs for them.

Children’s Defense Fund Director Marian Wright Edelman has launched a new campaign to “save black males.” In the past, the fund lobbied, cajoled and even tried to shame public officials and business leaders into increasing funding and developing policy initiatives for the nation’s children. But this time she’s directly challenging black professional and business people to take responsibility for “rescuing” young black men. Edelman is on target for three reasons.

* The black middle class is highly educated and possesses skills and economic clout. Black professionals are the role models of success and achievement that young black males desperately need to interact with.

* The government won’t do the job. As cities like Los Angeles face massive budget deficits and hunt for ways to cut local programs and services, the chances of a massive infusion of dollars to expand public services and jobs and social programs are remote.

* The black male crisis is real. The California Assembly Commission on the Status of the African American Male recently underscored the magnitude of the crisis. It reported that four out of 10 felons entering California prisons are black males. Less than half of lower-income black males under age 29 live in two-parent households. And black males in California with a high-school education are twice as likely as white males to be unemployed, according to a state legislative study.

All of this is not to say that the situation of young black women is unimportant, only that the situation of young black men is dire. The crisis has had deadly consequences on the streets of Los Angeles. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, from 1985 to 1989, Los Angeles beat out Washington as the nation’s murder capital. Nearly all the gunshot victims were young black and Latino males. In addition, although African Americans make up only 11% of L.A. County’s population, nearly half the children referred to the county-run MacLaren Children’s Center because of abuse or neglect are African American.

There are some bright spots. A growing number of black parents and professionals in Los Angeles has answered Edelman’s challenge. The 100 Black Men organization sponsors mentoring programs and provides scholarships and grants to young blacks. In early November, state Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) convened a daylong black male crisis conference in South-Central. At the conference, black professionals and business leaders shared their experiences with hundreds of high school and junior high school students.

Recently, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science in the Watts-Willowbrook area sponsored a conference in which local educators, businesspeople and professionals provided parents with learning tips and materials to help them improve the study habits of their children. The MacLaren Center also has begun a program to train African American and Latino volunteer advocates in child counseling.

Personally, I’ve been proud to take part in the Models for Success program sponsored by the L.A. Chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. The program, held each January, is aimed at young black males. Black professionals present seminars on topics ranging from cultural awareness to career planning.

The efforts of black professionals and parents are paying off. Last year, 75% of young black males graduated from high school nationally. And these young men also appear less likely to use drugs and alcohol than young whites. Meanwhile, most unemployed young black males continue to actively search for jobs.

But this isn’t enough. There are too many black males who have fallen, or are in danger of falling, victim to the streets. They must be given hope. The most urgent need is to focus on job and skills training. There are two immediate ways that black professionals and business leaders can act. They can organize or conduct biweekly or monthly training workshops that emphasize math, science, data processing, computer programming, reading and writing skills. The workshops could offer pointers on proper grooming, dress and manners as well as instruction in job search, application and interview techniques.

Also, black entrepreneurs could train and counsel in business management, marketing, leasing, franchising, financial planning and investments. And African American churches, neighborhood centers, service agencies and businesses could donate facilities, reading materials and equipment for the workshops.

Even with these efforts, the volatile mix of unemployment, poverty, frustration and despair will continue to drive some young black males to the streets. But a rescue program initiated by black professionals can do much to decrease their ranks.