God Cares About Black Youth

This I Believe

I am often asked why I choose to teach. My life experiences, coupled with researching literacy rates and the opportunity gap, softened my heart enough to feel an irresistible pull to actualize what I believe it means to lead with head and heart. Leading with head and heart is the motto through which we give life to truth and service as students and alumni of Howard University School of Divinity. I teach because my heart feels for the Black youth in Washington, D.C., who have been pushed to the margins of society because of their skin color, socioeconomic status, or zip code. I teach because my head (intellect) tells me that there is something I can do about it.

My journey through HUSD refined my understanding of social justice, equity, and community and aided in developing my theo-ethical hermeneutical lens on scripture. Scripture tells me that God does not exist afar off, uninterested, or uninvolved in our daily lives, but through the hands of people who do justice, e.g., Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us. In Luke 4:18, Jesus boldly reads from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free”.

If God is a God of the oppressed, as Dr. James Cone offers, then God is on the side of Black youth. Black youth have historically been oppressed through the harsh conditions and residual impressions of enslavement, systemic racism, and an inequitable public education system. As a practical theologian, I believe God cares about the holistic advancement of Black kids and has called me (and others) to make this evident on Earth as it is in Heaven. This is why I employ prophetic activism.

Prophetic activism demands faith leaders proclaim the good news to the poor and do something about oppression. The advancement of Black youth is a social justice issue and can be addressed using what Dr. D. Anthony Everett calls compassionate action. Compassion takes to the image and spirit of God that connects every human being and moves us to justice. This is love in public – compassion for the well-being of others.

Compassion has pushed me along the road of teaching, mentoring, and advocating for an equitable educational system. On Sundays, I am known as Minister Cooper, and on Monday morning, my littles at school call me Mr. Cooper. My high schoolers call me Cooper, Coop, or Unc, and I am Uncle Torren or just Torren to my family. Regardless of the prefix or physical space, I will always declare with my voice and actions that Black youth matter to our loving God. And because they matter, I will do all I can in the way I can to leave my community more beautiful and beneficial than I found it.

Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Thus, I suggest clergy and laypersons seek opportunities to develop partnerships with schools within their community to collaborate and fortify the bridge from the cross to the community. This will bring discipleship full circle and ensure our Black youth have sustainable pathways to a bright future.