A PLAN TO HELP YOUNG BLACK MALES

State Rep. Frank Peterman of St. Petersburg is on a mission to save
black males in Florida. And Peterman, who represents mostly black
House District 55, has a plan. During the last legislative session, he
sponsored HB 21, "Council on the Social Status of African-American Men
and Boys." This does not appear to be just another study commission.

The bill, which became law last month, creates a 19-member council to
be appointed by the governor that will "make a systematic study of the
conditions affecting African-American men and boys, including, but not
limited to, the homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rates,
poverty, violence, drug abuse, death rates, disparate annual income
levels, school performance in all grade levels including postsecondary
levels, and health issues." The attorney general's office will
administer the council, and taxpayers will pay an estimated $182,751
annually for three full-time employees, office space and other expenses.

Although critics contend the effort is yet another feel-good
initiative that will waste tax dollars, Peterman deserves credit for
earnestly trying to reverse what appears to be an intractable crisis.
No one else in Tallahassee has offered such a sensible plan.

"When you look at what's happening statewide with regard to blacks and
crime, there are high numbers of black males who are killing one
another," he said. "We hope to put together a council that will create
policy. We don't want to put something together and put it on a shelf
as a mere statistical document. I believe, like many researchers do,
that this is a public health issue as much as it is a public safety
issue. It has a lot of the same characteristics of a disease to some
degree."

Grim statistics justify Peterman's concerns. According to the Harvard
Medical School's Consumer Health Information Center, almost 12 percent
of black males suffer from depression and less than 16 percent seek
needed mental health treatment. A Justice Department study shows that
in 2003, more than 9 percent of all black males age 26 to 29 were
incarcerated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report
that homicide is the leading cause of death for black males between
the ages of 15 and 34.

Peterman said that in addition to establishing an institute, he
intends to create "small black male academies" throughout black
communities statewide. He will enlist the help of local governments
and religious, community and school organizations willing to help
young black males learn, among other behaviors, the value of doing
homework, talking civilly with others, solving problems nonviolently,
respecting authority and respecting their peers.

To their credit, Gov. Jeb Bush and Attorney General Charlie Crist have
embraced the initiative. Now Peterman needs to persuade the state's
black residents to commit to the long and difficult work ahead. After
all, the future of black men is at stake.