Kenn Bivins - 39 Lessons for Black Boys & Girls

39 lessons
for Black
boys &
girls

by Kenn Bivins

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for boys and girls
of all shades of Black

Being Black isnt a trend or a sin. Its the skin and the lessons within.
Kenn Bivins

love & power forever

First of all, why is this book necessary? Isnt the title somewhat divisive? What does this book have to say that the previous ones in the 39 Lessons series didnt already say? This book is about race specifically the Black race.
Being Black in the United States, or anywhere else for that matter, is a nuanced experience. It is within those layers, if left unaddressed, that identity can be lost. So we must talk to our Black children about race.
If its treated as a taboo topic, imagine how powerless and unloved Black children may eventually feel.
This book contains brief contextual use of the N-word and the B-word. These words are not used gratuitously or frivolously. There is a likelihood our children have been exposed to these ugly words - or worse - have been addressed as such. It is up to us as parents, mentors, guardians, and the like to contextualize these two words and have a conversation with our children.
love and power forever,
Kenn Bivins

01
Your Black is beautiful.
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Your melanin, strength, creativity, versatility, faith, tenacity and intuition make you inherently beautiful.

02
Your skin does not make you
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a suspect, villain, thug, n-word, b-word, criminal, brute, freak, or any negative thing. Your skin is instead the wrapper to all of the good things within.

03

You cant be a king and a n-word.
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The bloodied, oppressive n-word cant be saved and ushered into camaraderie. Abandon using it to refer to your people. Instead, think and speak greater destinies about yourself and your loved ones.

04
You cant be a queen and a b-word.
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A b-word is a female dog, or a person or thing that is very difficult. It is usually leveraged as an insult against a woman or a person perceived to be weak and inferior. You are greater than those things. Hold your head higher that they might see your crown.

05
There is so much more to your history than slavery.
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We have contributed to innovations, science, literature, art and customs that have helped shape the culture of the United States and the world. Despite slavery, we found ways to survive and thrive beyond.

06
Mindset is your superpower.
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Persistence, hard work and effort are all very important traits to have, but having that foundational belief that you are in control of your own destiny is the secret sauce to your success.

07
You are not a minority.
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Black peoples cultural influence on the mainstream alongside their economic power and innovation has long established them as the foundation to mankind. And logically, people who are of the global majority cant be considered minorities.

08
The way they see you should never taint the way you see yourself.
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You cant control what others think about you, but you can command what you think of yourself.

09
Your life matters.
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Ignore the subtle diminishing of your value in the media, in the justice system, in education and in white-washed history. You are good enough.

10
Read a book. read many books.
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Reading books increases knowledge, reduces stress, expands vocabulary, builds analytical skills, improves memory, focus and writing skills, and is a great form of entertainment.

11
Study. practice. repeat.
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There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory.

12
Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Emancipation Proclamation, etc.
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White-wash: to alter something in a way that favors, features or caters to White people, such as increasing their prominence, relevance or impact while minimizing or misrepresenting that of non-White people.

13
Juneteenth is
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the June 19th celebration of the real liberation from slavery that came two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued

on January 1, 1863. 250,000 slaves in Texas were already free but none of them knew it and no one was in a hurry to tell them.

14
Marcus Garvey,
pride and innovation
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He was a writer, gifted speaker and activist who established a corporation that offered stock for Black people to buy. The project generated income and provided jobs. There were numerous enterprises, including a chain of grocery stores and restaurants, a steam laundry, tailor shops, a publishing house and a doll factory.

15
Ida B. Wells,
courage and empathy
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She was an unsung American hero, a journalist and an activist who investigated and reported lynchings all the way to the White House, calling for reforms. She was described as a woman with plenty of nerve who was as smart as a steel trap. She also fought for Black womens rights long before it was popular or safe.

16
Katherine Johnson,
genius and perseverance
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She was the mathematician who hand-calculated the trajectory for Americas first trip to space. Despite segregation and discrimination, her calculations would be critical to the success of NASAs crewed space flights.

17
Ellen and William Craft,
cunning and resourceful
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The Crafts were a married couple who wanted to start a family so they escaped slavery by hiding in plain sight. Ellen resembled a White woman, so she cross-dressed as a male plantation owner, with William posing as her slave. They fled Georgia and lived in England for 19 years before returning to the United States and establishing a farm.

18
Racism is alive and well in America.
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When Barack Obama was elected the first Black president, racism didnt suddenly die. It simply evolved to thrive publicly in the form of legislation and policies that meshed bigoted ideologies with white-washed ignorance.

19
You dont have the same privilege as your white friends.
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Theyre much less likely to be profiled by police, followed in a store, held accountable for others in their community, marginalized or judged according to the color of their skin. Be vigilant.

20
They are not better than you. You are not better than them.
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Dont be an entitled human being or support to entitled human beings.

21
You belong to the African diaspora.
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Diaspora means the dispersion of people from their homeland or community. As a Black person, you are a part of the African diaspora because your ancestors were dispersed from the continent of Africa to parts all over the world because of the slave trade and colonization.

22
All laws are not just.
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People who enact laws are empowered by widespread voter ignorance and by strong biases of their own. It was said by one of the founding fathers of the United States that if a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.

23
Protest is the right to speak against what is wrong.
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Dont let anyone shame you out of standing for what you believe is right. The United States was founded on protest.

24
Equality and equity are not the same.
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You will win $500 if you can fly your paper plane farther than your classmates. Equality supplies all of you with sheets of paper although some of them are crumpled up. Equity makes sure that all of you have the same quality of paper to start with.