Successfully Raising Young Black Men

By Kevin D Barnes, Sr

With honesty, humor, love and wisdom, Kevin D. Barnes, Sr., father of three great young black men, and pastor of Abyssinian Missionary, in Oakland, CA, shows African-American fathers and mothers how to do something that apparently many are struggling to do -- successfully raise young black men. If you are trying to raise a young black man successfully, or know someone who is, This book is for you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Torch Legacy Publications
• Release date: Mar 30, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452424286

Book preview

Chapter 10: Be Real in Front of Your Sons

Chapter 11: Expose Your Sons to Real Life (without

them Actually Having to Experience It)

Chapter 12: What the Bible Says About Parenting

Chapter 13: From Mother to Mother

Chapter 14: Sons Honor Their Parents

Chapter 15: 20 Key Things that You Must Teach Your Sons

Resources to Help Raise Your Sons Successfully

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who helped bring this book into being. Without Him this book could not have been done.

I thank God for my loving wife, Brenda, for her patience, understanding and unwavering support; and, also, for my sons: Kevin, Keith and Kenneth, whom I love unconditionally. I also wish to thank my brothers and sisters for their influence on my life. I am indebted to my dutiful secretary, Debbie Potter, for her patience in typing the original manuscript; and to the entire Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church Family, who are some of the best people this side of Heaven. I wish to express my gratitude to my brother and friend, Daniel Whyte III, for his encouragement, inspiration and invaluable assistance and support throughout the writing of this book. Also, I wish to thank the editors of this book, Daniella Whyte and Daniel Whyte IV.

"If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much."—Jacqueline Kennedy

Foreword

Some time back, Pastor Kevin Barnes, of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Oakland, California, picked up a copy of my book, Letters to Young Black Men, from a Walgreens store, near his church. He contacted me and told me he read the book in one setting, with tears in his eyes. Later, he invited me to do a major book-signing in his city. When I met him and his family, I was impressed with the fact that his three sons (two of which are grown) were serving the Lord with alacrity. These young men were not being forced to work in the ministry with their father; they wanted to serve in the ministry with their father. This totally blessed my heart, because it is so rare in this day and time, to see grown, young black men who have a loving and warm relationship with their parents and who actually want to serve the Lord.

I said to myself, apparently, Bro. Barnes and Sis. Barnes have done some things right in raising these young men for the glory of God. It is one thing to raise a child, and the child turns out okay, and does not get into trouble. But it is another thing, in this day and time, when you see black parents raise children, who not only turn out okay, but actually are excited about serving the Lord. This is easily said, but not easily done. If it were easy, we would have many more parents today, both black and white, doing it.

After some prayer, I encouraged Pastor Barnes to write this book, not because Pastor Barnes is necessarily a writer, but because Pastor Barnes and Mrs. Barnes have actually raised three young black men successfully. Today, we have many people who write books, but they have not done what they are writing about. Well, Pastor Barnes and his wife have done what they are writing about, and I want you to hear what they have to say and take heed to it.—Daniel Whyte III, Glasgow, Scotland

"Small boys become big men through the influence

of big men who care about small boys."—Anonymous

Introduction

In August of last year, after reading one of Daniel Whyte’s books, Letters to Young Black Men, and being greatly impressed by it, I invited him out to our church, Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church,