J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3

the Come Up Teaching the Truth to Youth

Hip Hop Quote of the Month

Visualizin the realism of life and actuality

Fuck who's the baddest a person's status depends on

salary And my mentality is, money

orientated I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never

made it --- AZ from Life a Bitch

Happy New Year

The Men of the Tenth Inc., is back and stronger than ever. This year is guaranteed to be a success due to the changes that have then place within the organization. Our new strategic plan will help us continue to connect with more students than ever before and our monthly newsletters (which is now entitled The Come Up) will continue to include motivating thoughts from some of the worlds best minds. We will also continue to give you a hip-hop quote of the month and scholarly information to transform you into an urban graduate.

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JANUARY 2013 THE MEN OF THE TENTH INC.

Self Love By LaVon Williams

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Just the other day while driving to work I heard the song The Ride, by rapper Meek Mill. This song made me very excited and motivated to share my thoughts on the state of black men in America. In the song Meek states that he’s “stunting every chance I get because I had it poor.” Like many Americans, Meek suggest that he focuses on material objects because of his lack of experience for possessing luxurious materials. Meek asserts that dealing with this reality is why black youth “get high, to get by.” His song not only discusses some of the reasons for why so many young teens are materialistic, rebellious, and become substance abusers; it also discusses the effect of negative comments from a district attorney. Meek emphasizes that a district attorney said she hated him. What is interesting is that not only does the district attorney hate this black man, society as a whole does not value the lives of black men. According to research, black men seem to be last in every negative statistical category. For example, black men have the highest death, incarnation, high school dropout and lowest college graduation rate in the country. It seems like the only black

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male success stories are in the area of sport and play. In America the majority positive or successful images black men see of themselves is as a sports player or entertainer. To overcome this limited societal view of black men, black men must have self-love. Self-love is not something that can be given; in order to acquire self-love black men must become rely on their inner spirit. Their inner spirit is a voice that tells them how to keeping achieving although they have millions of haters that do not want them to succeed. This inner voice tells black men that they must keep fighting the good fight, and use their intelligence to create a successful strategy to maneuver through a world that is against them. Since, Meek’s song, The Ride refers to the experience of black men in America; the solution to the problem begins with black men driving their own bus instead of waiting or expecting others to drive them. As a result, black men will never need society to love them and they will have SELF-LOVE and confidence that will help them succeed in any endeavor.

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JANUARY 2013 THE MEN OF THE TENTH INC.

Sarah Garland Jones

Sarah Garland Jones, the first black woman to receive a medical certificate from the state of Virginia, was born soon after the close of the Civil War in Albemarle County, Virginia. Jones attended the public school system in Richmond and graduated in 1883 from the Richmond Normal School. She taught for five years and was regarded as one of the brightest “colored women” of the city. During her teaching years she married Miles Berkley Jones, a physician. Sarah Jones attended Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C., from 1890 to 1893, when she received her medical degree. Upon returning to Richmond, Sarah Garland Jones was one of eighty-five candidates to take the state medical examination board in Virginia. Twenty-five of the white participants failed the examination. Jones received over 90 percent of the surgery portion of the examination. Passing the Virginia State Medical Examination Board gave her

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the distinction of becoming the first black woman to receive a medical certificate from the Virginia board. Jones and her husband set up a practice in Richmond, where he would treat the men and she would treat women. They maintained a lucrative practice for many years. Like several of their black physician colleagues, the Joneses founded a patient care facility in 1898. The hospital had about twenty-five beds and was mainly available for female patients. The hospital was called The Women’s Central Hospital and Richmond Hospital. Incorporated in 1912, the hospital changed its name to Sarah Jones Memorial Hospital. In 1901 the Joneses began a training school for nurses affiliated with the hospital. The first nursing class graduated in 1901, and the school remained open until 1920. At the time of her death in 1905, Sarah Garland Jones was the only black woman practicing medicine in the state of Virginia.

Excerpt from Notable Black American Women, 1992

750 Faile Street Suite 2E Bronx, New York 10474

All You Need Are Tools Harold Ford Jr., whose father was a congressman for two decades, told me, “My dad’s generation essentially gave this generation of politicians an expanded toolbox. When my dad was in office they pretty much had one tool: a hammer. Whatever the problem was they showed up with a hammer. It would have been a problem that required just a screwdriver- let’s finesse this a little bit- but they showed up with a hammer. They meant no harm, it was the only tool they had. Now I got wrenches, screwdrivers, saws, tape measures, I mean, I got a more complete set.” Excerpt from Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black No

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

THE MEN OF THE TENTH INC.