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Marcus quickly glanced around to make sure nobody could hear him and said without hesitation “A genetic engineer.”  His face was serene, but serious. You could tell he’s probably never shared that dream. It is my job to help him manifest that dream.

“So what is keeping you from that right now?” I inquired.

“Mostly my math grades” he said, using his foot to play with pebbles on the ground.

Marcus and I made a deal.  I told him I’d introduce him to an African American friend of mine at who worked in the field of genetic engineering. But he would have to bring his math grade up.  He smiled at the idea after we shook hands.

As we talked more I told him more about life after high school.  How quickly you and your friends no longer hang out.  How life gets in the way over time.  People go to college, get jobs, move away, have babies etc.  I told Marcus that it was important for him to really embrace his vision of what he wants to be, because he is truly in charge of it.

“In the end it all comes down to the three C’s” I said: College, career, or crime.

College: The best thing for you to do is stay in school.  This economy is cold right now.  It is harder to survive out here than you understand. You need the education and the network of college to get beyond the invisible walls of the ghetto.  College is essential.  There is no better option for you in this time.  If you won’t go to college, then you have to dedicate yourself personally to studying online, and spending your extra money on books. Nothing ensures your safety like knowledge.

Career: If you don’t stay in college, your career is your path to peace. You have to stay focused. You must to put in extra hours studying you craft, so you can excel. Be someone your boss can depend on. Try to do something you like, it will make the hard times easier.

Crime: If you fail to do the first two, crime is your destiny. An uneducated Black man, cannot get a job. A Black man with no job will inevitably get an empty stomach, because he’s a living organism. A Black man with an empty stomach for extended periods of time, will be compelled to do crime. You can’t afford to do crime. So choose one of the first two.  I fear for many of the young Black males at this school because they take the other two like it is a joke. This makes their destiny in prison almost guaranteed. But it does not have to be like that for them, or you.

The bell rang, Marcus smiled and thanked me. He gave me a pound and headed to class. “The three C’s!” he said walking off down the hall.

I hope sharing the three C’s work for Marcus. I hope sharing the three C’s with you helps somebody you care about.

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Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. We only thought slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s alive and well today with more slaves than at any point in history. In fact, there are twice as many slaves today as during the entire trans-Atlantic slavetrade.

A lack of awareness in our country, coupled with the explosion of the Internet, makes the job of the pimp and the recruiter extremely easy and the job of law enforcement extremely difficult. The scope of this horrific crime seems impossible, but each person can make a difference by teaching their own children about the traps of traffickers and knowing the red flags to watch for in other children.

This year during the Super Bowl there will be a full on Campaign launched to bring awareness to this cause. There will be a special event called “I’m Not Buying It!” It will be held 12pm-4pm, Saturday, Feb. 5, at the I’m Not Buying It Tailgate Rally at the Aristide Event and Conference Center in Mansfield, Texas, as we raise awareness about human trafficking.!

Traffick 911 PSA 10 from Nate Bernard on Vimeo.

In December 2007, research by the U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice based on interviews with pimps and sexually exploited children in several U.S. cities found that most pimps manage one to three girls at a time and operate as follows:

• At least one quarter may be tied to city-wide crime rings (often engaged in drug sales as well as prostitution) and are constantly looking for new recruits.

• About 15 percent are tied to regional or national networks that are well financed and organized,in which the pimps communicate easily with one another electronically; provide supportservices such as recruitment, selection, indoctrination, and movement of new girls; andoccasionally assist in locating and disciplining girls who escape from other pimps.

• About 10 percent appear to be tied to international sex crime networks and, through them, actively participate in the international trafficking of children. Some pimps also are part of international drug networks and may use children to move drugs in to and across the U.S.

Ultimately, the goal is to get the Dallas SuperBowl Committee to adopt the PSAs as part of this year’s event and highlight the campaign before, during and after the game.

You can help by adding your name to the petition on Change.org.

Domestic minor sex trafficking is the buying and selling of America’s own children. It’s our children being forced into sexual slavery. Federal law defines domestic minor sex trafficking as the exchange of a sex act for anything of value.

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“Given the allegations of sexually explicit conduct by minors that have been made in news reports and by the show’s distributors, MTV and Viacom, some material may constitute child pornography under U.S. law if certain conditions are met,” said Patrick A. Trueman Morality in Media CEO. Trueman is a former Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, in Washington, D.C.

“U. S. child pornography laws prohibit any visual depiction involving children under the age of 18 engaged in ‘sexually explicit conduct,’ which is defined under those laws as ‘actual or simulated’ sexual intercourse, including ‘genital-genital, oral-genital’ sex and a variety of other sexual acts,” noted Trueman.

Trueman noted that according to news reports, the British episodes of “Skins” do depict sexually explicit conduct with minors involved.

“Attorney General Eric Holder should investigate MTV and Viacom now to satisfy himself that the American episodes of the show comport with U.S. child pornography laws,” he added.

Trueman also noted that Viacom and MTV could also violate U.S. obscenity laws, which prohibit the distribution of obscene pornography, depending on how sexual conduct is depicted.

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Story By: Model D

Are we making Detroit a place where young and talented people want to be? The Michigan Front Page, Model D and the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Fusion group are joining forces to get some answers at our Speaker Series this month, Feb. 25 at the Majestic Theatre, 4120 Woodward Ave., in Midtown.

We will talk with young Detroit leaders about embracing diversity, building leadership, and their vision for the city’s future. We also will get a picture of what Detroit’s demographic make up looks like, and will look like in decades to come, from demographer Kurt Metzger. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so you must pre-register.

The event will start at 5:30 p.m. with sign in, and the hour-long presentation will begin at 6 p.m. and will be followed by question and answer and networking time.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY

U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth, a new study suggests.

The relationship could be due to the fact that communities with such religious beliefs (a literal interpretation of the Bible, for instance) may frown upon contraception, researchers say. If that same culture isn’t successfully discouraging teen sex, the pregnancy and birth rates rise.

Mississippi topped the list for conservative religious beliefs and teen birth rates, according to the study results, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of the journal Reproductive Health.

However, the results don’t say anything about cause and effect, though study researcher Joseph Strayhorn of Drexel University College of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh offers a speculation of the most probable explanation: “We conjecture that religious communities in the U.S. are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself.”

The study comes with other significant caveats, too:

The same link might not be found for other types of religious beliefs that are perhaps more liberal, researchers say. And while the study reveals information about states as a whole, it doesn’t shed light on whether an individual teen who is more religious will also be more likely to have a child.

“You can’t talk about individuals, because you don’t know what’s producing the [teen birth] rate,” said Amy Adamczyk, a sociologist at the City University of New York, who was not involved in the current study. “Are there just a couple of really precocious religious teenagers who are running around and getting pregnant and having all of these babies, but that’s not the norm?”

Strayhorn agrees and says the study aimed to look at communities (or states) as a whole.

Click here to read more.

[SOURCE: MSNBC]