Black Entertainment Television network recently launched a reality show called “Baldwin Hills.” It follows the lives of a group of African-American teenagers who live in what is portrayed as the black Beverly Hills of California.
Most of the group are youth of wealthy, black parents. The family of one teen used to live in “the ‘hood” but, like the Jeffersons, was able to “move on up to the Eastside.” One young lady seems to be a commuter from the ’hood, though; she constantly struggles with the rest of the group, especially the other girls.
I don’t see “Baldwin Hills” as pioneer television, like “The Cosby Show” and “It’s a Different World” were. But as I watched a couple of episodes, I couldn’t help but reflect on how it breaks some of the stereotypes of young African Americans.
Post-Black Generation
Hip-hop intellectuals and authors Nelson George and Todd Boyd have written about what is being called the Post-Soul Youth Culture. I would even call this hip-hop generation Post-Black. Think of hip-hop entrepreneur Sean (P. Diddy) Combs; athletes LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Serena and Venus Williams; Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; filmmaker Spike Lee and Hampton University Ministers’ Conference president, William Curtis, just to name a few.
Yet this growing, powerful, diverse and influential culture seems to draw little interest from those in mainstream youth ministry. The dominant view of African-American youth is one of second-class urban citizenship: a generation without fathers, failing in school, having babies too early, involved in gangs and without a spiritual compass for life.
While in no way do I want to downplay the class and racial disparities that exist in urban America, I believe this stereotype cripples ministry in America for at least a couple of reasons.
First, if we see African-American young people and urban youth ministry in this way, we lose out on the opportunity to reach kids of all cultures and ethnicities.
I’ve been to too many so-called urban youth conferences and camps where I wonder, Where are the white teenagers? I’ve seen too many parachurch brochures where an all-white staff is hugging black city kids, conveying that this is what all urban youth ministry is about.
The second way in which this stereotyping cripples youth ministry in America is by the way it impacts predominantly European-American, suburban-church youth ministry trying to reach out to suburban, African-American kids, like those depicted on “Baldwin Hills.”
Picture for a moment a 15-year-old African-American boy named Eric. Eric is visiting a suburban, white church with his new friend, Josh, who is white. As Eric walks into the youth room, he is confronted with stares from teenagers who have picked up stereotypical pictures of African-American youth as thugs, rappers and athletes. They ask questions such as, “Do you play basketball?” “Do you like Jay-Z?” or “Can you dance?” Though the questions are offensive, Eric is just happy they are speaking to him. At a similar church he visited the month before, no one even spoke to him.
The Broader Culture
This story is very realistic. In fact, to a large degree, it’s my story. I grew up in the city. I’m the son of two hard-working parents who provided a middle-class upbringing for my brother, Tramaine, and me. I’ve never been in a gang, and I don’t have children born out of wedlock. I became a Christian at 16 at a predominantly European-American Methodist church; and at 37, I still love hip hop (just not more than I love Jesus).
Youth pastors, professors and trainers must become students of African-American youth culture—and there’s so little time to learn it if we don’t want to lose a generation of youth. African-American youth culture currently influences the broader culture in an amazing way. Companies sell shoes, clothes, fast food and video games by marketing through African Americans to the youth culture as a whole.
Understanding that black is not always urban is just one step in rethinking youth ministry in America. Together we can develop a youth ministry ready for an ever-increasing multiethnic, multicultural and urbanized youth culture.
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Efrem Smith is the senior pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church (sanctuarycovenant.org) and the founder of Unity Storehouse Ministries (unitystorehouse.com). He is the author of Raising Up Young Heroes and The Hip Hop Church (with Phil Jackson). He also hosts the radio show “Time for Reconciliation.”
