According to the Wall Street Journal, where the story was previously published, the inmates were not allowed to use the Internet for research (to prepare for the debate), and the facility in which they were imprisoned had to approve which material they could study from. The debate team has been doing so since 2014, also beating debate teams of other notable schools such as West Point and the University of Vermont.

If there were ever any “moral victories” gained by Black Society from a situation, then it definitely took place at Napanoch, NY last month. Perhaps this could be used as an impetus to shed light on the much-needed TRUE rehabilitation of Black men and women who have been railroaded through the prison industrial complex, and not the empty labels of “rehabilitation” that these institutions love to hang their hats on.

Although Eastern New York Correctional Facility’s victory over academic powerhouses such as Harvard and West Point certainly do not end the system of white supremacy, it opens yet another door of possibility to young Melanoid people, showing them that their brains are the most powerful tools they possess. If used correctly, they can (and will) work in conjunction with other great Black Minds to build a better Black Society of tomorrow.

B. Clark

Van Jones is the co-founder of the Ella Baker Center For Human Rights in Oakland, CA. He is also a Yale-educated attorney who has authored two New York Times bestselling books, and has been heavily involved in high levels of the U.S. government.

Oh yeah, and he also cares about Melanoid youth.

In fact, Jones cares so much about Melanoid youth who are disenfranchised, that he has created a vehicle of empowerment for them. #YesWeCode is an initiative that targets “low opportunity” youth (namely Melanoid youth) and provides them with the necessary resources and tools to become world-class computer programmers. In an age where our youth lag far behind youth outside of Black Society, Mr. Jones has taken on the task of giving our youth the opportunity to compete–and in many cases outperform–their non-Black counterparts in the tech fields.

Watch Jones discuss the mission of #YesWeCode in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvI9wnCaHjY

As stated in the video above, the goal of the organization is to get 100,000 low-opportunity youth to be trained to become coders. The impressive fact about this movement is that the majority of the youth benefiting from this will be Melanoid youths who would have otherwise saw doors slammed shut in their faces by similar initiatives in the dominant society.

Van Jones’s contribution to the empowerment of our youth is highly commendable, and necessary at this point in time. To date, there is a lack of initiatives such as #YesWeCode that will change–and broaden–the concept of success among Melanoid youths. As the world becomes increasingly tech-dependent, our next generation of young Black professionals will be better prepared for the demands of the world around them.

To enroll young Melanoid prospects into #YesWeCode, follow the link below.

http://www.yeswecode.org/search

B. Clark