Another unarmed Black man has been shot by police. Seven times. In the back. While they held his shirt. In front of his kids. Jacob Blake, 29, is now in a hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin fighting for his life. His father has informed the public that Jacob is paralyzed from the waist down. It is yet another horrific example of why Black people in the U.S. and abroad are STILL screaming “Black Lives Matter” at the top of our lungs.
It’s why for the first time ever, many white, Latino and other cultural groups have said they can no longer be silent and complicit. It’s why the protests sparked by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have yet to cease. Sadly, Blake is also a testament to the fact that we’re still not being heard because Black people are still being hunted.
Blake is the latest in a long line of reasons life coach Dr. Keita Joy was compelled to create ARMED: A Black Boy’s Blueprint For Living In America. The online camp provides young Black boys “with the tools needed to not only strengthen their mind, body and spirit, but introduce them to Black culture and how rich and powerful it is,” according to a press release.
It’s official missions are:
A wife and mother of two – 9-year-old son Maxwell and 7-year-old daughter Mikaila – Joy said she was inspired to start ARMED after watching the horrific murder of George Floyd.
“I remember looking at the TV and seeing this man with a knee in his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and that traumatized me,” Joy told Moguldom in an exclusive interview. “And I’m probably still, and I’m sure many Black Americans … are still dealing with some effects of that. It’s disturbing. It was gut-wrenching. It was horrific. It was disgusting. It was appalling. Every word that you could think of it just had me in utter shock. So I looked at that and then I looked at my children, who are Black, and I looked at my husband, who is Black, and I was like, ‘What’s the difference between him (Floyd) and that happening to them?’”
Noting that there was no difference and the continual “pattern of innocent Black lives being taken away,” Joy said she knew she had to do something.
“I just got to a point where I was like I have to do something and that’s the coach in me. I believe that God has entrusted all of us with power to make things happen,” Joy told Moguldom. “I think sometimes we get caught up in looking at what someone else is doing and think that what we’re called to do is insignificant, but nothing that we’re called to do is ever insignificant. Everything matters.”
A Miami native, Joy is the founder and CEO of Success Uncensored Coaching, through which she helps people to maximize their greatest potential. A former schoolteacher and school counselor, she knows firsthand the obstacles young Black children face every day.
“You’d be amazed at the pain and trauma that kids go through on a daily basis. It’s mind blowing,” Joy told Moguldom. So, it was really an honor to be able to mold our next generation and mold them really from the inside out.”
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin
Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
Floyd’s murder left Joy, 38, asking herself what she could do because she wasn’t a politician, lawyer or policymaker. She was, however, equipped with an array of life and career experiences and degrees in business, counseling and organizational leadership. In the end, she says she defaulted to the two things she knew best — her love for children and her love for helping people live better lives.
“I kept talking to parents and every parent was going through the same thing. They were traumatized and they also didn’t know how to start these conversations with their children. It was already hard enough for them to talk about it and now they had to talk to their kids about this,” Joy said.
Realizing she wasn’t alone in agonizing over how to best broach the subject with her littles, Joy thought of a way she could more strategically help in the fight for Black lives.
“I said oh my goodness, what if I came up with resources to jumpstart these critical conversations that need to be had in Black homes,” Joy recalled. “I realized we have them at maybe the high school and college levels, but I felt elementary school-aged Black kids also need to know what’s going on. We can’t just turn a blind eye. That’s not fair to them. How is that setting them up for success?”
Seeking the help of a lot of her Black professional friends ranging from attorneys, commissioners and literary scholars to psychologists and doctors, Joy put together a curriculum covering topics all Black boys need to hear.
“It’s called ARMED because I want every single Black boy to be equipped to successfully live in America,” Joy said. “I wanted them to learn confidence building, but from a Black perspective because it’s different. We’re going to talk about things that a white person can’t teach you. These are tools that white mainstream America is not going to be able to provide you with because they don’t know. And it’s not their fault. They’re not Black. They haven’t lived these experiences so they can’t best help our kids with it.”
The camp currently has 1,400 families registered and counting. It is a feat Joy said was accomplished with no paid advertising. The Black professionals serve as virtual camp counselors during the weeks their particular topic of expertise is covered.
One of the aspects Joy said she is most proud of is the accessibility ARMED offers to families regardless of their makeup.
“What I love about the program, whether Black boys are being raised by single mothers or not, they can have strong Black men pouring into their children,” Joy said. “I don’t care what your household looks like … this is something where everybody … could get educated and empowered and it’s been going well.”
Originally open to boys ages 8 and up, ARMED covers topics like how to respond to law enforcement, Black history, anger redirection, confidence, healthy habits, legal tips and more. It is taught over the course of eight weeks.
ARMED is also free for participants. To keep it that way, Joy said they are accepting donations and making future plans to license it to organizations that want to teach it.
“This was a teaser, but now we’re going to make ARMED a full curriculum,” Joy said. “We will customize it for the age range of your community, but not exceeding middle-school age.”
This fall, Joy said ARMED will launch its first pilot program in an Atlanta school. She hopes to see it grow as “a different kind of character education program” that schools, non-profits, churches and other organizations can use. After many requests, Joy said she is expanding ARMED to include young Black girls.
“I was wondering if there was a need and the answer was yes, there is a need. This is an ongoing need and it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Joy said.
“It’s powerful,” she added. “I’ve had so many parents say thank you. I didn’t know where to start with talking with my kids about what they’ve been seeing in the news … I didn’t even know where to start with helping them understand their history.”
Lynette Phillips and Pamiel Rawling are two parents whose children have participated in ARMED.
“ARMED has opened and continued the dialogue with our 9-year-old son,” Phillips said. “He has openly shared how he is feeling about the current situation in our nation, how he demonstrates respect for himself and others, not to mention exploring Black history further.”
“Big boy has seriously learned something every week and we have engaged in some awesome discussions,” Rawling said. “I am forever grateful for the step-by-step approach by this camp to deal with issues that sometimes may go unnoticed. I always say it always goes deeper and when you catch it at the source, you can redirect it into purpose.”
To learn more about ARMED, register for the free camp or make a donation, click here.
