Training Black Spirit: Ethics for African American Teens

Like all teens, African American teens find themselves wondering what they should or should not be doing and how they should behave toward each other -- only they often have no male role model in the home and negative models, like gang-banger, on the street. As they struggle to build their characters, they receive feedback from multiple sources, causing confusion. Training Black Spirit offers a guide through the fog of adolescence by providing a personal training aid in ethics -- values -- especially tailored for Black teens. It holds that our spirits, which protect and sustain us, direct and unify our thoughts, efforts, and actions.

Author Dr. William L. Conwill helps Black teens prepare for adulthood in the family, the community, and the world by developing their characters. Training Black Spirit builds upon African American cultural heritage, which is all too often absent from Black teens' experience. The principles presented here provide directives or instructions on living, as well as a defense against destructive influences. like drugs and violence. These principles are represented throughout the text by Adinkra symbols, along with a martial-arts self-defense interpretation for each principle, which teens discuss with an adult facilitator.

Drawing on brain science, transpersonal psychology, and mainstream psychiatry, as well as ancient traditions, Training Black Spirit guides Black teens in conducting a personal and conscious examination of the traditional principles that enable us to survive, create, and nurture life.

Keeping teens from heading down the wrong road is am increasing challenge. Training Black Spirit is a guide for young, black teens to explore their personal values or ethics through the use of symbols and values from West African culture to help build character. The book prepares teens for obstacles they will met with in life, providing values and behaviors for coping with challenging life experiences.

In light of recent events in Ferguson, Baltimore, and elsewhere, many black teens find themselves at a crossroads: Who are they today, and who do they want to be in the future? Training Black Spirit is a guide for teens dealing with these difficult challenges. As a psychologist Dr. Conwill has worked extensively with teens in various settings, helping them their challenges, providing ethical principles to guide them through.