Dr. Harriette Bias-Insignares remembers when young men of her generation were taken under wing by people like her father and shown how to reach manhood in a purposeful, productive, unfaltering way. Those young men learned how to reach their potential and not get snared in the devastating traps of gangs, drugs, and crime.

Bias-Insignares has seen the troubling statistics about young African American men alongside other young men and is raising her voice, calling to action those who can help reduce the startling statistics. Men, she says, must understand that they are central to each other s success and to the development of each generation.

Only half of black men age 16 to 24 who are out of school are employed at any given time. Thirty to fifty percent of these men will not finish high school. About one-third will spend time in prison before their 35th birthday. Among high school dropouts, the majority will be incarcerated.
National Urban League s The State of Black America 2005

It s time to change these statistics. It s time for men young and old, rich and poor of all ethnicities, professions, and religions to come together and reach out to today s young men and provide moral support, guidance, and encouragement.

The inspiration for the book comes from the life of my father, Bias-Insignares said, and the way he approached the many roles men must play that define manhood: husband, father, son, brother, friend, mentor, colleague, citizen, and leader. I wrote this book to honor my father. Bias-Insignares wants to revive the conversation between the generations and create a bond, a sense of mutual investment. She wants young men to be exposed to the experience and wisdom of an older generation. I hope that men will see themselves as every father, the universal fathers who will invest time, talent, and resources to improve the prospects for young men.

Poetry is the language Bias-Insignares has chosen for her call to action because, as she says, Art communicates; it can reach us on levels that conversation and speeches cannot. She believes the art of poetry can bridge gaps and break down walls between young and old so that lines of communication are established and fewer young men fall through the cracks.

Harriette Bias-Insignares can see the new day can you?