Hernandez an example of what path not to follow
There’s a cautionary tale for inner-city youth in the sad Aaron Hernandez saga.
The tale begins with a young man who had a gift that gave him a one-in-a-million chance to escape the mean streets that too often claim our young men of color. He got to reach his dream of playing in the NFL. But his choices in life derailed that accomplishment.
For probably many reasons we may never know or understand, Aaron seemed not able to break his ties to the street — forever caught in the push and pull of two extremes. Playing for the world-class Patriots on the one hand and playing with guns and the deadly consequences of the street on the other.
Some attribute Aaron’s fall to the loss of his father when he was 16. Despite having family who looked up to him as a star, and his brother who tearfully praised him as “the first one in the family to make it,” it seemed Aaron sought comfort from those involved in street life to fill the gap. As his trials showed, his family of hoods he claimed to love and called his brothers clearly did not have his best interests at heart.
As it was for Aaron, the lure of the streets remains a major problem for young men of color. Gangs are recruiting our kids by becoming surrogate families. They fill in when there are no fathers or other male role models around, often taking our boys down a treacherous path of self-destruction.
The value of male influence for our young men cannot be underestimated. Single moms who work to steer their young men of color to greater heights are “sheroes” in our community. Most will tell you that an essential ingredient for their success is having their sons maintain a healthy connection and relationship with men, whether their fathers, if circumstances allow (and they don’t always), or uncles or other successful men.
Exposing our young men to male role models and mentors is critical to their development, as are organizations such as 100 Black Men, Big Brothers, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Mentoring Network and — one of my all time favorites — Tony Richards’ No Books No Ball, who counts many success stories including that of his namesake Tony Jr., an accomplished entrepreneur who now works for Gov. Charlie Baker.
But the most important lesson is one that no one can teach our young people. The ultimate decision is theirs, as alluring as the call of the streets and fast money might be. They have to make their own decisions about how best to live their lives. If they are ever confused about which direction to take, they have only to look at the life and untimely death of Aaron Hernandez to see what not to do.