Natahaniel Abraham The Criminal Ordeal of a ManChild

by Kenny Anderson

A report was release by a panel of experts appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youths back in 2007 stating that youth tried as adults and housed in adult prisons commit more crimes, often more violent ones, than minors who remain in the juvenile justice system. 

Sentencing youth as adults have not deterred other youths from committing crimes, nor have they rehabilitated the youths sentenced under them, this lack of rehabilitation is personified in Pontiac, Michigan’s own Nathaniel Abraham! Back in 1997 Nathaniel gained national and international media attention as the youngest person age 11 ever to be tried as an adult in the US.

“Nathaniel Abraham at 11 years old was the youngest child in America charged as an adult for first degree murder. However, there are many more 11 year old Black boys like him growing up too fast; reckless; fatherless ‘Manchilds’; without discipline and direction headed to America’s racist criminal justice system. These Black male children have no clue of what they will be facing as they proceed through the various stages of the legal system. On several occasions when Nathaniel’s court session ended for the day, he would naively ask “Can I go home now?”; his boyish mind could not comprehend he was now state property - a little wild ghetto boy trapped in the legal circus , and he wouldn’t be going home to mama.”  - Cinque Kofi Kinaya

In 1997, Abraham shot 18-year-old Ronnie Greene outside a party store in Pontiac and was convicted of second-degree murder as an adult, but sentenced as a child. Abraham was sentenced as a juvenile and was released on his 21st birthday in 2007 but later returned to prison on charges for attempting to distribute the drug ecstasy and released in 2017. 

Recently Nathaniel was arraigned on multiple drug-related charges at two district courts. On May 28, 2019 Nathaniel pleaded guilty to these drug charges and will be going back to prison where he has spent most of his life; unfortunately it seems prison has become a default home for Nathaniel. 

“Nathaniel Abraham didn’t realize he’s been a ‘marked’ Black man since being tried as an adult when he was 11 years-old. When Nathaniel was released from prison local law enforcement would have him under surveillance; they were waiting to re-arrest a high-profile ‘Black target’. Nathaniel naively thought he could bypass his moral development while in prison then be released and remain under the radar engaging in illegal activities; he thought he was unseen but he wasn’t out of sight of the police.” – Cinque Kofi Kinaya

Indeed Nathaniel Abraham is the poster child of the failure of deterring youthful offenders for recommitting crimes by trying them as an adult. Personally, as a community leader I was involved in Nathaniel’s case from the beginning, writing and protesting against him being sentenced as an adult on the grounds of racism and the fact that he was only a child. I knew that trying Nathaniel as an adult would continue to have negative rippling effects on his life. 

I knew what would probably – eventually happen to Nathaniel because as a social worker I spent a good chunk of my career providing volunteer services Male Responsibility & Fatherhood group sessions to incarcerated Black males; I heard stories repeatedly from session participants saying they had been locked-up constantly since a juvenile; they had become institutionalized! 

Being institutionalized basically means that the norms of prison life has become internalized into one's habits of thinking, feeling, and acting; as psychologist Craig Haney stated: 

“The process of institutionalization is facilitated in cases in which persons enter institutional settings at an early age, before they have formed the ability and expectation to control their own life choices. Because there is less tension between the demands of the institution and the autonomy of a mature adult, institutionalization proceeds more quickly and less problematically with at least some younger inmates. Thus, institutionalization or ‘prisonization’ renders some people so dependent on external constraints that they gradually lose the capacity to rely on internal organization and self-imposed personal limits to guide their actions and restrain their conduct.” 

Understandably Nathaniel became institutionalized, as an 11 year-old child he had some emotional impairments and learning disabilities entering into and compounding the prison institutionalization process. Though Nathaniel is now 33 years-old he still has child within issues of prison arrested development and is still irresponsibly dependent on external constraints. 

Black men suffering from prison institutionalization like Nathaniel along with paroling back into crime facilitating poverty stricken Black communities filled with drugs, hustling, and raw survival almost guarantees they’ll be back in prison. 

From my perspective the Black community still has not grasped the psychological consequences of institutionalization on so many Black males like Nathaniel Abraham reintegration ‘revolving door’ back in and out of our communities. 

Sadly and apathetically, this revolving door of Black men being in and out of prison like Nathaniel has for some time become normal; you know what most of us say this that “it is what is, aint nothing you can do about it anyway.” 

An attitude of “it is what is” is fatalistic and defeatist and it’s unacceptable! Our community churches, organizations, and groups must do a much-much better job providing Black male prisoners returning to our communities with ongoing support and insight into the changes brought about by their adaptation to prison life. 

They must be given some understanding of the ways in which prison institutionalization changed them negatively and the tools with which to respond positively to the challenge of reentry adjustment. 

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Honoring Black Fathers

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

To All Responsible Black Fathers

And a Salute to All Our Ancestral Fathers

Who Shouldered the Pain of 

Black Fatherhood in Racist America Before Us

“There's so much negative imagery of Black fatherhood. I've got tons of friends that are doing the right thing by their kids, and doing the right thing as a father - and how come that's not as newsworthy?” -  Will Smith

Father’s Day Perspective: The Effects of Fatherlessness on Black Children

By Kenray Sunyaru

Reflecting on Father’s Day, I thought about all the Black children over the years and now I’ve come in contact with who don’t have fathers, father-figures, or positive adult male mentors. 

In most Black communities over 70% of our children are growing-up without fathers. Some researchers are citing that during slavery a Black child was more likely to grow-up living with both parents than today. 

Indeed, Black father absence is a crisis, I often hear Black children say, “my daddy gone”, I aint got no daddy”, “my daddy ghost”, and “I don’t know who my daddy is.” I often hear many young Black males say “I don’t know where my daddy is - I don’t give a fuck about him, that nigger aint shit.

I want to highlight this point, I believe the tremendous rise of homosexuality in younger Black women the past 20 years is due in part to the absence of Black fathers is their lives.  

Over the years working as a social worker I would often hear gay young Black women say “I hate my father, he was just a ‘sperm-donor’.” So these gay women who make themselves look just like men get involved with women who have a child/children where the father is absent and they become the new type substitute replacement ‘lesbian’ father.  

I thought about the reasons why so many Black fathers are absent. I hear many young Black fathers who are not involved with their children say, “I survived growing-up without a father so my child can survive without me.” 

Many Black fathers are dead due to Black-on-Black male violence; many Black fathers are in prison; many Black fathers are addicted to alcohol or other drugs; and many Black fathers are poor or unemployed and feel impotent. 

Many Black fathers are irresponsible; many Black fathers have resentment towards their child / children’s mother; many Black fathers were driven out of the home or out of the relationship by negative and damaged Black mothers. 

I understand, even before these reasons of absence, as fathers we carry deep wounds of insecurity from all the racist insults and attacks against Black manhood prior to having children. All of our unresolved hurts, pains, losses, slights, disappointments, and hardships make us emotionally vulnerable to abandon them.  

Massive Black father absence has resulted in the devaluation of fatherhood, which has serious implications for the future of Black families and communities, as professor Amos Wilson Stated: 

“The major result of fatherlessness in Black families seems not to be a confusion of sex identity, but a critically reduced ability of the children from these families when adults to successfully fulfill their roles as husbands, fathers, wives, and mothers. The lack of good role models which serve to show the children wholesome husband-wife, father-child relationships deprives the children of workable models that can be used to maintain their own family relations as adults.” 

As Black fathers when we abandon our children we contribute to the decline of their well-being. Though racial oppression is a primary factor in Black children’s poverty. We know that fatherless Black children are 5 times more likely to live in poverty.  

Black father absence is a major contributing factor producing impairments in our children. We know that Black father absence is a daunting obstacle to our children’s educational success. We know that fatherless Black girls have greater rates of teen pregnancy; are daughters are more vulnerable to sexual predators both males and females. 

We know that fatherless Black children have a much higher rate of delinquency. We know the majority of young Black males in prison grew up without fathers; they often learned their criminal activities from surrogate fathers in the streets. 

As Black men and fathers we play a tremendous developmental role in the lives of Black children. We can provide them with defense, discipline, and direction. 

As tutors we can help the graduation rates of Black youth. We can teach them about the importance of education, history, leadership, and entrepreneurship in our on-going struggle for racial progress. 

As mentors we can play a significant role in preventing Black youth involvement in gangs and violence. We can prevent more Black children from entering juvenile detention facilities. Through volunteer intervention outreach we can counsel those already detained. 

As Black fathers we must understand our children are our responsibility; our marriage or relationships with our children’s mother may end but we have to be fathers first! Being positively involved fathers is the greatest thing we can show our children!  

We must counter the Black lesbian narrative that Black fathers are replaceable sperm-donors; We must show our children that Black fathers are not superfluous and expendable; that Black fatherhood is critical to Black peoples survival, development, and progress!!!