Help Them Pull Their Pants Up: How Mentors and Communities Can Empower Young African American Men

You see them all the time, their pants hung low, underwear showing, tattoos on chests and arms. They are repeatedly seen handcuffed on the late breaking news. These images branded in our psyches are of young African-American males. Although these images dominate newscasts, there are many young African-American males leading positive and productive lives. The title Help Them Pull Their Pants Up is used literally and figuratively. There are young brothers literally needing to pull their pants up, but there are also young brothers figuratively needing help in pulling their personal and professional pants up.

In this groundbreaking book for both mentors and communities, Gilbert A. Knowles, suggests ways to:

• Become more effective mentors through trust, inspiration, and motivation (TIM)
• Evaluate potential obstacles
• Work against drugs, school dropouts, and crime
And much more!

Knowles beseeches Americans to overcome negative impressions of young brothers so they can collectively Help Them Pull Their Pants Up.

Gilbert A. Knowles retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel and served as dean of students at a historically black college. He is president and chief executive of KNOWLESwhattodo, LLC, a mentoring- and information-products company in Haymarket, VA. He has been mentoring young African-American males for more than thirty years.