Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu Will Always Be Remembered

This month, specifically June 15th, marked the birth of Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, a national educational consultant, publisher and the author of over 30 books that address effective means by which to counter the negative impact of white supremacy on the development of black youth.  He passed away at the age of 71 last year on April 25. 

His books include Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys Vols I (1985), II (1986) and III (1990) as well as Black Students, Middle Class Teachers (2002), in addition to many other books.

In Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys Vol I, Dr. Kunjufu pointed out that age 9 is critical for black boys as it is here that it has been largely determined whether he will have great aspirations and move on to success or here that his motivation and thirst for learning will have been largely extinguished, by design. To effectively counter the later, he stressed the role of black men as role models and providers of discipline in homes, communities and schools.

In Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys Vol II, Dr. Kunjufu pointed out the difference between African and European value systems. Here he spoke about the importance of a Black value system and shared the Nguzo Saba (Swahili for 7 Pillars), which is the basis of Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday, as a clear example. Dr. Kunjufu also spoke about the importance of role models and the need for rites of passage for boys who are developing into manhood. In this same volume, he also presented Simba na Malaika Wachanga as an example of rites of passage to develop black boys into confident, productive black men who are strongly connected to their identity and culture. 

In another one of his books entitled, Developing Positive Self-Images and Discipline in Black Children, he cited a University of Chicago study of 70,000 schools across the US which concluded that the most important factor in student performance was the expectations of the child’s parents and teachers. Dr. Kunjufu also questioned the usefulness of jobs programs and instead focused upon preparing black youth to start their own businesses.

In addition to being an author, Dr. Kunjufu served as a lecturer and consultant for schools, community groups and parents who were concerned about Black children. He facilitated workshops that addressed black youth from the elementary school age on to young adults at the university level. These workshops were organized by Dr. Kunjufu and his wife, Rita, who was also his business partner, though their business African-American Images in Chicago. As a result of this work, he appeared on a number of television shows, including Tony Brown’s Journal and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Dr. Kunjufu also served as the executive producer of a full-length motion picture entitled Up Against the Wall. This film focused upon black urban culture and it addressed problems that young black males face without a focus upon violence, sex and drug abuse. He reportedly told Frank James of the Chicago Tribune, “I wanted a movie that could take a black boy through positive and negative peer pressure and see if he could survive…and be a responsible young man.”

The film featured veteran actors Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons) and Ron O’Neal (star of the film Super Fly) where O’Neal directed the film. Up Against the Wall was completed in two years at a cost of approximately $2 million and was released in 1991.

Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu and his wife Ruth also have two sons, Shikamana and Walker who inspired him to identify and better understand the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys as well as effective measures against it. 

Dr. Kunjufu’s impact on the development of black boys and black students in general throughout the US is astounding. He will certainly be missed but his spirit and legacy will live on.