"... Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." (John 13:34)

When did we allow black boys to be perceived as dark and scary? When did we subconsciously give up on loving and nurturing them, and acquiesce in the cultural subjugation of their right to be men?

Bit by bit and generation-by-generation, we have scorched the earth and eaten our own seed. On our watch, thousands upon thousands of husbands, fathers and sons have been lost to our families. They have gone missing not because we didn't know what to do, but because we lacked the fortitude and conviction to see our brothers through.

So divinely simply, yet so humanly obscure, the very notion that love is indeed enough. Without a doubt, our gift of loving has been stretched, tested and abused. And although for many of us it has become synonymous with the fear of failure, disappointment and pain, we must remember that just the opposite is true.

Love is the fertile field in which our capacity to forgive, experience reconciliation and move forward together in grace, will grow. Furthermore, according to Dr. King, the type of love we need is not a passive or romantic thing. What we require is a love that creates and builds up, a love that transforms and redeems.(Strength to Love, 52)

Our vision at the Rising Oak Foundation is all about love. We see ourselves as community gardeners, sowing and nurturing the hearts, minds and souls of the husbands, fathers and sons of our cultural tomorrow. By fostering the values of strength, security and pride, we believe that we can help guide the growth and development of our young men, without changing the very essence of who they are. Please join us, as we lovingly set in motion this ambitious paradigm shift today.

From my heart to yours,