D. Ribadendeira Resources

Ribadendeira, D. Ex-navy pilot fires drug warning at (black, urban) pupils. (1989, November 15). The Boston Globe.

OVERVIEW

When he finished his speech, the youngsters gave him a thundering ovation and crowded around seeking autographed copies of his picture.

‘Awesome,’ ‘great,’ and ‘incredible’ were just some of the superlatives used to describe his performance. Some said they wanted to be just like him when they grew up.

What drew cheers from one thousand Dorchester, Massachusetts students in the Jeremiah Burke High School auditorium? Teachers attest that these students usually have trouble paying attention for solid chunks of time in class or in assembly.

Lieutenant Drew Brown looks impressive in his naval officer jumpsuit. A tall, black man with glasses, he looks strong. He carries an air of seasoned ability and confidence. He speaks with humor and frankness in the language of the youth culture. Most of all, he has something to say—something that affects their lives now and in the future.

His speech has something to do with the drugs that surround these students.

Stay off and stay in school...Yeah, I like getting high when they shoot me from zero to 140 mph in 2.3 seconds off an aircraft carrier.

Shaking his head, Drew Brown reminds them about brain cells.

How can you be so stupid to put something in your head that’s going to destroy something that ain’t going to come back. If you use drugs, you’re going to die. Why do you think they call ‘dope,’ dope?

Warning them not to sell drugs to buy a nice car, he again speaks from his own experience. Brown has moved from a stint in the Navy to a high-paying job with Federal Express:

I know some of you don’t want to listen. You’re too bad to listen to me. But that’s OK, because when I pull into the McDonald’s drive-through in my black Cadillac, I’m going to need you to hand me my large fries. Either you work for 365 an hour with the decimal point after the 3 or you go to college and maybe you work for 365 an hour with the decimal after the 5.

Drew Brown is the son of Drew Bundini Brown—Mohammad Ali’s trainer. He understands racism, but he rejects it as an excuse for failure:

There is no black and white. There is only intelligence and ignorance. If you blame your failure on color, check it out because you’re a loser. Yes, there is racism, but guess what? Racism is the best thing that could’ve happened to some of you. Because if somebody tells you you can’t be a doctor, it’s going to make you work twice as hard.

After a colorful demonstration of street language, Brown draws an important lesson:

If you can learn to talk street language, you have the intelligence to learn Russian, German or French, or whatever you want. But if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else is going to believe in you. If you don’t make it, go look in the mirror and you’ll see the reason why.

"The most dramatic moment of Brown’s speech occurred when he called off the names of several honor roll students and asked them to stand up."

If you want to see ‘bad,’ look around because they are your real role models. I hear some of you laughing, and I know you think they are nerds, but in 10 or 15 years, they’ll have big nerdy houses and big nerdy cars. And all you people who think you’re ‘bad’ will be asking, ‘Excuse me, sir? Do I get out of here in 10 or 15 years?’

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Why do you think Drew Brown so captivates a high school audience?
2. How does Brown show that he is on the level with his audience? How does he use the "ribbin’ and jivin’ " of street language? Do you think his use of such language and style is appropriate?
3. Brown uses his own financial success to drive home his points. Do you think it is necessary to motivate urban minority youth with visions of big bucks and possessions?
4. Is there a place for the urban working class? Do urban minority youth who will not attend college also need to be encouraged to get good jobs that may pay under $20 dollars an hour? How could one communicate that message?
5. How would you judge the success of Brown’s communication?

IMPLICATIONS

1. Drew Brown has "returned." His personal success has not allowed him to forget young people who want to hear his story. He is an important example of a positive male role model needed among urban youth.
2. This is a powerful piece of communication that needs to be studied by those who want to listen to urban youth and have something to say to them—parents, teachers, counselors, and youth leaders.
3. This speech is Drew Brown’s. It is not one that you can give. You must choose principles that will make your communication powerful and effective. Without vision and communication another generation will die.