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Jacob Lee visited Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell’s office Thursday and while others wanted to talk about the prospects of a vote for Attorney General Loretta Lynch, the 12-year-old from Northeast Washington asked the Senator’s aides about creating a law to prevent officers from fatally shooting crime suspects.
Lee was among 150 black men and youth who took part in “Black Men & Boys Day on Capitol Hill,” and while Civil Rights veterans were excited about Lynch, President Obama’s choice for Attorney General, Lee wanted to know what else could be done to slow the recent tide of police shootings involving black males.
“Black people are like the enemies of the police and that is not how it should be,” said Lee, who is a 6th grader at Francis Stephens School Without Walls. “They should be able to help us out. The should be able to save us. The way they are killing black people now is wrong.”
A New Generation of Civil Rights and Social ActivistsThe event, which was sponsored by the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation was part of a “Gathering of Black Men Initiative,” in which clergy, labor leaders and heads of non-profit groups hope to educate black youth about how there are different ways to affect change in their communities besides protesting and marching.
Rev. Tony Lee, pastor of the Community of Hope in Temple Hills , was the “convener” of the event. He said while there have been nationwide protests over police shooting from Ferguson. Mo. to Baltimore, it is equally important to teach black makes how to affect changes in political ways.
“Protest is one part of seeking change and legislative advocacy is another part, ” Lee said. “Wee believe in moving from the federal to the local level. They need to be asking what are the bills that we need to be pushing around police reform, around education reform and workforce development.”
Lee was invited to the event along with three other black males who are being mentored by Paul Winestock, Founder of Saving Our Next Generation. Winestock, 49, said he asked McConnell’s staff what legislation has been introduced to help returning citizen obtain jobs. “I had a life sentence. I was in for 22 years on a drug conspiracy and I think that we need to have more people come together to support these issues.”
