Kevin Powell Empowering Through New Book

We first saw him on MTV's 'The Real World.' He was a cast member during the show's first season. Kevin Powell took his role seriously back then. He understood the power of the medium and how important it was for him to represent -- not just for himself but also for all black males.

Today, he is using the power of books to do the same. In his latest tome, 'The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life,' Powell, who recently ran for a congressional seat in Brooklyn (which he lost in a tough battle against 13-time incumbent Edolphus Towns), is not just empowering black males, he is also giving them hope and a prescription for living successfully by highlighting the stories and experiences of other black males who have made it.

"I've been carrying this book around in my head for several years," Powell said. "In my work with black males, I often get asked, 'What should we be reading?' and 'What music should we be listening to?' and 'How should we be preparing ourselves for job interviews?' I mean, I would get hit with all kinds of questions from pre-teens to men in their seventies. And I realized that there was this huge void for black males. This book is an attempt to fill that void."

The College Survival Guide

A Fridge
Regardless of whether you have a wonderful sized meal plan, your fridge may come in handy with leftovers or when you feel like stocking it with bottled drinks.

Computer
The convenience of a computer is essential when sending your kids off to college. Forget the hike to the computer lab across campus students need a computer in the comfort of their room. A printer comes in handy as well. Depending on whether your child plans to carry his laptop around campus, you might opt for a desk top since they're lighter on the pockets.

Snacks
You will surely survive with off of a meal plan but it doesn't hurt to stock up on snacks when you don't feel like leaving your dorm room. Bottled water, pop corn, cereal and Ramen noodles are all low budget snacks to stock up on. Just be weary of the freshman 15.

Things from home
Some college students suffer from homesickness the first year. It's best to surround yourself with things like photos of the family, pillows or even stuffed animals. Anything that reminds your child of home.

MP3 Player
With all the stress that comes from school and exams, sometimes it's nice to block out the chaos in your life and even your roommate with music. It's nearly impossible to find students walking to class who aren't jamming to tunes.

Budget
Students who enter college often come in at the ripening age of 18. A great time for credit cards. Parents beware, your child may end up ruining their credit at a young age

Alarm Clock
When you're in college you don't have the luxury of getting awaken by your parents. It's now your responsibility to get to class on time so alarm clocks are a must. But keep your roommate in mind. You shouldn't wake him up ever morning with a blow horn alarm.

Cleaning supplies
Now you don't necessarily need to bring in the rubber gloves, mop and gas mask but it doesn't hurt to bring along Clorox all purpose wipes for spills or dust. Vacuums and brooms come in handy too depending if you have a carpeted dorm.

Bedding
What most parents aren't aware of is that most college beds are twin sized but extra long and require special sheets. When shopping keep your eye open for sheets that clearly state 'extra long' or else your child may come up short.

Shower shoes
You really don't know what some people do in the shower these days. College showers are known to be creeping with germs so spare yourself the fungus and purchase flip flops for the shower. You'll thank us later!

Powell cites books by Toni Morrison and bell hooks, Alice Walker and Ntozake Shange, whose very popular 'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,' provided anthologies of empowerment and strong, inspiring voices for black females.

But there was nothing on the landscape that even came close for black males. "Part of the issue is with the black male literary community -- which seems to focus primarily on the problems -- and part of it is the black male readership (which isn't buying books in great numbers)," said Powell, who has written in the past about his own struggles and overcoming his once-destructive nature.

"And part of the problem is a systemic racism in the publishing world, which seems reluctant to promote and produce books that will inspire black males to read." Powell found a publisher not just willing to publish his book, but to really get behind the concept.

'The Black Male Handbook' came out last month and is already in its fourth printing. Out of the nine books Powell has authored, this one is outselling them all. Where writers and pundits like Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson and Tavis Smiley have focused on the problems -- the alarming statistics and the debilitating facts that face many black males throughout the country -- Powell's approach is solutions-oriented.

"For some reason, for the last 40 years, we have been stuck in this cycle of seeing ourselves solely as victims," Powell said. "I am not a victim. None of us are. And that's not to say that there isn't racism. But we can't focus on that and use that as an excuse for why we aren't doing what we should be doing. We have to be about focusing on the things we can do. And there is much that we can do."

In his book, Powell brings together a host of "can-do" black males who share their experiences and deliver their positive, forward-thinking solutions. It kicks off with a foreword by Hill Harper, who has also written a couple of books to empower young black people ('Letters to a Young Brother' and 'Letters to a Young Sister'), and there are pieces by financial literacy advocate Ryan Mack, BET's Jeff Johnson and author and professor William Jelani Cobb. Each man has a unique perspective on what it means to be a black male in America, but each provides a no-cop-out response to his challenges.

The overall message: You can do it! "Unfortunately, there has been a degenerative posture coming out of the black male literary population," said Powell. "We need to take our rightful place and not reinforce archaic definitions of manhood. This book will bust through those myths. If we are talking about black manhood, I wanted to make sure we talked to men who had a different take on this subject."

And men are supporting the book, from members of the fraternity Omega Psi Phi, who have been buying the book by the case load, to community groups. And Powell is committed to giving back to those groups that are making a difference.

He will be donating the proceeds of the book to organizations that are working with young black males across the country. "We can't wait for someone to save us," he said. "No one is going to save us, but us. No one will empower us, but us!"

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