TSU professor and official state poet Dr. Harriette Bias-Insignares is calling on men of all ages to alleviate the socioeconomic ills that are leaving so many young males, particularly African-Americans, on the outside looking in in American society. Dr. Bias Insignares will sign her new book, Power & Glory: Brothers on the Journey, tonight at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Green Hills.

It’s time for men young and old, rich and poor of all ethnicities, professions, and religions to come together and reach out to today s young men and provide moral support, guidance, and encouragement. The inspiration for the book comes from the life of my father … and the way he approached the many roles men must play that define manhood: husband, father, son, brother, friend, mentor, colleague, citizen, and leader. I wrote this book to honor my father. Bias-Insignares wants to revive the conversation between the generations and create a bond, a sense of mutual investment. She wants young men to be exposed to the experience and wisdom of an older generation. I hope that men will see themselves as every father, the universal fathers who will invest time, talent, and resources to improve the prospects for young men.

With a school board election a week away and Metro Nashville Public Schools under direct state oversight, there’s a lot of change coming in the near future for our local school system. Schools and parents are often easy targets for those looking to point fingers and lay blame for what is clearly not working in our culture. Long ago, I might have argued that parents alone could be the difference between whether a child succeeds or fails, and in some cases that may still be the case. Looking at my own upbringing, though, I can unquestionably say that the influences that kept me headed in the right direction (assuming that’s where my compass is pointed) were a cast of hundreds, if not thousands, of people I encountered along the way. I am grateful to (nearly) all of them.

There is plenty to be done to improve our schools, and there are plenty of parents who can stand to take on more responsibility for raising their children. As a married adult without kids, that’s easy for me to say. What’s more difficult is to acknowledge that each of us shapes many lives beyond our own, and that, in my opinion, we have a responsibility to make those opportunities to influence as positive as we possibly can. I’d have never admitted it at the time, but Hillary was right: It does take a village–and good parents and good schools–to raise a child.