Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life

Being a parent of a biracial son, I was drawn to this book when I first saw it.  I checked it out and it sat on my desk at the library untouched.  However, after watching the tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri unfold, I thought I should pick it up again and actually read it.  And I am glad I did. 

Promises Kept includes a wealth of information for parents who are concerned about equipping African American children, especially boys with skills to survive, navigate and hopefully thrive in a society that is unfortunately still not “post-racial.”  Although the target audience is African American, it contains information that would be helpful for any parent who is raising a child of color.

The book is the companion to the film, American Promise, which aired on PBS in early 2014. This film documents the challenges and difficulties that the authors’ son and his friend experienced while they attended Dalton, a mostly-white elite prep school in New York City.