Bumblebees Can Fly: Establishing Redemptive Environments & Developing Inherent Power in Young Men of Color
By Dr. Oscar J. Dowdell-Underwood

Despite its heavy and large body, the bumblebee is able to fly - defying the law of aerodynamics. The bumblebee flies because its inherent power is greater than its challenges, aerodynamics included. Like the bumblebee, all young men of color - and all individuals - have the inherent power to overcome challenges and do the seemingly impossible.

In Bumblebees Can Fly: Establishing Redemptive Environments & Developing Inherent Power in Young Men of Color, Dr. Dowdell-Underwood uses natural and social science research to explain the relationship between marginalization, perceptions of mattering, and achievement among young men of color. He then proffers person-centric strategies for young men of color to overcome the effects of marginalization and maximize their human potential, thereby, preventing the societal loss that results when brilliant young men of color fail to constructively employ their inherent power, that is, their skill, ability, talent, will, and intellect to fulfill their burden of hope. Strategies for parents, educators, policymakers, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations are also discussed.