A black executive perspective now presents need to know with the award winning hyphenated Dr. Nsenga Burton. Dr. Burton, what do we need to know?

Good morning and welcome to need to know with Dr. Nsenga Burton. I am Nsenga and I am happy to be here today. So today I want to talk to you about a case that's going on in Detroit involving judge Kenneth King. Judge Kenneth King was giving up his time and was Talking to at risk youth about various issues going on with the court system and things of that nature when one of the teens Fell asleep when she fell asleep. He ordered her to be shackled and put into an inmate's uniform and threatened her And he said he did this because she had a bad attitude. All of this to say, um, things did not go well for her that day, which was awful. And things did not go well for him after that. Uh, he has been, his docket has been suspended. And, uh, he was also a professor at Wayne State University where he now has been, uh, suspended. Uh, he was an adjunct there. I've worked in education for 23 years. I doubt he'll be picked back up. And all of this happened because of Judge King's unwillingness to understand the population with which he is serving. So, this young woman, it turns out, young teenager, I'm sorry, she is a girl, turns out, is unhoused. So, she's had housing insecurity. So, she didn't fall asleep because she was disinterested, or she wasn't, didn't want to be there, or anything of that nature. But she is, Unhoused along with her family. So when you are housing insecure when you're food insecure all of those things that affect large populations of children in this country Um, then, you know things happen. They're indicators of that happening whether it's an education gap Whether it's you falling asleep in class, whether it's you Uh not attending school on a regular basis because you have other things that you have to attend to When you are caring for yourself in this case, she is not she lives with her mother Um But when you are facing those kinds of adult trials and tribulations at a young age, sometimes you do behave in a way that is not welcome by those who are around you, but it should be understood. So what you need to know is that children deserve empathy. The first response to what you would call inappropriate behavior should not necessarily be one of punishment or attack. It's important to understand where people are coming from. I hear people talk a lot about students and young people being worthless. These are, this is a language that people use when they're talking about our future generation. There's snowflakes, they're soft, all of the things. They're not ready for anything. You know, they can't handle anything. They're mentally unstable, all of the things and people in my particular generation. We had all of those things, but they were either beat out of us or punished out of us. Or you were in jail as a teenager or 21 year old, um, or in the system in some way, shape or form for many people who were in my generation. So there wasn't empathy, you know, it was black and white. Either you stayed awake and you fell asleep, you paid attention or you didn't. You did well in school. You didn't. No one was really thinking about the causes, the root causes, and we had all of the root causes. Our parents had all the root causes, so forth and so on, particularly people, uh, who come from historically disenfranchised backgrounds. So when you fast forward to 2024, and you have young people who are in your care, and that is what she was. She was in his care. And you see that they are going, uh, in the, which you would say maybe the wrong direction, falling asleep, which is not acceptable. It isn't. Um, and even have an attitude, which is not acceptable. It isn't. I think you need to know that that is a teachable moment, a teachable moment, meaning that you can demonstrate empathy. At that time, you don't have to always, you know, throw down the gavel, uh, pun intended, uh, you don't always have to make a sacrificial lamb out of somebody so that other people don't do it. You don't have to embarrass or humiliate people. That was a common practice, um, in our communities and it still is in many instances. Um, it's not really necessary. It is not helpful. You know, this young girl now has PTSD and she's afraid of the court system, which should be of service and a benefit to her. That's the exact opposite of why she went there. Um, and now, you know, her, her mother and others are seeking legal remedies against this judge whose life has been turned upside down over this one that we know of bad decision. So, I think there are lots of lessons here, but the biggest one, I think, is that children deserve empathy. They are imperfect because they are imperfect, and this is someone who taught for 23 years. Because they are imperfect because their brains are still forming. You have to think about them in that way, because they are young, because you cannot assume that they all have the same level of guidance that you had. You can't assume that they have the same upbringing as you, you know, when the covert hit, and I was a professor at Emory University, I learned that some of my students in my class were housing insecure. And some of them had to drive to restaurants to get wifi to take their classes. You wouldn't have known that prior to this, because they just blended in. So you just never know what's going on in someone's life. Um, so you should choose kindness and when you have the opportunity to have a teachable moment, and I think that's what Judge King forgot, you know, um, I don't want to demonize him by this one issue. I'm sure he's done great things in life. There's a reason why he was chosen to speak to the kids, all of those things, but choosing empathy. Will not bring harm to you. Um, but when you decide to go overboard or, you know, line step or just really, um, humiliate someone, especially a young person, um, then you need to know there probably will be consequences cause it is a different day. So, you can say what you will, you can talk down about our students and about, um, our young people, but ultimately they are here. They are who they are. They have had significant challenges. I mean, Covid alone is a major challenge. Um, so I just say that you need to know. To lead with empathy, particularly when it comes to our young people. I'm not saying be a pushover. I'm not saying, you know, don't have boundaries or rules or integrity. I'm not saying any of that. I'm saying teach, but use that as a teachable moment. A moment to say, listen, I understand you're really tired. Why don't you go and take a walk and wake up? If you don't think you can wake up, you might want to sit outside because it's disruptive. That's a different type of response, right? So that you're still putting your boundaries in place, letting them know that the action is wrong, but also giving them an alternative to what they can do. And making the choice, there's then they have to make the decision if they make the decision to leave this on them. If they make the decision to stay, they know what the requirements are. They fall asleep again. And then you go off and they'll understand why, but, um, I just think you need to know to leave with empathy. And I think that people in my generation need to know. That you will be judged and punished harshly. Cancel culture is real. You could spend your entire life doing wonderful things. And it only takes one incident to change the trajectory of your career and of your life, and to diminish the wonderful legacy that you have built. So be mindful of that as well. So without further ado, this is Dr. Nsenga Burton for the need to know, please join us next week for a black executive perspective podcast. I'll see you next week,

a black executive perspective.