' We are the Jena 6 '

This is the motto emblazoned upon T- shirts of protesters who refuse to let their children be marginalized by unequal disciplinary practices. In his column in the Chicago Sun-Times , The Rev. Jesse Jackson writes about this movement of community support that deserves more attention. Harsher treatment delineated along a racial divide that proceeds to feed what he has named the growth industry of the ' Prison Industrial Complex ' must be addressed at the primary levels.

I couldn't help but be reminded of the scene in the epic film ' Spartacus ' in which the slave revolt was apparently defeated by the Roman Legions and the Commander demanded that Spartacus identify himself. One after another the defeated insurrectionists began to stand up and claim , ' I am Spartacus !!! '. This is one of the most moving, rousing and hopeful scenes in Cinema and provides a fitting backdrop for the challenges faced by young minority men in pursuit of their dreams.

Personal responsibility could find few better examples than this for universal actionability.