Mentoring Session 10/28, Understanding One's Rights

Since the first official board meeting for Protocol Saints, the organization has been focused on the core values of the program: life skills and mentoring. In the early part of January, Protocol Saints kicked off a series of basketball practices and mentoring sessions. These sessions not only provide the opportunity for the young men to strengthen their skills in the sport of basketball, but also the opportunity to learn and be cultivated through knowledge, both culturally and spiritually. This past Sunday, the young men learned two topics: the 1st amendment and Miranda's rights or Miranda warning. With so much going on in the world with police brutality, natural disasters, and controversial voting schemes, it was very important for the young men to understand the meaning of both topics. According to Wikipedia, "The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents the government from respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a governmental redress of grievances." In simpler terms, "The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and right to petition." We read to the gentlemen what the 1st Amendment meant and gave each one an example so they could better understand and then gave them an opportunity to recite it back to us in their own words.

The same happened when we discussed the "Miranda warning". According to Wikipedia, "the Miranda warning is a type of notification customarily given by police to criminal suspects in police custody advising them of their right to silence; that is, their right to refuse to answer questions or provide information to law enforcement or other officials." A typical Miranda warning is the following: "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. With these rights in mind, are you still willing to talk with me about the charges against you?" With this lesson, we demonstrated an example of a Miranda warning so the topic was fully explained. The boys had fun with that demonstration but in all seriousness, they understood the importance of knowing their rights as citizens of United States and as young black men. We at Protocol Saints pray that many more seeds continue to be planted for those who participate. Be sure to follow Protocol Saints on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and stay tuned for more highlights from upcoming sessions on here.