2. By Agyei Tyehimba
©2012
Black Youth &
The “Wonderful Wizard” of Oz
How to Save Our
Babies:

3. Problems Confronting our Youth
• Teenage Pregnancy and Promiscuity
• Violence/Gangs
• Incarceration
• Lack of internal/external respect
• Using/Selling Drugs
• Poor School Performance/Dropping Out
• Little connection to history and culture
• Lack of motivation and initiative

4. Why?
How Can We Understand and
Change These Dynamics?

5. The Wizard of Oz?
• Not just another children’s movie
• Provides symbols, actions, and
truths we can use to understand
the problems our youth face in
society
• This presentation will provide a
framework we can use to
empower our youth
• Let’s summarize the characters
and plot of the movie to see how
they relate to our youth

6. SUMMARY
• Dorothy finds herself in a new and strange place far away
from her home
• She meets up with three main characters who like her, have a
problem
• They are told to follow the yellow-brick road to “Oz” where
they will find the all-powerful and wise “Wonderful Wizard”
who will solve their problems
• The “Wicked Witch of the West”, threatened by their unity
and quest for empowerment, sends several traps/obstacles
their way to sabotage their progress
• They eventually meet the Wizard and the story concludes

7. •In the clip you’re about to see, notice
how the “Wicked Witch of the West”,
observes the actions of our characters
from a great distance.
•How can she do this? She uses a
crystal ball, today’s “wicked witches”
use cameras, satellites, and
surveillance devices.
•Pay close attention to the obstacle she
introduces to our characters!

8. Poppy Fields?

9. •The Wicked Witch of the West, looking to
sabotage the empowerment of these
characters, sends them through Poppy fields,
causing most of them to fall asleep.
•What narcotic drugs are produced from Poppy
plants?

10. The Wizard is a Fake!

11. •Our misinformed and misled characters
have discovered that the “wizard” is nothing
but an ordinary man.
•He has no special powers at all; he has
deceived people into obeying and fearing
him through the skillful use of gadgets and
propaganda.
•In the next clip, notice how he gives them
symbols of the things they seek, and admits
that he has no power to give them what they
already had the whole time!

12. Confronting the “Wizard”

13. Bringing it Together
• This society and its institutions work to turn our youth into
The Lion (no courage or self-esteem), The Scarecrow (no
intelligence or capability), and The Tin Man (Insensitive,
impolite, dangerous). When you add all of these qualities
together you have Dorothy (someone who is lost, confused,
and disconnected from God and culture)
• Our youth are often steered into “poppy fields” to sabotage
their progress (drugs, incarceration, gangs, dropping out of
school, etc.)
• Our youth are taught to believe not in the authority of God,
or themselves,but of men and women who set themselves up
as gods

14. What We Must Do
• Provide our children with a strong spiritual foundation so they
don’t bow to false gods, or become afraid of wicked witches!
• Create opportunities for our children to develop a sense of
achievement and accomplishment
• Imbue our children with knowledge of their ancestors,
culture, and history (“There’s no place like home”)
• Teach our children to be leaders and problem-solvers; create
opportunities for them to develop and utilize these skills
• Teach that education and self-improvement are non-
negotiable and mandatory in your household
• Connect them to good “witches,” or mentors

15. If you’d like to contact me with questions
or comments, feel free to email me at
truself143@gmail.com
I also encourage you to visit my website:
http://truself143.wix.com/tyeconsulting