All donations of $100 or more will receive their choice of
1. Born in Captivity: Psychopathology As a Legacy of Slavery (Dr. Wallace's 19th book)
2. The Undoing of the African American Mind (Dr. Wallace's 23rd book)
3. The War on Black Wealth: Breaking the Code of Generational Wealth (Dr. Wallace's 25th book)
The Odyssey Project is the manifestation of the vision of Dr. Rick Wallace, who has determined within his heart to take the fight for black empowerment and elevation to the end. This vision encompasses the entire strategy and blueprint for the elevation of the black race — ushering in what is being called The Rise of a Black Nation.
At The Odyssey Project, we consistently engage the enigmatic issues that are plaguing blacks in America. There is a strong focus on rebuilding the black family nucleus, returning men to the home in order to solidify and fortify the black family, holistically educating black youth, so that they are properly prepared to go out into the world and compete, conducting scientific research in all areas in which we struggle, including intergenerational transmission of trauma, epigenetic transmission of trauma, African American Adolescent Male Violence, social immobility, cognitive bias, social dysfunctionality, financial deficiencies and more.
The black family nucleus has all but been destroyed. We have posted statistics that reveal that blacks have the highest divorce rate, the highest single parent household rate, the highest incarceration rate, etc., in America. These are issues that must be addressed at the source. It is time for us to stop majoring in the minor so that we can begin dealing with the core issues that are the root cause for our current situation. Our endeavor to effectively engage the nefarious mechanisms that contribute to our perpetual position of oppression and defeat is supported by the more than 80,000 hours of research conducted by our founder, Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D. Dr. Wallace has invested himself in understanding a number of key issues, including:
- Economic castration and impotence (Anderson, 1994)
- Ignorance of the political process — leading to poor participation and in influence within the political process (Wallace R. , 2011; Watkins, 2000)
- The view of filial responsibility and the perception of family as it relates to priorities and social structure
- Violence within inner-city neighborhoods, with a specific focus placed on black male adolescents, who make up a significant portion of the violence in African American neighborhoods (DeGruy, 2009; Stevenson, 2006; King, 1997).
- The Mis-education of Black Youth in the U.S. (Woodson, 1933; Wallace R. , 2015)
- Epigenetic influences on behavior and the proclivity for antisocial behavior. Epigenesis is the biochemical process through which some genes are expressed and others remain silent, and it reinforces and explains the powerful impact that the environment has on human development. Epigenetic effects occur not only through diet, chemical exposure, and high levels of environmental stress, but also through chronic poverty and racism (Combs-Orme, 2013).
- The negative impact of serial forced displacement and benign neglect on the physical and mental health of African Americans
- The impact of negative mass propaganda in the development of a poor self-image and the subsequent inferiority complex — leading to self-hatred of a significant portion of the African American population (Burrell, 2010) (Berneys, 1928).
We have launched The Black Community Infusion Project, which is aimed at creating a focused media campaign that will deliver a consistent and positive message to blacks in America and beyond. This project will focus on reversing the damage caused by negative propaganda campaigns toward blacks, it will also work to offset any current propaganda campaigns. The phase of this campaign is The Black Voice Media Project!
Additionally, we have also launched the Black Community Empowerment Initiative, which is focused on addressing the issues that rob us of our power to influence the world around us, especially the mis-education of our youth and trauma-related collective psychosis.
We are currently offering an online resource center that will be a comprehensive one-stop-shop for blacks to become educated, enlightened and empowered.
The Mis-education of Black Youth in America
In his book, The Mis-education of Black Youth in America, Dr. Wallace addresses significant areas of concern in which we are failing to properly educate our children, and we are currently planning several inner-city forums and community meetings to organize African American Parent Advisory Councils to oversee public school activity, until we are able to create our own programs — something we are successfully doing with the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School System.
We are conducting research on ways to fund the development of our own educational system so that we can educate our own children in a manner that will equip them to compete on a level platform with their white counterparts. Instead of having a mindset of obtaining an education that will allow them to secure a job at a Fortune 500 company, we will instill in them the intellectual assets that will allow them to build their own corporation that will rival the existing fortune 500 companies. We will have to organize a national education commission of our own.
Music is Life
We are also very proud of our Music is Life program, which is a new program where the goal is to teach African American youth to read music, write music and play at least one musical instrument. Additionally, we are also bringing in music industry experts to teach the inner workings of the industry to those kids who want to pursue a career in music.
Black Men Lead
Our Black Men Lead program is a “right of passage” program designed to properly racially and culturally socialize Black males, which has been proven to reduce African American adolescent and young adult male violence, as well as improve social and racial responsibility.
Also, Dr. Wallace is currently teaching a FREE financial literacy course in Financial Literacy 101
inner-city Houston, TX and he has already agreed to expand the course to New Orleans, Louisiana. He is currently working on scaling the course so that it can be taught to Black across the country.
As you know, we have been pushing to raise funds to cover the costs associated with our work. The initial goal was $50,000; however, we have fallen far short of that, raising less than $700 in the past year. While this lack of support has not stopped us from moving forward to reach those in need of what we offer, it has significantly limited our potential to impact this issue on a grand scale.
Your support will make a huge impact on the ability to turn the tide in this war.
Thank you in advance,
Rick Wallace, Ph.D.
Founder ~ Executive Director
The Odyssey Project
Donor Wall7