The Little Black Boy
June 2023
The Little Black Boy is an imaginative yet realistic take on a young man's being, existence, and survival growing up in Detroit. I am transparent in delivering my experiences as a kid forced to grow through enduring abuse, the violence of the crack era, the transitions of divorce, puberty, and my own spiritual self-discovery. This story, like my life, is no tragedy though. It’s filled with ups and downs. You will laugh at my misguided naïve adventures as I discover the power of forgiveness, and the value of my own presence. The Little Black Boy is also a celebratory flashback to the Black culture of the 90s. My goal is for each reader to understand that you are not defined by your circumstances, you are not alone, you can survive, and you can do anything!
I hope you enjoy.
TESTIMONIALS
To be young, gifted, and black. The beautiful lyrics from ancestor Nina Simone it certainly echoed the story Jonathan McKinney shares of his youth to adulthood in Little Black Boy. Often times when we hear narratives that come from people who are both male and black, there is anticipation of trauma and tragedy. And although that is a narrative that rings true, through the eyes of a young man raised in Detroit in the 80s and 90s, we actually find Hope possibility and triumph. Little Black Boy is a testimony of what happens when faith in yourself and the Creator as well as freedom for opportunity and wisdom merge. It is a story that will resonate with any human being, from the foolishness of our choices, to not recognizing that we were in danger while having a community to cover us. Far too many little black boys have to take on the responsibility of men at a young age, yet through those trials and obstacles it is through his adolescence curiosity that fortified the man that he is today. So yes he was not only and black. But today Jonathan is committed, relentless and impactful.
"Any form of art, is a form of power. It has impact; it can affect change. It not only moves us, it makes us move."
--Ossie Davis
Ryan Nichole Leary
From McKinney's hardscabble beginnings on the streets of East Detroit where crack and poverty were king and guns were easier to access than healthy food to attending Eastern Michigan University and facing down the KKK as a regional director of the NAACP, the story of McKinney's teenage years and rise to manhood is a soul-suffering and redeeming tale that makes for required reading. There is something for everyone in reading about the life and the experiences of The Little Black Boy.
Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum
Author. Editor. Ghostwriter.
AndrewMK.com PoemoftheWeek.com
The transparency and anecdotes help the reader go from one page to the next as if the author is having an intimate conversation with the reader. The author has mastered speaking from a trauma-informed place, triumphantly as the victor who took something bitter and became better. This book will save lives because it is a story about a boy striving to live in a way that speaks to the gratitude he has for every person, situation, and circumstance that has made him qualified to see the forest for the trees.
Richelle Terese
Salvation and Social Justice Communications Director
Upcoming Events
Author Event
Saturday, March 30, 2024 6:00pm
KB Center "The Building
6602 Walton Street
Detroit, Michigan 48210
About the Author
I’ve made up stories in my head for as long as I can remember—I put myself to sleep at night when I was young by reimagining television plots and inserting my own life’s experiences. As I grew, I found that many of my real-life experiences far exceeded anything that I could imagine. I assumed my life and imagination was normal. In the fifth grade, I won a writing contest, and I decided then that writing will always be a part of my life.
As a young man, I also discovered my passion for social justice and activism, so I became a community organizer. For over two decades, I have worked tirelessly in the fight for equity and equality. Ten years ago, when I realized I was making up stories about my travels and the people I’d meet while protesting, I decided to try putting them down on paper. These short stories reenergized my passion to tell my story.
The result? An award-winning and activist transparently telling the story of my teenage years in my first book, The Little Black Boy. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to be an advocate involved in improving communities while maintaining the space for inspiring others through my creativity. But more important than what I do is who I am. I am Jonathan McKinney from Detroit, Michigan, now living and affecting my community in Columbia, Maryland.