I do not care how well some of us black men are doing as individuals, let there be no misunderstanding, we will never escape identity of our people. It is incumbent on all of us to do whatever it takes to uplift and guide our young black men in the right direction, since these are the very people who will be making decisions on our behalf in a very short while. Time is of the essence and we must act now. The days of telling black men to wait on some benevolent Black leader, Executive or Pastor to elevate their status as decent and progressive human beings are over. Training starts at home. We cannot expect teachers alone to miraculously raise and teach our children values, good manners and common decency. So I am sounding the alarm hoping to prevent these young black men from becoming endangered species or possible face extinction.
Young black men in almost every sector of the American society are failing at an alarming rate. From low enrollment in colleges and universities to the highest rate of incarceration in the world, our young black men lives are in chaos. The negative images and stereotypes of the black man are frightening. We see many of our young black men embracing and glorifying thugs, gang banging, and the most self destructive of all, referring to their women as whores and bitches. Many of them proudly refer to each other as the “N” word and are proud of it. It appears to be so noble for many of them to call each other dogs and the “N” word. When we look at television today we see thugs, rude boys, dope sellers, etc., being glorified in many of the black communities. Our black women are on music videos with strings in their backsides, while our black men are wearing corn rows, tattoos, heavy jewelry and oversized trousers hanging down their rear ends. Self respect and common decency is no longer an acceptable norm in many of our communities. Many of our black women have zero respect and tolerance towards their black men. Self hate is rampant among them. There is so much mistrust and disunity among themselves. Most of all, there is no genuine love among each other. There must be radical change now, or regrettably, we may see a people end up with the same fate as dinosaurs. Who will save our young black men? Who should they turn to for help?
Our dear brother Bill Cosby is right. If we can find hundreds of dollars to buy sneakers over reading materials for our children, we are a people in major trouble. What I wouldn’t give to have series such as the Cosby Show on television again. The Cosby Show was one of the most positive images shown on television that Black America can be proud of. Today we have talk shows, freak shows, soap operas and sitcoms showing low class women and men making out and doing whatever it takes to be with “crack heads”, pimps and thugs for money and fame. When was the last time you see a television series that show young black scholars defying all odds and graduating as physicians, lawyers, engineers, astronauts, professors, etc? Why is it so hard for Producers and Directors to put together a positive sitcom or television series that depict positive images of black men and women in our society today? We are feeding an appetite of filth in low down people. Garbage, sex and filth sell in the black communities and that is shameful. There is hardly any positive image of black folks on television anymore. When we will see positive images of black men on television again?
With Senator Barack Obama seeking the presidency of the United States, there is some hope for young black men. I hope that young black men receive this Great American (Barack Obama) with open arms. He is such a breath of fresh air. This is one of the proudest moments of my life as a black man living in America. I can now identify with someone in black America that dresses like me, talks like me, etc., in Senator Barack Obama and other noble Black Americans. We need positive images and role models such as Senator Barack Obama, Bill Cosby, Colin Powell, Dr. Condi Rice, Dr. Ben Carson, Justice Clarence Thomas, Dr. Cornel West, Bryant Gumble, Attorney Ogletree, James Blake, Maya Angelo, Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, etc. However, not until we start to build colleges, universities and training centers to educate and train our young men and women, we all have failed. “A leader without a vision, the people perish.” It is high time we pool our resources and great wealth in uplifting the standard of our people. Let us not look down on them unless we are willing to pull them up. It is important that when we get to the top, we leave the ladder behind us even if we are not willing to show them how to climb each rung. I cannot help but to applaud the noble and divine efforts of my dear brother Magic Johnson for investing in communities most of us were afraid of. Special thanks to my dear sister Oprah Winfrey for building a school in Africa. We must magnify these positives attributes and contributions to humanity by these great visionaries and noble human beings. The black community needs more of these noble, divine and great Black Americans to help uplift the standard of our brothers and sisters.
While there are those who made or continue to make a genuine attempt to guide and restore young black men, there are also those hypocrites and parasites that benefit tremendously from their ignorance and disunity. There are those who give charitable contributions for tax benefits and to seek fame, praise and recognition. One of the first places you think would be an ideal place to rehabilitate and restore young troubled black men are the Church. But it seems as if our Churches are failing to reach out to these troubled black men. In many of these Churches the only people we see most times that are doing well are the pastors, their immediate family, sweethearts and lads. There seem to be more emphasis on their gator shoes, power suits, diamond rings, private jets and luxury cars than to uplift young black men. They claim to be prophets of the people, but many are more eager to profit from the people. Then you turn to Corporate America, only to find out that there is an exclusionary policy against some of these qualified black men. Yet on the other hand, doors are open for black women. It is obvious that black women are not a threat in corporate America. You turn to your political and civil right leaders and there is no help either, because it is all about their personal self interest, aggrandizement and enrichment. Last but not least, you turn to your own black man and sometimes you are treated with more scorn than from someone of another race. The black man most times will go out of his way to create a job or an opportunity for a pretty woman so as to impress her for sexual favors later over giving a fellow black man a break. I have seen this on many, many occasions. Many of our black men who are in positions to help young black men get jobs have the inability to look beyond genitalia and a fancy car. Where should the black man turn for help?
I had many friends and acquaintances that were lawyers, politicians and business executives prior to going to law school. I thought that upon graduation from law school I would have landed a fairly decent job because of such association. I was wrong. I gave this illustration and example to demonstrate that you should not look or count on your fellow black man to take you to that next level. Many of our black men that are leaders, CEO and executives lack vision. Many of them that got to the top pulled up the ladder behind them. Many of them ran away from their communities. Some of them still remain disconnected with the community. I used to wonder why so many of our young black men resent going to colleges and universities. I now understand why. There are no jobs out there for many of them even though they have degrees and are qualified for the positions they applied for. Just imagine incurring student loans in the hundreds of thousand of dollars for your education only to find out that you cannot get a job because of your pigmentation, and lack of networking and support in your black communities. Nonetheless, I encourage you black men to go to college. As William Knibb, the great Emancipator said: “Ignorance enslaves, knowledge liberates. It is going to be a hard road for many of you even with your good and excellent qualifications. But do not give up. Stay the course. Help is on the way.
Let me conclude by saying to black men, be steadfast and be of good courage. Stay away from trouble and bad company. You are guilty by association, so chose your company wisely. Respect and abide by the law. Have an open mind. Pray and seek God’s guidance daily. Stay humble and preserve your health. Start your own business and maintain a decent credit score. Be an entrepreneur…take the risk, because it is better than sitting home. As we say in my culture: “The devil finds work for idle hands.” Do not wait or depend on anyone to survive. Let no one define who you are and limit you. You are created with an infinite potential. Stay away from drugs, prostitution and no good women. Be a part of your children’s development. Get married and avoid dysfunctional family settings. Do not go about the place impregnating women all over. Chose one and settle down. Reprimand and discipline your children when necessary. Do not spare the rod and spoil the child. You basically have two choices in raising your children: You either raise your children with discipline, love and self respect, or else correction and law enforcement officers will do it for you later. Pick your choice! You must break the chain of poverty in your family by investing and saving money wisely. Start by putting away money for your children’s college fund, get endowment policies, life insurance, real property investment, etc, over buying silly expensive bracelets, ear rings and necklaces. Forget about name brand clothing, expensive sneakers, fancy cars, jewelry, etc. Those are personal properties and they are worth nothing. Do not look in one particular place for your help. I want you to know that angels come in all forms. Do not limit your blessings by looking to a particular group, race or culture. Like many of you, I was looking to my fellow black man for help, but guess what? Hadn’t it been for my White brothers and sisters, I would perish. My White brothers and sisters have embraced me with open arms over my own. I am not advocating that you should look to White people alone for your help. I am sure that there are some black men who got their breaks from another black person. You would be surprised to know how many of your White, Asian, Indian and Hispanic brothers and sisters are out there ready to embrace you over some of your own people. The late Honorable Robert Nesta Marley, aka Bob Marley musically said: “They keep us hungry and when you are going to get some food, your brother got to be your enemy, ambush in the night.”
