(Painting by WAK [Kenneth A. Williams])Kwan writes:
Change!!!! The thing my community asks for so often, but never achieves. I've examined this thing - "change" - and realize that change. Real change starts within our community first. Not with the government - a body that we depend on, yet often fails us in our time of need. It starts with us. Change starts with us holding ourselves accountable for the actions of those in our community that give us all a bad name. Also it starts with us teaching our babies girls that they are more than objects that deserve to have dollars tossed at them. Not just with words but with deeds. It's time to start telling our babies that they are beautiful and precious beyond compare. So when we loose them into the world, they won’t be trapped by the flattering words of men that want to objectify them as play things.
No more should our baby boys have to get their ideas of manhood from music videos and old gangsta movies. We need to teach them, from the time of birth, that their job as men is to be the head and not the tail, above only, and not beneath. They must lead as our forefathers did - with integrity, honor and compassion. Not only this, but they must be to women as Christ is to the church (fearless leader, protector, provider, and ultimate servant). Our boys need to know that their manhood is not based on the head in the pants, but the one on their shoulders.
No longer is it acceptable for our boys to drop out of school, hang on the corners, or hustle just to make ends meet. It’s time for us all to take up the mantle of MLK, Malcolm, and Garvey and begin to dominate in a way that we are all 100% capable. College can no longer be the rarity among us but the status quo. If we are to rise up from being 13% of the population yet 80% of the prison population then we must become 80% of the educated and 13% of the population. Time for a reality check and it starts with us. With me. Black men: It is time for us to man up. Our babies shouldn't die by our hands.
In memory of all the babies that died this year due to senseless violence.
Change!!!! The thing my community asks for so often, but never achieves. I've examined this thing - "change" - and realize that change. Real change starts within our community first. Not with the government - a body that we depend on, yet often fails us in our time of need. It starts with us. Change starts with us holding ourselves accountable for the actions of those in our community that give us all a bad name. Also it starts with us teaching our babies girls that they are more than objects that deserve to have dollars tossed at them. Not just with words but with deeds. It's time to start telling our babies that they are beautiful and precious beyond compare. So when we loose them into the world, they won’t be trapped by the flattering words of men that want to objectify them as play things.
No more should our baby boys have to get their ideas of manhood from music videos and old gangsta movies. We need to teach them, from the time of birth, that their job as men is to be the head and not the tail, above only, and not beneath. They must lead as our forefathers did - with integrity, honor and compassion. Not only this, but they must be to women as Christ is to the church (fearless leader, protector, provider, and ultimate servant). Our boys need to know that their manhood is not based on the head in the pants, but the one on their shoulders.
No longer is it acceptable for our boys to drop out of school, hang on the corners, or hustle just to make ends meet. It’s time for us all to take up the mantle of MLK, Malcolm, and Garvey and begin to dominate in a way that we are all 100% capable. College can no longer be the rarity among us but the status quo. If we are to rise up from being 13% of the population yet 80% of the prison population then we must become 80% of the educated and 13% of the population. Time for a reality check and it starts with us. With me. Black men: It is time for us to man up. Our babies shouldn't die by our hands.
In memory of all the babies that died this year due to senseless violence.
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Kris writes:
I agree with you, Kwan. I have to ask: what happened to the feeling of black power and a strong sense of pride among black Americans? Yes, we are proud to be black and beautiful, but I am confused by the state of black America today and why we are not farther along than we are now. As a first-generation black American (the fam's from the Caribbean), I am very proud to be American and feel blessed to have the opportunities that I have, and yet I look around and sometimes wonder why more blacks are not present in higher levels of academia and the professional world. Some people make ridiculous arguments that most blacks are not capable of succeeding - and such uninformed opinions do not even deserve a response. Do I have to point out the multitude of black men and women that have succeeded in business, political, medical, legal, and academic professions? Must I point out the black media moguls and the internet wiz-kids that have become so successful and worthy of major applause? Open any copy of Black Enterprise and I believe your "typical American" would be surprised to see black people in positions of power - these wonderful men and women are the epitomy of the change that Black America has fought and died for, and they stand contrary to the stereotypes of blacks in the media and also illuminate the beauty of change - that people are making it out of underprivileged backgrounds and others are taking advantage of privileged backgrounds and making their presence known in the professional market.
And yet, more change needs to happen. As happy as I am to see more blacks in college these days, I see a strange lack of black men on campuses - where are they??? I notice that there must be few blacks in position of power within the media - otherwise we would not be witnessing the continuation of "blackface" on popular networks such as BET and MTV, new millenium style. Black America needs to push forward and continue to change - I think we've reached a standstill and we need to push over that plateau into better conditions in order to revamp the realities that have plagued the daily lives of black men and women in communities all over this nation.
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