As a young black man in this country I often ask myself what it really means for me to be a black American. I’m not talking about the black aesthetic, I’ve pretty much gotten that under control along with the whole urban vernacular thing. What im speaking of is me myself as an American, what role am i supposed to play in the black community? ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
There was a time when i used to feel like i had to prove my blackness if you will by making the occasional reference to any and all things black in my daily conversations with whites. I realized a long time ago that by doing that i can come across as confused and ignorant. I also shared some of the same resentments that elders from my mother’s generation had towards whites for various reasons. It’s more of a learned behavior that i had to etch out of my mind. Over the past couple years i have considered myself more of an American and find myself facing the same questions and problems that most young Americans if not all have. You know, what is the meaning of life, how am i going to pay for school, what the hell is this degree for blah blah you get the picture. With that thinking I kinda felt a little uncle tomish , almost like i was selling my soul for not selling myself short and choosing mental enlightenment. I have made countless references to the term keeping it real over a couple bloggings and convos, what it really means to us and all the while hypocritically falling subject to my own scrutiny, as if i was on trial for "not keeping it all the way real" with myself. Are you following me?
I know all this can sound just a teeny weenie bit neurotic, but seriously. Now im not saying that everything that black culture has to offer is limited to stabbings, shootings and all that. What im saying is that now there is a whole new generation of young black men and women that you BARELY hear about, even amongst our own, that are completely post civil rights era and are following the path of academia, starting businesses, making an impact in their family bloodlines and starting or continuing first, second or third generation wealth and lineage. All while listening to rap, wearing hoodies and smoking weed. The problem is a lot of our youth don’t know that this look is indeed OKAY.
I grew up in the public school system. A system that was pretty damn good to me. I’ve seen many of my peers maintaining in a normal light and I’ve seen many of them graduate from college and pursue their dreams. I’ve also seen the effects of suburban want to be counterparts and how chasing the American dream for them can become much distorted, null and causes an identity crisis. I’ve seen families that have moved out of the perceived hood and actually made it maintaining a black identity. I’ve seen people that don’t. I’ve seen people that have stayed and become statistics. It goes in a million different directions as most issues do. What bothers me is not necessarily the concept of maintaining blackness or keeping it real, it’s that there is not median. You either are or you aren’t. Although that phenom is VERY American, we as a people still suffer. About 90 percent of us still have ties to the hood no matter how much money you make or how successful you get. That’s just the way that history has panned things out for us. Our music, art, culture is what keeps us together, but among other Americans you have those that perceive us each individually as either a "good" or "bad" negro. A ghetto or non ghetto black man, A sassy or non sassy black woman. In all actuality, we are all the same; the stigma is our own fault. But only we know that. Well....some of us try to forget, including myself at one point in time.
I feel that as a young black man i should be making strides to fill this gap. When i do decided to drop my album and start my clothing line (hypothetically speaking because i can’t sing a lick) i shouldn’t high tail it to the mountains to hob nob with the shirts. I have an obligation to give BACK in some kind of way. Rather it’s opening a shop on the ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />livingston corridor or buy up a row of apartments and fix them up to rent back to my community. I have an obligation.
I have an obligation to make myself available to my people so that young black men can see another black role model in a different role of business other than shooting a ball or grabbing a mic. Not that anything thing is wrong with grabbing a mic, I did start this scenario of myself dropping an album.
I have an obligation to my family by bringing them into my life and my business ventures. We are notorious for sticking together through the thick and thin in the hard times, but some of us forget others in the dust when it comes to success.
If i have a cousin who sells dope, i have an obligation to clean his money up before he becomes a statistic.
I have an obligation to raise my kids in and provide my spouse with the love that he/she deserves and become a beautiful black family. Ain’t nothing like a black family.
Most black men feel this way. Unlike how we are portrayed, we are stand up guys who think that we can pick up the earth and toss it where ever we choose. There are glass ceilings. ALOT OF THEM. If we feel like we can toss the earth then shattering glass isn’t that hard is it?
As black history month closes out, i will pledge to myself to not only maintain to carry myself on in life as a strong black man but as a strong black American as well. I soooo could have devoted this blog to "why white people don’t want us to do this" and "why white people don’t want us to do that". The one thing that i have learned about the other good AMERICANS that aren’t us is that, a lot of them really and truly are not thinking of ways that they can put a black person down. There are many who feel the same way we do! Now there are some who don’t feel this way. Lots. But who cares about them? There are many stereotypical things that come along with where we all are in this day and age, but we need to realize that those things are GOING to happen when up until now, there really has not been that many black folks venturing out and chasing the American dream. Not that im making excuses for racism, but hell, you can’t complain about anything if you’ve never been north of the hood or east of your comfort zone. Better yourself and then complain. That’s were the new revolution lies. We are now Americans. Confront it and change the status quo.
As i rant let me remind you that i haven’t forgotten where i came from. (See there’s that Uncle Tom feeling again i was talking about earlier) Honestly though, who the hell wants to be poor? TOO MANY OF US ARE! Like WAAY too many of us. I mean WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many. As Americans it is our right to the almighty dollar. Yeah a lot of us are hood rich. But come on, there aren’t that many crack heads around anymore and everybody can’t be a king pin in the dope game. There’s only so many who actually use dope so get a day job. Pull your pants up! How gay is it that your ass is hanging out? Act like men! Stand up straight! Don’t apologize for your rims, load music and ghetto swag, but pay for at least some of that shit with your paycheck and not dope money. Put your money where your mouth is and do something about it.
That was to all the slackers. To everyone else who is doing their thing in school, at a call center, in social services, downtown, djing, mc’s, poets, breakers, clothing designers, promotions, singers, real estate agents and moguls keep your shit together and remember to give back
. Pastors and saved Christians remember that the bible was given to us as slaves to tame us and stop making it your sweat blood and glory, all that you have to show for yourself. "I’m saved". BOO! How about you need to give back too! You’re not exempt.
Gay brothers, it’s a SERIOUS movement going on in our sector. We got it so......give back! Stop believing this DL hype and realize that its just another term for the closet. Don’t apologies to anyone for your hip hop gay swag. Get off of the ball scene and go to school. The check game has dried up so stop stunting. It’s lazy and your as bad as the lame ass dope boy that you read BUT interested in because you heard he’s on the DL. What kind of of circle is that? It’s those types of ties that we need to sever. Forget the Jesus freaks in your family and ACCEPT YOURSELVES! Too many of us are depressed just for being us.
Single black women keep your head up but also smile sometimes. Alot of you are mad for very VERY good reasons, but it’s going to be alright what’s done is done. GIVE BACK!
and stop all this dog fighting
(sorry for the informality all of a sudden i got a little amped. a lot of this is very personal to me and i really want change)
We are all in the same boat and we need to seriously give back and uplift ourselves. Not saying that everybody’s going to make it, but more need to have some kind of hope.
So I guess I answered my own question. There is no distinct formula on how to be a black man. It’s mostly common sense. We are Americans now and need to govern ourselves as such. I challenge every black man that reads this blog to stop your own personal self gain for a second and think about some kind of way that you can give back to your people. Volunteering isn’t soft. It’s actually kind of sexy. Cut a neighbors grass or something. It’s what we men do. Call an old relative. Ask an elder about the old days and compare and contrast. Negro you got it MADE! So make sure your kids and your kid’s kids will have it even better. Take your mom out. Spend time with your son or daughter despite your babies mother. Hell get married! Buy a house. Read a book. You might not be slacking, and you might be doing everything that i mentioned above. There is still more to be done and never forget that.
happy black history month.