We grow up in different neighborhoods, schools, and families. We can be wealthy, middle class, or below poverty. We can be Christian, Muslim, Or Catholic etc. We come in thousands of shapes, sizes, and colors. With all of these factual statements, the most commonly understood and important statement is that we are Black Men. We are targeted and planned against like lions in a cage that are still feared by the keepers because  of our strengths and ability to overpower at the slightest moment which puts fear in their hearts.

They see us grow up in wealth and they watch eagerly for us to make a mistake and try to pry it all away. They use us to entertain them like Chicken George in the ring. Instead they give us a ball and tell us to meet height, weight, and ability requirements to make it amazing. Still they watch us like a worried father watches his daughter’s new boyfriend waiting for him to slip up, so he could take his daughter home and protect her. We’re a threat when wealthy because we can lead their youth to do things they disapprove of. We have the ability to do great things without extracting our true potential. Yet we are still Black Men and have no chance to be equal.

We drive a nice car then we are likely to be either  criminals or a professional ball player. We drive a older car we are criminals or poor which makes us criminals also. Our kids aren’t taught to grow, live, and sustain wealth. They set our schools up to pass tests that only meet the minimal requirements to work at McDonalds. They use our women to help make us look like thugs, pimps, and deadbeats; creating television show that promote infidelity and unstable homes/relationships. They try to depict our children as thugs in training, and treat them like baby gorillas with the strength of grown men. They shoot before Black Men are old enough to show potential. 

We show character and persistance to climb up from the ghettos they stuck us in only to be used as slave watchers by looking down on and judging our brothers we left behind. We have to move to areas where the number of Black Men are minimal or our housing equity decreases. We put our kids in schools where the teachers can actually teach because they don’t have the state directing and forcing the curriculum to be focused solely on a test. They give our ancestors the left over pieces of pork and grain, and noe  disguise it as food stamps and welfare. They give us just enough to survive for the next month and kill our need for growth.

Years ago they made us hate each other by segmenting us into different shades. Which brought divide and envy into our blood. If you are lighter you are privileged and therefore better. Divide and concour was their goal and to its success we still find judgement by the level of pigment in our skin. The more pigment in your skin the angrier you look. The less pigment in your skin you were perceived to be more docile and controllable. Now we see each other as family but still find a divide in pigment as if it determines a person’s life goals and mindset. We confuse beauty in skin color before experiencing the beauty inside each other. These are things we must realize and change. We are Black Men and do anything we put our minds to and no one can stop us. 

So what should we do? As a black man I’ll give my personal opinion. First we need to realize that everything we do is being watched. We have the people who don’t want us to succeed, the people who need us to succeed, and the people who are inspired by our success. Therefore we have to show them all the good we can provide on this earth. Show them we can be a father to our beautiful children and not have the government regulate our interaction. Treat our women with the utmost respect, by at least being honest and loving them. Show love to the people around you without feeling soft or less of a man (I’ve being working on this myself). Provide for your family without looking for someone to applaud you for doing your God giving talent. Bring your talents , services, and products back to the poverty stricken areas and provide them with outside experiences. Teach the youth that there’s more out there than what’s in their small areas of neighborhood or city. Let’s show the world what Black Men can be by changing our mentality and showing our greatness!!

If you have any ideas or opinions  please leave it in the comments and share with your opinionated friends we need a plan!!