This One is for the Bruthas

This blog post can be for any and everyone, however it is written specifically for Black Men. Some will read this first sentence and get offended. As I write this, I want those people to know that sometimes Black Men need something that is specifically for us so that we can stay encouraged for the rest of the Black Community.

I want my bruthas to know that you are appreciated. I know what it is like to feel alone in a building full of people. I want you to know that I know what it feels like to be overlooked. I know how you feel when you are the most intelligent, the most educated, the most talented in your area of expertise and then treated like you have no leadership abilities. I know how it feels to sit in a room with people encouraging you to lower your standards to be like someone who does not hold the standard of excellence that you strive to achieve and provide daily. I know what it feels like to achieve all of your personal goals and still feel stuck. I know what it is like to be told to your face that you are not good enough. I know what is like to fight for an equal and equitable playing field for everyone just to be told that you have to be more. I know what it is like for people to smile in your face and stab you in your back like the O’Jays said.

I know what it is like to possess multiple qualities and skills across different fields just for people to put you in the box they have determined you should be in to best benefit what you can do for them.

Anytime you have greatness on you and you have growth on you, it will always exacerbate the insecurities of people around you. Because the people cannot control you, the easiest thing to do is to try to incarcerate you.

Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

I know what it is like to see the future before others just to be dismissed. I know what it is like to be prepared years in advanced just for others to steal your ideas. I know what it is like to feel like you are dumbing yourself down to fit the proverbial “square peg into the round hole.” I know what it feels like to want to fit in and think you have to kick your integrity out the window to stay in the good graces of those whom you fear or respect. I know what it feels like to have theological malpractices used against you to keep you from teaching, learning, preaching, or living a certain way. I know what it is like to stand up in the face of those who do not have your best interests in mind. I know what it is like to correct the insensitive comment or joke that is made about the people who you love. I know what it is like to show up for others when you are grieving internally.

I know you are stressed. I know you are hurting. I know you are grieving. I know you are concerned. I know you have hope but it feels like it is fading. I know that because we are not a monolith there are those of us that may have things going for them financially, emotionally, and socially. However, this is to the everyday Black Man. I know the internal struggle that you have to navigate in this society while you physically and mentally deal with obstacles that are presented to you. I know about the micro-aggressions. I know about the gaslighting. I know you are tired. I know you are frustrated. I know you are angry.

However, we have to find ways to cope. Sometimes, we choose the wrong outlets to help us cope with the mental distress that some of these spirits place upon us, but our communities need us. Sistahs need us to work with them to build the next generation. We are to partner with them not lord over them. We have to find positive ways to be present with them and our children.

May I suggest that we learn to tap into that part of us that the Creator put into us that gives us that connection to the Divine. You are more than a number. You are more than a statistic. You are more than just another body. You are more than just a team member. You were created in the mind and the image of the Divine Creator. Your ancestors built this country. You were produced and birthed by greatness. Don’t sell your soul to fit into the good ole boy’s club or to climb the corporate ladder. Some are just waiting for you to bow down to their desires for you. Others are waiting for you to destroy yourself to become a statistic. The community is depending on you to help build. So, I am encouraging you to use that anger as fuel to be so creative that instead of becoming an exception to the rule, you become the standard that others study.

 Have a belief in yourself that is bigger than anyone’s disbelief.

August Wilson