All posts by Dr. James Thomas Jones III

African-American Males, African-American Men, African-American Women, Black Males, Black Men, Black Women, RELATIONSHIP

Is the High-Earning Millennial Black Male Invisible to their Female Counterparts?

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A convincing argument could be made that Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man is the greatest novel ever written.

I must tell you that Ellison’s unnamed protagonist is “invisible” throughout the entire book for those who have never read this timeless text. Now I do not want you to get the impression that he is see-through as lacking a body; his invisibility results from those around him not being able to see. Everyone he encounters “sees only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination.”

Ellison’s Invisible Man is no different from millions of Black male millennials living without anyone, especially their Black female counterparts, ever seeing them.

While those on the Right engage in public political propaganda about Critical Race Theory, millennial Black men are facing an unexpected opponent. Young Black men between the ages of 25 – 40 have been rendered invisible. Nearly eighty years after Ellison’s brilliant construct, millennial Black men fit perfectly into it.

If nothing else, the familiar cries of Black women regarding the absence of suitable Black suitors are convincing, particularly to those who have never reviewed relevant data. The “Amen corner” that so eagerly joins into any discussion that culminates with the denigration of Black men has never needed any data to condemn their targets. The evidence base is purely anecdotal evidence provided by a segment of bitter mothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, and friends that serves no purpose other than convincing Black millennial women that there are no suitable marriage-minded Black males. This recycled allegation has reached urban legend status.

The primary problem with the unceasing denigration of millennial Black men is that there is not a shred of evidence supporting the allegations. When one focuses on the plight of educated Black women categorized as millennials, by far the loudest town criers regarding this matter, an interesting portrait arises. If considered seriously, the existing data would mute what has become standard verse for far too many, certainly not all, educated Black women making over $50,000. According to PUMS (2019), when one focuses on higher-income Black millennials, many Black men above the $50,000 income level as their female counterparts. It appears that millennial Black women have inherited a familiar dodge that they cannot find someone who is “equally-yoked” (financially) to build a life with from previous generations of embittered Black women.

When faced with such facts, one can only wonder what excuse millennial Black women who have dominated public conversations will use to explain their difficulty finding an equally-yoked, gainfully employed Black male.

The above information should spotlight what appears to be hopelessly single millennial Black women making over $50,000. If provided the opportunity, I would ask these Black women the following questions.

  • Do you think that your single status is due to Black men deciding that you are not marriage material?
  • Where did you get the idea that there were no equally-yoked marriageable Black men?
  • Have you ever considered that the pessimism that so many millennial women wear as a badge of honor actually an allergen to the gainfully employed equally-yoked Black men that you claim to desire?

Although painful to admit, it appears that yet another generation of Black women has been socialized to be doubting Thomas’ regarding Black suitors. Unfortunately, so many of these women have allowed the experiences of their disenchanted predecessors to be pressed atop their own.

Unfortunately for millennial Black men, it appears that Ralph Ellison’s construct shockingly applies to them. Although frightening to consider, one has to wonder if there is anything that Black men could or should do to break through the glacier-like ice that encases the hearts of so many of their female counterparts?

All of this makes one wonder if the fact that only 25% of Black women will ever marry leads them to abandon the present course that appears to be inspired by the experiences of a group of disenchanted embittered Black women instead of a numerically superior group of Black women who managed to remain married to Black men for decades.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

#ManhoodRaceCulture  

Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive, MRCi, RACE

Is the Spreading of Propaganda in American Classrooms this Nation’s Greatest Educational Tradition?: An Examination of Why Critical Race Theory Attacks are so Dangerous

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The problem of the 20th-Century will be that of the color line.

W.E.B. DuBois

Not even my earning of two degrees in African-American Studies from THE Ohio State University prepared me for the recent battle over Critical Race Theory (CRT). Now, I do not want you to conclude that I am in the dark regarding what CRT is. I thoroughly understand the concept. However, I admit to not understanding what those opposing the teaching of Race, one of the foundational pillars of this nation, in this nation’s Social Studies and History classrooms. Although I realize that this will upset many Whites, racial matters must be thoroughly addressed within our educational institutions.

I was pleased to learn that I was not alone in my concerns about a segment of our population advocating for the distortion of Americans; in the public arena nonetheless. The President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Randi Weingarten, has boldly stepped forward to address her intention to fight against the “culture warriors” attempting to sanction the teaching of a fallacious history under the guise of destroying CRT.

I applaud Weingarten for the following statement regarding the AFT commitment to protecting educators who occupy the front lines of this brewing battle.

Our union will defend any member who gets in trouble for teaching honest history. Teaching the truth is not radical or wrong. Distorting history and threatening educators for teaching the truth is what is truly radical and wrong.

As an educator with over two decades of experience teaching racial matters, I am bewildered by recent demands for American history to be discussed without the presence of W.E.B. DuBois’ color line. Despite opponents’ desperate attempt to deny both the presence and the centrality of Race as a cornerstone of this nation’s development, the historical record says otherwise.

If provided the opportunity, I would tell the self-proclaimed American Patriots issuing the aforementioned demands for the altering of an honest history into a false one that amounts to little more than the spreading of propaganda to explain historical racial inequities that their actions are Hitleresque.

There is not a single capable educator in the fields of Social Studies or History who can truthfully attest to discussing the founding and development of this nation without discussing Race. Put simply, the barring of any discussion of the haunting specter of Race in America’s development places educators in an impossible position. To understand this point, one needs to look no further than the rhetoric of aggrieved colonists seeking to free themselves from 18th Century British tyranny. Also called the Declaration of Independence to recognize the alluded to predicament.

Race was present when a roguish vagabond population of unruly colonists expressed their fervent desires with a Declaration of Independence. Ironically, the primary motivating factor behind their actions was “to not be the slaves of the British.” It would be Thomas Jefferson who best expressed those intentions with the following words.

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Those seeking to sanitize US History because they ludicrously believe that the failure to do so will begin psychologically fragile White children down a path that ends with them being damaged for life are seeking to limit what can be discussed in our nation’s classroom by qualified educators. In the world they seek to create, it is fine to discuss Jefferson’s reverberating words found in the above document while omitting that he stands as one of this nation’s foremost hypocrites. Consider for a moment that while Jefferson was penning such beautiful, liberating prose, he simultaneously refused to vacate his status as a slaveholder who produced children with Sally Hemings, one of his possessions. All American children need to understand that this particular Founding Father was “owned” stolen Africans on Monticello, his plantation in Virginia. Additional classroom discussions could delve into Jefferson’s never-ending refusal to free enslaved Africans in the 18th Century and its relationship to the 20th Century refusal of his White descendants to allow any of his colored prodigy to be buried in the Jefferson family cemetery.

As a descendant of stolen Africans, I agree that American History can disturb one’s soul. However, that does not remove the fact that this rugged past of triumphs and failures is a reflective portrait of who we are as a nation. This portrait possesses the power to explain to every generation how we arrived at this moment. We can not expect any reasonable progress on the racial frontier if we cannot be truthful about our past. Regardless of race/ethnicity, all children deserve the opportunity to subdue the racial division that has dogged this nation for far too long. Hopefully, those seeking to silence educators regarding racial matters will understand that they are dooming this nation to unceasing racial discord. A wise man named William Peppers once told me, “If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got.”

Aren’t Whites tired of the disturbing specter of racial animosity?

Time will tell, I guess.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III
©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021
#ManhoodRaceCulture

You are cordially invited to join MRCi (Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive) tonight (July 8, 2021) @ 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST) for a much-needed discussion titled A Discussion of Critical Race Theory: Why Are White Conservatives Speaking About Something that They Nothing About

Tonight’s discussion will be part 2 of our focus on discussions of critical race theory.

Join us as we discuss this pressing matter.

The program begins tonight (Thursday, July 8) @ 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST). Click here to access the meeting or use the information listed below.

Meeting ID: 353 334 8869
Passcode: 1YF4BG

African-American Women, Black Girls, RACE

Is The Sha’Carri Richardson Saga a Cautionary Tale for Young Blacks Throughout the Nation?

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When I heard that Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended from the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the presence of THC in her system, I was saddened as I, along with the rest of Black America, wanted to see her bring home the gold medal. Considering all of the blows that Black America receives daily, such a moment would be yet another display of black excellence in the face of domestic and global racism. If nothing else, Richardson’s success would verify that the world I reside in, the one where Black people are at the top of the game regardless of the venue, is as real as real can get. In this world, Black people are the most important factor in how their lives unfold.

I realized long ago that many Black folks live in a much different world than the one I just described.

From afar, I have noticed that this alternative universe that so many Blacks exist in is filled with people who pursue excuses that absolve them from their all responsibility for failure. My glimpse of such a view guided my expectations that legions of Black folk would rush to social media and any other medium to do their dimwitted best to absolve Richardson of all responsibility for actions that have cost little Black girls a much-needed celebratory moment following her earning an Olympic Gold Medal. A momentary embrace of a banned substance has resulted in a three-month suspension that has been reduced to one month. Unfortunately, even the shortened suspension will prevent Richardson from competing in her signature 100-meter event, if not all events.

Anyone above the age of forty has seen this sordid tale of a notable Black athlete, actor, or politician fall from superstardom; it has occurred so regularly that it may be time for us to consider it an inevitability. What makes these situations so frustrating is that nearly all of them could have been avoided if even a modicum of common sense and discipline had been used. Yet, it never fails that legion of Blacks will rush forward with an emotionally charged effort aimed at blocking the consequences that the fallen star’s impetuous decision-making has earned.

Moments such as this one reverts my mind to age-old wisdom shared by my immediate predecessors, who repeated the mantra that in this white country, Blacks are “going to have to work twice as hard to get half as far.” One does not have to look far to find within that slice of wisdom that our ancestors believed that we were the most important factor in our success or failure. Within the Black community that I was raised in, such wisdom was standard teaching for Black children who would need confidence and a plan to avoid the snares and traps that had obstructed the path to success for more Blacks than one can imagine.

Unfortunately for Black America, it appears that at the present moment, many in our midst believe that life happens to you. Such a reactionary perspective will certainly curtail, if not prevent, them from experiencing success. One needs to look no further than the litany of Blacks who have rushed to defend Richardson for her misstep. Not even the fact that the fallen track star’s decision to take ownership of her actions, as indicated in the following statement, has prevented the excuse-makers from seeking to block the consequences of her actions.

I would like to say to my fans and my family and my sponsorship, to the haters, too, I apologize. As much as I’m disappointed, I know that when I step on that track, I don’t represent myself, I represent a community that has shown me great support, great love.

Although this is a disappointing situation, it should not be used to display the usual excuse-making that many of our people use to avoid the consequences of our actions. Doing such is a missed opportunity for Black youth to understand that there can be both positive and negative consequences to their decisions.

During this moment, Black youth must be told that they have countrymen who will oppose them and actively seek opportunities to derail them from the path to success due to their skin color. So, they must learn the do’s and don’ts of success when dealing with opponents who would love nothing more than to see them fail. The saga of Sha’Carri Richardson should be considered yet another cautionary tale that Black excellence can be compromised when a lack of knowledge and wisdom meets the absence of discipline.

Black youth need to understand that not only do their actions have consequences, but there are troubled waters that reckless behavior will lead them into that not a single Black person possesses the power to extricate them from.

A sad yet unfortunate reality. But this won’t be the last time we see this situation, especially if we keep trying to make excuses for actions that we could have easily avoided.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021

#ManhoodRaceCulture

 

 

African-American History, RACE

Thoughts on White America’s Reaction to Vanessa Williams’ Singing of the Negro National Anthem aka How Embarrassing Things Can Be When A People Are Ignorant Regarding History

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In a nation where the vast majority of citizens are borderline historically illiterate, most Americans know the following historical phrase.

If you don’t like it here, go back to (fill in the blank).

Depending on what was occurring in this nation, there are several countries that would be correct answers if placed in the above “fill in the blank” spot.

Let’s be honest about this matter, it is White people who are the conveyors of such abrasive talk. I have heard many Blacks ask “Where did these people come from?” I laugh at such a question because if you search any map, you will never find White land. I like to ask people who insist that White is an actual identity the following questions.

If the Irish are from Ireland and the French are from France and the Germans are from Germany and Brazilians are from Brazil, wherein the hell are White people from?

My point is that Whiteness is a social construction that serves as a rallying point for a diverse population of Europeans that allows them unfettered access to political power and economic might; not to mention the ability to craft laws to serve their interests. There is strength in numbers after all.

The fact that the above is rarely discussed in the public arena does not make it any less true. In the moments following World War I, new immigrant groups like the Irish, Polish, and German were forced by more powerful Whites to suppress their ethnic identity in favor of a largely undefined White identity that provided them a path to political power. It is ironic that there is no better display that today’s Whites have become the tyrannical monsters they often rail against than on Independence Day.

This year’s annual display of White America’s demand that all citizens conform to their value system and priorities or “Go back to Africa” are the public attacks on former Miss America Vanessa Williams; yes, these White folks are attacking the first Black woman to represent them by winning their pageant. Williams’ performance of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a song commonly considered the Negro National Anthem at PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” has offended a legion of freedom-loving White patriots. What follows is a sampling of White American Patriots’ reaction to Williams’s performance of the Negro National Anthem.

  • We have one national anthem (Steve Cortes – Newsmax)
  • Vanessa honey, a BLACK national anthem is something a Black African Country would have, not a country like America that exists for everyone. (Lavern Spicer – Fl. Politician)
  • Separate, but equal. MLK would be proud. (RR Cooper)
  • There is only one national anthem. This is segregationism pure and simple. Shame on @JoeBiden if he doesn’t demand an end to this racist activity. (US Col. Rob Maness)
  • Is it possible to have a “Black National Anthem” and still expect to have unity?
  • I 100% refuse to recognize the black national anthem. We are one nation, under God and indivisible. There are no separate national anthems.

There is a popular saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This axiom was at work when the British had their boot on the neck of what would eventually become the first Americans. Today, the descendants of the aforementioned colonists, joined by the descendants of new immigrants who fled or were ejected from their European homeland become a totalitarian force that demands all others conform to their worldview. This brazen display of non-acceptance of the Negro National Anthem in the midst of a national celebration of freedom drips with irony. If nothing else, this should serve as definitive proof of why it is so crucial for racial matters to be taught in this nation. There is obviously an entire White population, children, and adults, who have lived entire lives ignorant to diverse perspectives.

I, along with droves of other historically literate Blacks, tired long ago of the uphill battle of teaching Whites about the cavernous errors in their thought patterns and ways. We have little sympathy for those who do not recognize that their political viewpoints and questionable reading of history have made them authoritarian figures that demand all others adopt their priorities or leave. The pervasive ignorance engulfing so many Whites at the present moment prevents them from realizing that they are seeking to expel Blacks who have done more to build this nation than any of their ancestors.

So, it is with great privilege that I address my fellow countrymen with the following statement.

If you do not like the singing of the Negro National Anthem or the rich cultural diversity that non-White groups bring to this nation, you could always go back to whatever part of Europe that your ancestors hail from; that is, if they would have you. After all, I am sure that the leaders of your homeland had good reason for expelling your ancestors in the first place.

Lift every voice and sing…

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021.