Category Archives: Black Girls

African-American Males, African-American Men, African-American Women, Black Girls, Black Males, Black Women, EDUCATION, Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive, MRCi, RACE

Mental Health in the Black Community: Strategies for Being Black and Sane While Craziness Swirls Around You

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Please join MRCi (Manhood, Race, and Culture interactive) tonight (October 15, 2020) at 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST) for an important program on Mental Health in Black America.

Mental Health practitioner Sister Misty Chanel Pruitt will present via Zoom on Mental Health in the Black Community: Strategies for being Black and Sane While Craziness Swirls Around You. Please join us to learn strategies to keep you sane in the midst of everyday craziness.

The program begins tonight at 7:30 (EST) — 6:30 pm (CST). Please click here to join us.

Black Girls, Black Males, Black Popular Culture, EDUCATION, RACE

It Truly is A Different World: A Case for Exposing a New Generation to the HBCU Experience

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There is a nearly unavoidable danger that creeps up on us so smoothly that we neither recognize its arrival nor its presence. Yet, each of us is susceptible to this evil and the vast majority of us will fall victim to it. The danger that I am referring to results from spending too much time within a self-advantageous echo chamber that allows for us to make sense of the world.

I must admit to having found a comfortable echo chamber that fits my needs and interests. The foremost by-product of this dilemma has been conclusions regarding how I could best serve emerging generations of Black America.

While reading a recent post by former student Adrienne Cain, I was taken aback that after making a presentation to a group of high school students, many raised questions about a shirt that she strategically chose to wear. Emblazoned across the front of the shirt were the words Prairie View A&M University; Ms. Cain’s alma mater. To Ms. Cain’s surprise and my chagrin, the majority of students sitting in front of her had never heard of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The cornerstone of the Black middle-class and most reliable path to Black uplift.

In the new millennium, I never thought that the promotion of H.B.C.U.’s would be necessary. Yet, here we are once again. This issue has proven to be so bothersome that I eventually searched my mental Rolodex for an answer to the following question.

When did I learn about H.B.C.U.’s?   

Before I can answer the relatively simple question, I must explain a few things about my upbringing. Although I am from the great state of Ohio, a state where two H.B.C.U.’s exist, neither of my parents attended college. I was also not fortunate to have a blood relative who had attended college and was willing to offer any guidance regarding my desire to pursue a secondary education. Put simply; my exposure to secondary education was non-existent.

While my parents were incapable of providing first-hand testimony regarding the collegiate experience, God made provisions in that area.

I was fortunate to have been raised within a community where black teachers eagerly stepped into existing gaps that I and my peers working-class parents could not. A push toward higher-education was such an area. In hindsight, I cannot recall a moment of my K-12 tenure that I did not hear the familiar refrain of “you are going to college” from some Black educator. Ms. Jones, my sixth-grade teacher, took it a step further and refused to grade subpar work. I cringe at the repetitive experience of having ungraded work returned to me adorned with the blazing red words of “This is not college-level work, DO IT AGAIN!!!!!” The reconstruction of my formative educational moments would be woefully incomplete if they did not include Mr. Rick Roberson, the most important influence in my current status.

My response to the above question of “When did I learn about H.B.C.U.’s?” is an unbelievably specific one as I can tell you the exact date and moment that I was exposed to the Black college experience. It was Thursday, September 24th (1987) at 8:30 EST when A Different World debuted. I know that it was a Thursday because The Cosby Show came on every Thursday at 8:00 EST. And of course, it was through that iconic show that droves of Black students such as myself were introduced to fictitious Hillman College and the illustrious H.B.C.U. world.

Although other factors swayed me away from attending an H.B.C.U. during my collegiate years, I often wonder how different my life would have been had I made a different choice. As a professor at Prairie View A & M University, an H.B.C.U., I can now attest to the indispensability of Black Colleges to the development of Black students. From my vantage point, Black Colleges and Universities are the primary sources of racial uplift and hope for the eventual achievement of racial equality.

When one considers the overwhelming influence of media on the minds of our nation, particularly the youth; it may be time for a resurfacing of a Different World. It is imperative that Black students are exposed to every potential avenue of uplift as they navigate a world that may prove less than accommodating to their hope, dreams, and aspirations. Regardless of what many naysayers may think, the H.B.C.U. remains the primary gateway to a different world for poor and working-class Black students.

The time has come that every Black student understands the true meaning behind the words that opened every episode of A Different World.

I know my parents love me,
Stand behind me come what may.
I know now that I’m ready,
Because I finally heard them say
It’s a different world than where you come from.

Here’s a chance to make it,
If we focus on our goals.
If you dish it we can take it,
Just remember you’ve been told
It’s a different world,
It’s a different world,
Than where you come from
Than where you come from

As a professor at Prairie View A&M University, I can attest to the above lyrics and encourage others to learn more about and propagate the H.B.C.U. for future generations. Because it is truly a different world from where you come from.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

 

 

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

What A Cursed Day September 23rd Has Become: Reflections on Emmett Louis Till and Breonna Taylor

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Although it would be psychologically comforting to consider court decisions that found the lynchers of Emmett Louis Till (1955) not guilty and the murderers of Breonna Taylor (2020) not responsible for her death were handed down on the same day are coincidental. The truth of the matter is that like so many other days in America’s history, September 23rd has revealed itself as a cursed day for Blacks; a day that makes other ominous dates such as Friday the 13th look like child’s play.

Freedom loving Americans must never forget that on September 23rd, 1955, an all-White jury found half-brothers Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam not guilty of a heinous crime that they later confessed to. Sixty-five years later on the same cursed day, Americans should remember that a grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, notified the nation that law enforcement officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove would not face trial for their actions on March 13th that resulted in Breonna Taylor’s death.

The cursed day of September 23rd illuminates much about racial inequality and injustice in America.

Although difficult to comprehend, Emmett Louis Till, lynched while visiting family in Money, Mississippi, was closer to receiving justice than Breonna Taylor would ever be sixty-five years later. One can only think that at least Till’s killers faced some semblance of a trial. The grand jury decided that a trial was not even a necessity for Breonna Taylor’s killers. The realization that justice was a more distant possibility for Taylor in the new millennium than it was for Till sixty-five year ago in Mississippi is a startling reality.

Those who ignore the events of September 23rd to extend their power guarantees that similar tragedies will continue for decades, if not centuries. It is ironic that those who perpetrate such atrocities have been allowed to cloak themselves in an ill-fitting suit of patriotism. This seemingly impenetrable coat of armor provides them with an unrivaled ability to accuse their opponents of seeking to destroy the nation. In the bizarre world that they have constructed, these self-proclaimed patriots promote themselves as advocates for the freedom, justice, and democracy articulated by the Founding Fathers.

When viewed through an appropriate lens, it becomes obvious that flag toting White Nationalists are the equivalent of Benedict Arnold’s who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that American principles will never be extended to all citizens. Despite their fervent protestations, it is the misdeeds of White Nationalists that ensures America’s historic racial divide remains.

Ultimately, one is left with no other choice than to question what do those opposing racial justice desires? This question is particularly poignant when one considers that the American historical record indicates that their kind has monopolized every seat of power from politics to economics.

I ask again, what more do they want, need, or desire?

If I were a betting man, I would wager that the White Nationalists in our midst are devoid of a reasonable answer as they have never considered such questions. Yet, there is no denying that America’s race problem has its genesis within White America. Hence, it should be understood that the solution to this centuries-old problem begins in that locale. This reality seemingly escapes well-meaning Whites who have chosen to join Blacks during boisterous protests through the nation.

If provided the opportunity to address the aforementioned well-meaning White activists, I would advise them to return home. If this battle against racism is to be won, they must attack it at its root; inside of White America. This pernicious socially constructed evil oozes from their homes, their civic organizations, small businesses, and the political decisions made by their local, state, and national political leaders.

Well-meaning White activists need to learn the adage that one must always seek to work smarter, not harder. The most powerful move that they could make at this moment is to abandon an antiquated playbook of joining oppressed people expressing their angst in American streets in favor of a new plan that directs their energies toward their white countrymen who have yet to learn that at the present moment the most appropriate measure of patriotism are unyielding attempts to ensure that freedom, justice, and equality are extended to all Americans.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

Black Girls, Black Women, RACE

From Dred Scott to Breonna Taylor: Blacks Still Have No Rights that Whites are Bound to Respect

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Although I expected that the Grand Jury hearing evidence in the murder of Breonna Taylor murder would not deliver serious charges against what amounts to a hit squad, the resurfacing of an always present injustice through my soul into such a spiral that the only comfort that I could find was playing John Coltrane’s Alabama on repeat; it is still playing nearly twenty-four hours after the announcement.

Jazz aficionados will tell you that John Coltrane composed this riveting musical eulogy in response to the September 15, 1963, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham, Alabama. The bombing killed Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11); yes, it is important that we say their names as well. Each of these African-American girls is as blameless for the white terrorist attack that took their lives as Breonna Taylor.

Experience has taught me that it is crucial to my sanity and the maintenance of my soul that I release emotions through writing. This posting is at the very least a desperate attempt to make sense of what has occurred and place it within a larger historical context. While reflecting on what all of this means and what I could say about it, my mind came to rest on U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney for reasons that I hope to explain below.

Chief Justice Taney is best remembered as the writer of the U.S. Supreme Court decision for the case Dred Scott v. John Sanford (1857). According to Taney, Thomas Jefferson’s words that “all men were created equal” were never intended to cover persons of African descent. In essence, Blacks were not and never could be citizens of this white nation. Making matters worse was the assertion that Black people had no rights that any White man, woman, or child had to respect.

The continuing spirit of Taney’s words should be apparent to all during these moments after the Grand Jury’s decision to not charge any of the three marauding officers for their actions in the death of Breonna Taylor; the only charges being issued are three counts of wanton endangerment against Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into neighboring apartments during the March 13th raid. Hankison’s bond was set at a paltry $15,000 for his offenses against the drywall of the neighboring units.

If I did not know any better, I would swear that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney’s spirit guided the Grand Jurist as they made this inexcusable decision to not even issue charges so that a formal trial could occur.

The daunting message that the same bigotry that guided Taney in the 19th Century still remains in the new millennium is clear to all who are courageous enough to view it. The same racial bigotry and institutionalized racism crafted by the Founding Fathers as they birthed this questionable democracy remains to this moment.

When all of these factors are considered together, it is obvious that Taney’s Dred Scott vs. John Sanford opinion that Blacks have no rights that any White man, woman, or child are bound to respect remains the rule of law to this very moment. And there does not appear to be a darn thing that anyone can do about it.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

Please join us tonight (Thursday, September 24th) as we discuss this heartbreaking issue at 7:30 EST / 6:30 CST. Click here to gain access to the Zoom meeting.

 

 

 

Black Girls, Black Popular Culture, Black Women, Hip-Hop Culture, Rap Music

Why The Scuttlebutt About Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion is Nothing New aka What is the Most Reliable Path for Black Women to be Noticed

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One of the many benefits of teaching at an HBCU is that it forces you to remain abreast of popular culture trends. There is rarely a week that passes that some new “trend” reminds me that I am now a middle-aged man who has almost, I do emphasize almost, seen it all. Although I would love to say that the cultural factors that shaped my childhood are long gone. The truth of the matter is that they remain present. When I see today’s youth culture, I am reminded of rapper Q-Tip of a Tribe Called Quest who offered the following brilliance in the song Excursions.

Back in the days when I was a teenager

Before I had status and before I had a pager

You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop

My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop

I said, well daddy don’t you know that things go in cycles

The way that Bobby Brown is just ampin’ like Michael

Prior to the global pandemic’s arrival, there was rarely a day that I was not reminded that my generation, the creators of Hip-Hop Culture, have been pushed from the center stage by younger African-Americans.

Let me be honest about this situation, there is regret and bitterness that afflicts every generation when their time under the spotlight ends. This moment breeds regret regarding things that you wish could have been said, attempted, or accomplished. If one is not careful, you will find yourself steeped in a self-promoting generational warfare battle that you are bound to lose.  I have done my absolute best to not participate in intra-racial cultural wars that ultimately paint me as some miser whose present is marred by an envious view of these anonymous historically and culturally illiterate kids who lead Hip-Hop Culture today.

Trust me when I say that the urge to denounce black youth culture is omnipresent, in fact, it often appears that young African-Americans are begging us to do such.

The latest invitation to criticize today’s hip-hop generation arrived via the imagery and video of rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. If it can be stated that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” the referenced photo communicates a host of things that generations of black folk have fought against with all their might. We must never forget that although black men have been socialized within a white patriarchal society that there are many who possess enough wisdom and courage to take definitive action to protect black women who Malcolm X characterized as “the most disrespected person on the planet.”

Considering that I am one of the black men who have dedicated much of their lives to protecting and uplifting black women, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion could present a dilemma that revolves around a question of should that type of black woman be protected by black men. Keep in mind that I said COULD present quite a dilemma. In actuality the dilemma is non-existent.

The historically literate in our midst realize that the imagery and message being promoted by some record company for profit is not much different than previous rap songs and videos such as Luther Campbell’s Scarred, Too Short’s Blowjob Betty, Ying Yang Twins Wait, Ludacris What’s Your Fantasy, Missy and Ludacris One Minute Man, Khia My Neck My Back, 2 Live Crew We Want Some Pussy & Pop that Pussy, and the list goes on and on.

We all should understand that imagery matters. So, regardless of how you consider the marketing campaign surrounding Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, it is impossible to argue against the assertion that this presentation matters. Some blacks are cringing at the imagery because they believe that it verifies bigoted whites’ stereotypes of Black America. I will tell you the truth, I am unconcerned with outsiders’ view and belief systems that never fail to amplify occurrences of ignorance while ignoring more plentiful moments of black excellence.

My concern is focused on the impact that negative hip-hop images and messages have on emerging generations of black boys and girls devoid of effective parental supervision and guidance. Let’s keep in mind that they are both digesting these images. The haunting words of James Baldwin remind us that

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

Equally important is the unfortunate reality that it is Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion who stand at the forefront of debates surrounding black women. They are certainly black women, however, they are far from a fair representation of black womanhood.

CARDI 1

Nevertheless, the centerstage status of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion has once again muted the genius and incalculable ingenuity of black girls and women that I know. At a moment where it appears that Presidential hopeful Joe Biden is poised to select a black woman as his running mate, Black America is engrossed in criticism regarding a cultural expression that is far from new.

Such developments leave me with no other reasonable conclusion than the following one. If black women really want to be heard, intelligence is not the most reliable path. A more productive path appears to pattern themselves after black cultural icons such as Lil Kim, Khia, and Foxy Brown; put simply, they should use their physical attributes to get what they want. After all, that is the message that men, regardless of race/ethnicity, have given to black women throughout the annals of time.

So, in the words of UGK,

Let me see it, let me see it

Let me see it, let me see it

Let me see it, let me see it

Let me see it, bend over and let me see it

Let me see it, let me see it

Let me see it, let me see it

Let me see it, let me see it

Bend over and let me see it

If you do that, I guarantee you that you will be ushered to center stage and the world will notice you.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.