Category Archives: Black Men

African-American History, African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, POLITICS, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, RACE

Are Black Men Suffering From Stockholm Syndrome?: The Rise of Black Men Willing to “Make America Great Again”

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I was recently ensnared in one of the most peculiar conversations a Professor could have with a student regarding the fast-approaching Presidential election. That sense of peculiarity turned into concern when I encountered others expressing their intention to vote for Donald J. Trump. This political move is actual support for Trump and his low-information racist brigade of racists in their attempts to “Make America Great Again.” Simply put, there is a significant population of Black men determined to cut off their noses to spite their faces by voting for white supremacy and its various manifestations.

One particular discussion with a young man determined to “Make America Great Again” led me to believe he was suffering from Stockholm syndrome. The same mental disorder that ensnared Patricia (Patty) Hearst after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in 1974.

The granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst attributed her support of the SLA robbing of several banks to Stockholm syndrome, a malady that mental health experts term a psychological response by abduction victims who develop a bond with their captor via brainwashing.

It appears that the Black men willing to vote for Donald J. Trump are due to a perfect storm of historical illiteracy flowing from an absence of relevant education, miseducation, and an astounding inability to understand the never-ending battle for politico-economic control. After all, the colonists’ desire for political power and wealth birthed this nation.

The never-ending resistance of majority white public school boards regarding the inclusion of the Black experience has left several generations of Blacks without an understanding of Jim Crow. One only needs to listen to the illogical hair-brained assertions of pseudo-Black Studies intellectuals that have proliferated over the last few years as if they were Gremlins who have found a large body of water to dive into for verification. They have no idea that their support of Donald J. Trump is akin to turning a blind eye to Mississippi bigots while they teach Blacks life lessons.

Yet, those proudly expressing their desire to cast a vote for the sake of “Making America Great Again” a synonym for returning to an era that Rayford Logan termed The Nadir, a moment where rapes, lynchings, abductions, and burnings of Blacks were the rule of law. And before pseudo-historians assert that they were members of the Democratic Party, this is true. Yet, that spirit of unregenerate evil moved in mass toward the Republican Party during the Southern Campaign. Today’s Democratic Party is no more reflective of the old Democratic Party than today’s Republican Party reflects the values of old. No William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, Maria Stewart, David Walker, or Frederick Douglass are found in their midst.

Time is running out for Black men to reach an understanding that this political matter has nothing to do with Kamala Harris and her racial identity; it has everything to do with the realization that your best interests are represented by those supporting unionization, the pathway to a solid middle-class, and the monitoring of those who have to this day done their best to solidify their privileged position by rigging the system in their favor.

Although I stand with those who maintain that Black men are not a monolithic population, I also understand that the interests of most Black men are best served at the present moment by the Democratic Party ticket. An inability to recognize this fact hints at you not understanding the stony road our people have trod and the long way we must go in the battle to ensure that Black people have accessible pathways for individual and collective growth.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2024.

African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, POLITICS, PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

What Kamala Harris Should Do If She Want To Secure The Votes of Black Men

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My position as a Professor paves the way for me to be involved in far too many discussions of Race. Usually, these intense discussions occur with Black folks who know nothing significant about Race. One thing is for sure, there is always some issue that reminds me of Black folk’s inability to appropriately analyze politico-economic decisions and then make self-advantageous decisions. I am tired of repeatedly seeing Black folks become distracted by minutiae that leads them to waste the scant political power they possess.

As mentioned above, if given enough time, some issues will arise to remind me of how inefficient my people are when it comes to thinking about Race and politics. The most recent issue is the ascension of Kamala Harris.

As a writer focused on Black men and Race, these moments resemble a fertile field. As soon as Kamala Harris’s ascension to the top of the Democratic Party’s ticket became a possibility, I heard a litany of commentary from Black men. Black men issued the following remarks.

  • She is not Black, so I will not be voting for her.
  • She has locked up so many brothers as a prosecutor.
  • What has she done for Black people from her current White House position?

I avoid the use of anecdotal evidence in my writing. So, I distrusted commentary from friends and family pledging to vote against anyone running against Trump as much as those dedicated to not voting for Harris under any circumstances. Instead of using anecdotal evidence, I waited until the polls, studies, and surveys appeared.

A recent survey from Howard University, I prefer to use data from Black sources, verified my belief that the most significant weakness for Kamala Harris’ political aspirations was found among Black men. According to the Howard University poll, Black men between the ages of 18 and 49 are not as supportive of Harris as other segments of Black America. Only 75% of the above demographic supported her, while 16% opposed.

Compared to Black America’s reliable support for the Democratic Party that began with the off-year election (1934) of FDR’s first term and increased significantly with JFK’s White House tenure, the relatively tepid support for Kamala Harris is intriguing. Does it mean that the extended gender wars have finally pushed Black males to hate Black women, or is this a sign of long overdue frustration with Democratic Party politicians who neither address nor provide any legislative solutions to the many socioeconomic problems that have shadowed Black men since the first parcel of “half-free” African men were sold to the Jamestown colony? It is not difficult to believe that many Black men are not only frustrated with their present lives but also see no solution to the racial discrimination and grinding poverty they experience daily.

To the chagrin of American politicians, Black men understand that the election of Kamala Harris or anyone else will not immediately solve their problems. At best, Black men are a means to political power for politicians who offer nothing in exchange.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Harris campaign’s most persuasive argument for wooing Black men is not legislative promises; it is highlighting Donald Trump’s wild attacks on the Central Park Five or racial discrimination charges against the real estate tycoon. If nothing else, this proves that American politicians still do not understand that the most efficient manner to garner the support of Black men is no different than the means they use on other groups. Directly state what you are offering them for their vote. Anything less simultaneously speaks volumes about politicians’ view of Black men and makes them unworthy of our vote.

I hope that Kamala Harris’ campaign learns this sooner than later because the stakes are high.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2024.

 

African-American Males, African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, EDUCATION

Are Black Males Disappearing from HBCUs?

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One of the most unfortunate developments of my nearly half-century association with education as a student and now faculty member has been the steady decline of Black males’ successful engagement with American colleges and universities. Although I would like to attribute my noticing this decline to my entrance into the professorate, truthfully, my contemporaries have been discussing this decline in many ways, ranging from the droves of Black women available for dating during our collegiate years to the fact that the classrooms we now lead are largely devoid of Black male students.

It is a humbling experience to see the decline in Black males engaged in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

A recent study by the American Institute for Boys and Men has brought structure to what we intuitively knew were observations that stretched beyond being anecdotal. According to the above research, Black male’s engagement with higher education has been in a steady decline over the past half-century. Consider the following data about Black males’ dwindling attendance at HBCUs.

YEAR       BLACK MALE ENROLLMENT

YEAR BLACK MALE ENROLLMENT
1976 38%
2005 31%
2022 26%

There is no other way of viewing this decline than the fact that within an economy that shifted from a manufacturing to a service economy during the 1980s, Black males have been left behind. In contrast, all other groups have increased their presence on HBCU campuses.

Many have chosen to point at the steady success of Black females as a factor in the decline of Black men on HBCU campuses; studies indicate that their numbers have not increased notably. The fact that many have attempted to pit the future fortunes of Black male collegians versus their female counterparts suggests an inability to view this problem from a reasonable perspective aimed at addressing this worsening situation.

Black female collegians must be celebrated for their voluminous presence on HBCU campuses, not criticized as occupying spaces reserved for African-American males. Such arguments are counter-productive for many reasons. A more insightful analysis will lead to the realization that as Black males have receded from the classroom due to a litany of reasons, none of which deals with their intellectual capacities, a diverse population of non-Black groups have stepped into those enrollment slots.

This worsening pattern of Black males’ being left out of higher education must be addressed expeditiously. If left unchecked, Black America will suffer in every socioeconomic way imaginable, from worsening marriage rates to single-parent households. We must never ignore the undeniable fact that the core duties of Black fathers are to provide for and protect their families. The dwindling numbers of Black males in today’s HBCU classrooms threatens this and succeeding generations of Black men, women, and children in a nation where Race continues to matter mightily.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2024.

African-American Men, Black Males, Black Men, LABOR, RACE

Without Work, All Is Rotten: The Continuing Last Place Status of Black Male Workers

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While earning a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, I decided to honor the path taken by my father and many uncles who were card-carrying union workers by focusing many of my studies on Labor History. I had lived a life that made any denial of the labor movement impact on my life foolhardy as it was instrumental in my material existence.

While studying America’s longest-running war between workers and owners, I encountered an illuminating quote: “Without work, all is rotten.” Those words influence my worldview to this moment. I lived in a home where work dictated so much about our lives, such as when we would vacation and what we could afford to eat.

I understood early on that my fate as a worker was no different than my ancestors. The only thing left to determine was what sector I would exchange labor for access to goods. Work anchored my life.

For obvious reasons, it is always daunting when matters of Race and labor converge. Of course, the monopolization of politico-economic resources by wicked white men contextualizes Black men’s engagement with work. Pew Center research supports Blacks’ observations about Black male employment challenges.

A recent study confirmed what Blacks already knew. According to the data, the engagement of Black men in the work sector lags behind all other groups (white, Asian, and Hispanic). Of course, there are reasons for this unfortunate yet familiar reality. The historical narrative and numerous studies have pointed toward a wicked brew of racial discrimination, inferior schools, incarceration, lack of apprenticeship, and job training opportunities as the culprits in the maintenance of far too familiar last-hired, first-fired positions ensnaring Black men.

While more Black men between the ages of 25 and 54 are working at an 81% rate that outpaces previous years, other groups outpace them with an 87% rate. These numbers only reflect those actively pursuing legitimate employment. The reported numbers of Black male unemployment understate the problem as such data fails to include the incarcerated.

Although a sober thought, Black men who are not gainfully employed are unmarriageable because they are unable to provide for a wife and offspring. Such realities severely handicap the Black community, whose flourishing hinges upon the family to serve as a cornerstone.

Ultimately, it becomes clear that a single policy decision is inadequate to solve what could be termed the most crucial matter facing Black America. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to such a historically-based problem undergirded by racism.

One thing is sure: without work, everything is rotten.

It always has been, and it always will be.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture 2024.

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

How Black Men Have Been Made Invisible by Bitter Black Women

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To be honest with you, baseless commentary by a segment of Black women about Black men puts me into a state of disbelief because I understand that their emotional accusations spewed toward Black men do not reflect Black men in America. I do my best to sidestep such discussions. I realized long ago that such opinions are anecdotal recitations lacking evidence. During a recent podcast, I was ensnared by such a discussion.

A rambling discussion eventually brought forth assertions that Black men were solely to blame for both the disintegration of the Black family and the resulting struggles of children raised in single female-headed households. Predictably, it was a female panelist who led this unproductive discussion that reduced to Black men being blamed for not being present due to their “weakness.”

The argument reminded me of Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man.

 

Ellison’s The Invisible Man, an unnamed protagonist, does not lack a physical body, yet he is invisible because those around him “see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination.” Although physically present, Ellison’s protagonist is no different from millions of Black men who are physically present, yet never really seen for who they are.

I considered this all too common attack on Black men to be identical to what the invisible man expressed. The female panelist’s decision to consolidate the identities and experiences of Black men who for whatever reason do not awake under the same roof covering their children as “weak” displays an astounding ignorance of Black lives, regardless of gender. Although I understand that generalizations permit us to discuss things, they still must be grounded in truth. The attack on Black men mentioned above does not rest on a morsel of truth.

Of course, I protested this mischaracterization of Black men by highlighting a host of reasons explaining this social epidemic, such as the emotionally driven, usually illogical, decisions and antics of women who do not understand the Black family’s importance in creating a familial legacy that bolsters the next generation’s opportunities for success. Not even my assertion that factors such as American courts’ decision to side with women when it comes to custody of children, drug addiction, or the “last hired, first fired” economic quandary that so many Black men experience seemed to penetrate the wild assertions that denigrated Black men into being weak.

In the end, the accusations of a bitter segment of Black women regarding the absence of Black fathers in the home or their inability to be selected for marriage is an extreme simplification that says little about the Black men that they have rendered invisible yet speaks volumes about their unwillingness to take inventory of themselves and the lives they lead while projecting their views on nameless Black men. It appears that some Black women are looking back at their lives and realizing that they have failed to develop a life worth living. Put simply, they have somehow managed to miss the truly important things such as family and relationships that were tightly grasped by their ancestors. It seems that in their rush to blame Black men for self-acknowledged unfulfilling lonely lives, they have forgotten to take any accountability for the lives they lead.

The classic saying “if you do what you always did, you’re going to get what you always got” applies to so many, certainly not all, Black women. It may be time for these frustrated, angry, and irrational Black females to stop blaming Black men for their poor decision-making and inability to forge a lasting relationship with men of any Race; after all, when one looks at the marriage rates, no man of any Race has or ever will choose them and you can’t blame Black men for that!!!!!!

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2023

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