Tag Archives: African American Manhood

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Prince Harry’s Master Class to Black Men

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If such things were not routine on social media sites, the audacious statement from some Black women that it took Prince Harry to show Black men “how to protect a Black woman” would have been alarming. Unfortunately for the sake of such critics, I, and the vast majority of Black men, have become desensitized to such commentary from a small group of Black women who appear to be afflicted with a host of psychological maladies.  

This matter reverts my mind to social critic Ishmael Reed’s assertion that “a people can be no stronger than their stories.”  Reed’s observation holds much truth regarding how people’s dominant narrative reveals much about how they view their past, present, and future. Hence, the assertion that Prince Harry is conducting a “master class” to Black men titled “how to protect a Black woman” speaks volumes about the past, present, and future perspective of a portion of Black women regarding the uselessness of Black males.

Now, the salacious allegation that I am a glutton for punishment may be verified by the fact that I find the comment sections of issues such as this one particularly riveting. The anonymity of message boards presents an unadulterated glimpse into the psyche of disgruntled Black women. So, while this issue was trending, I followed the lead of famed NFL Wide Receiver Terrell Owens and grabbed my popcorn and read through hundreds of comments regarding Prince Harry’s “Master Class” on “how to protect a Black woman” as proven by his treatment of Meghan Markle, the former Duchess of Sussex.

As I expected, some Black women celebrated Prince Harry’s actions while issuing scathing critiques of Black men. I was surprised that these comments were counter-balanced by a cross-section of Black America that not only challenged the prevailing narrative, but also seized it for their own purposes. A task that I have advised my community to do in this space on numerous occasions.

If I did not know any better, I would have been convinced that those lauding Prince Harry’s treatment of his wife did not live in the Black America that reared me and droves of others like me.

Although it would be deceitful to state that I do not know Black men who absconded their familial responsibilities, such realities do not blind me to the fact that I hail from a family of Black men whose foremost priority is taking care of their home. Within my Black America, I witnessed Black men work themselves into the grave as they attempted to provide for their offspring despite the presence of demonic entities known as prejudice, discrimination, racial bigotry, and institutionalized racism. The men that I speak of are analogous to fallen service members who gave all for those that they loved.

If provided the opportunity, I would tell the relatively small cadre of Black women fawning over Prince Harry’s actions to treat him as they have treated Black men who routinely accomplish the same task. They should purse their lips, give him their signature side-eye look and inform him that “you don’t get credit for doing what you are supposed to do.”

Seize and change the narrative y’all.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

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“Didn’t You know that Being Black and Poor Came At A Cost “: The Sad Saga of Bryce Gowdy and the “Hell Hounds” on the Trail of Poor Black Folk

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Far too often we ignore profound messages because of their source. I have consciously attempted to avoid this trap and be receptive to poignant communications that possess the potential to illuminate my constantly evolving understanding of life. It has served me well.

While reading about the heartbreaking suicide of Georgia Tech football recruit Bryce Gowdy, 17, the words of hip-hop emcee Big K.R.I.T. came to mind. The famed rapper’s admonishment that “being Black and poor comes at a cost” unfortunately serves as theme music for far too many Blacks struggling against the grip of poverty and the misery it delivers in our minds and souls. Of course, for Black America, the path to poverty is a multi-lane toll road laden expressway with myriad exits and even more potholes.

It is difficult to argue against the assertion that the foremost by-product of the grinding costs of “being Black and poor” is an ever-increasing pressure. Trust me when I say that the alluded to “pressure” causes instability and unpredictably within those that it afflicts. The great poet Langston Hughes asked in his poem Harlem what happens to a Dream Deferred? Does it sag like a heavy load or does it explode? 

Only those who have dealt with the mounting pressure of being “Black and poor” have an inkling of an understanding of why Bryce Gowdy, a young man scheduled to enroll at Georgia Tech on a “full-ride athletic scholarship” this week, committed suicide via a freight train. For Gowdy, Charles Dickens’ words that “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” ring true as this young man whose family was in the throes of homelessness was on the brink of leaving all of that behind.

In retrospect, it appears as if Gowdy was being pursued by the same “hell hounds” that pursued famed Blues guitarist Robert Johnson.

The alluded to “hell hounds” that attach themselves to so many within our community birth “social ills” such as alcoholism, drug abuse, suicide, depression, and promiscuity among those that they doggedly pursue. If nothing else, these addictions and evils provide those desperately seeking a reprieve from a hellish existence brief shelter.

In hindsight, it is obvious that Bryce Gowdy’s “hell hounds” caused a psychological break that birthed a desperate search for meaning in life. Shibbon Mitchell, Bryce’s mother, shared one of her final interactions with her child in the following statement.

Better days for Bryce and his mother

A few days ago, Bryce was talking crazy…he kept talking about the signs and symbols he was seeing. He kept saying he could see people for who they really are…He had a lot of questions about spirituality and life. He kept asking if I was going to be okay if his brothers were going to be okay.   

Although most Black males being pursued by “hell hounds” suffer in silence, Gowdy’s circumstances were different as others outside of his family were aware of his struggles. Jevon Glenn, Gowdy’s high school football coach, illuminates this young man’s burdensome situation. According to Glenn,

He had what looked like the opportunity of a lifetime to most kids, but he felt a burden and we talked about it that he’d be going off to Georgia Tech to stability, to free room and board, not worrying about food or money or anything like that. But he’d be leaving his mother and brothers in an unstable situation.

Bryce Gowdy’s situation is not rare. In fact, it is a fairly typical depiction of “the cost of being Black and poor” in America. It is a grind that whittles even the strongest in our midst down to pitiful caricatures of their former selves.

In the wake of this young man’s untimely demise, questions regarding why no one intervened on his behalf are natural. Anyone who has ever had “hell hounds on their trail” will tell you that questions prove how little some people know about this situation. They certainly do not understand that this problem of all-consuming grinding poverty does not cease until a seemingly inevitable psychological break occurs.

Unfortunately for Black America, Bryce Gowdy was not the first young African-American male to find the price of being “Black and poor” too much to bear and he will definitely not be the last. All that any of us can hope for right now is that he has found the peace that eluded him during his earthly existence.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III 

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.

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Whose World is This?: Why We Must Reorient The Perspective of African-American Male Collegians Toward Something Nas Told Us Long Ago

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Please do not mistake my annoyance at various male students’ insistence that the obstacles that stand in the way of them arriving to class on time and prepared are routinely a Jason Bourne worthy harrowing journey as the absence of empathy. Please understand that it is not difficult for me to recognize that more times than not I am hearing foolishness that seems to be the sole purview of privileged Black teens.

If I did not know any better, these shysters may have convinced me that their lives have been so difficult that it is a certifiable miracle that they are alive. Unfortunately for the alluded to African-American male collegians who arrive pre-loaded with excuses for why they do not hold the principal responsibility for their academic failings, I have lived enough to understand exactly what Loraine Hansberry meant when she wrote: “To be young, gifted, and Black.”

The vast majority of my African-American male students grit their teeth when I counter their pitiful excuses with the following assertions.

  • There is no better moment to be “young, Black, and gifted” in America than the present.
  • The racial bigotry that others spew is largely inconsequential to their success.
  • If I were endowed with enough power, I would make Nas’ hypnotic hook of “Whose world is this? The world is yours!!!! The World is yours!!!!” the theme song for the brilliant young males who sit in front of me on a daily basis.

The most disappointing aspect of my interaction with some, certainly not all, African-American male students’ is their inclination toward pessimism. Until you have faced such negativity, it is difficult to attribute it to anything other than an absence of self-esteem and copious amounts of depression. Many of the Black males’ that I encounter emanate such negativity that it is detectable by anyone who engages them regarding substantive matters.  

After thousands of discussions that revolve around this often unspoken issue, I have come to some understanding that many of these young men have been socialized to believe that success of any kind will remain outside of their grasp; just as it has remained beyond the reach of everyone around them.

When framed within a familial reality that provides few examples of professional or financial success, such conclusions are understandable. Although it is misleading to assert that African-Americans are monolithic in any aspect of their worldview, I feel comfortable in asserting that many of my students believe that the foremost obstacle to their success is an external force that most have named, “the White Man.” Trust me when I say that I have encountered droves of African-Americans who share the daunting perspective that it is Whites who determine if they will be successful or not. Such a perspective frequently causes me to muse that the alluded to Black males are idolaters. Put simply; they have somehow managed to make Whites omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnipresent (always present). Despite their protestations to the contrary, many of my Black male students have given away their agency and made Whites the supreme determiner in their life fortunes. Such a belief system renders reliable success formulas of preparation, hard work, planning, and execution useless.

Although it is a daunting truth that no one is coming to save African-American males from their last-place standing in nearly every measurable known to the academic community. Consider the following data concerning African-American males and their counterparts.

  • In 2014, the four-year graduation rate for Black Males was 53%.
  • In 2014, the four-year graduation rate for White males was 73%.

Unfortunately for African-American males, this gap is increasing.

Among African-American adults ranging in age from 25 to 29, only 1 out 3 (33%) earned a two-year degree. When one considers that the above statistic includes African-American women who outpace African-American males in matriculation from higher education institutions, the actual number is worse when controlled for only African-American males.Although such data illuminates a historical problem that has dogged African-American males like a shadow, it does nothing to solve the worsening problem.

So what should be the path forward for African-American males?

Most reasonable-minded persons agree that the following steps are crucial to African-American males success.

  • Reprioritization of engagement with the educational system.
  • The development of a network of Black Male mentorship to teach success formulas within and outside of the classroom.
  • A relevant educational curriculum that encourages African-American males intellectual curiosity.
  • Serious reorientation of the utility of education from merely securing a “job” to entrepreneurship.

It is time to tell those African-American males mentioned above the truth regarding why they are languishing in both the educational and work arenas. It is imperative that Black males realize that they must save themselves via a regimen of hard work, planning, and the development and execution of a five & ten-year plan. African-American male collegians who have been taught that there is no chance of success, must unlearn that dastardly message and replace it with tried-and-true success formulas that lead to optimism.

It is time that African-American males follow the spirit of the great emcee Nas who answered the question of “Whose world is this?” with the words “The world is yours!!! The world is yours!!!”  

It truly is your world young brothers. Now it is time that you go out and claim it.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2019.