A Tribute To My Brothers: “What Black Men Are”

"What Black Men Are"

Black men are ageless, ageless like the land that has been in existencelonger than any other land. The Motherland, the land that nurtured him and aided him to provide for his family. Enabling him to walk the land admiring her beauty and taking in her love. Ageless in his wisdom that even Socrates and Plato had to respect.

Black men are athletic, an athletic talent honed from years of hunting,tracking, running, jumping and crafting his physical skills to perfection. Perfection in physical accomplishments to the point of being undisputedly the bestathletes in the world.

Black men are brave, brave like the primates who dared to explore theirworld during their evolution, disregarding their physical limitations and challengingtheir cognitive potential to rationalize, understand and interact in a dynamically changingworld.
Black men are creative, creative like the pygmies that hunt through the jungle using such stealth that an Army Green Beret would be envious. The creative spirit that has allowed Black men to create the things in our lives, that are necessary in order to survive and flourish.

Black men are diverse, diverse like the hundreds of languages and dialects spoken on the African continent. This diversity allows Black men to blend into their environment to adapt, evolve and enlarge their territory.

Black men are intelligent, intelligent enough to find ways to revolutionize music. Intelligent to find ways to perform surgery years before European influences that tried to lay claim to discoveries in medicine, science, humanities and literature. Black men have inspired Socrates, Plato and others who only gained their status by standing on the shoulders of those men and women of color who came before them.

Black men love women, women of all shades of color. Black men are notorious for giving and requiring love. This is not a sexual love, but the emotional love that can only be created from a Black man who loves his women. This love is intoxicating and additive. There is much love to share and many women seek this unique kind of love.

Black men are lovers, lovers of life and lovers of freedom. Freedom that was denied them for over hundreds of years. A Black man’s body may have been confined, but their soul, the essence that makes a Black man always demands to be loved and to give love. To be free to express this love in his freedom as only a Black man can.

Black men are proud fathers, proudly Black men have many children eitherin wedlock or out of wedlock, but they love and are proud of their children. Look at the fathers that attend football, basketball and track meets. Whether Black men are in the home or not, Black men are proud of their children’s accomplishments.

Black men are strong, strong like the wills of a people struggling to find their way either traveling across the Serengeti Plains or the Sahara Desert. Black men are strong like the land they come from that can support diversity in deserts, rainforests and urban civilizations.

Black men are timeless, timeless as history itself. Throughout time Black men have participated in every facet of historical perspective and importance only becauseof the cognitive inadequacies of other cultures do they try to hide these facets throughout all of history, but Black people know how influential the Black man has been.

Black men are unique, unique enough in their mentalities that despite being enslaved, beaten,killed, and castrated, still seek acceptance and equality. Black men have emerged from attempts to be subjugated and evicted from their new homeland, (America). Black men work to prove that they are unique and share in the destiny of two great lands.

Black men are victorious, victorious in their struggle for existence. We may never be accepted as our true selves, but our victory is in our continued existence and struggle for acceptance and equality. I’m proud to be a Black man, and love my Black people, all the shades there are, as my brothers and sisters we share a rich and diverse heritage that is both admired and respected. I maybe mixed with White blood, Native American blood, and Irish blood; I may annunciate my words, speak on an intellectual level, but I’m still a Black man.

I welcome my brothers and sisters to their Blackness and to take pride in their African American heritage. Society should not feel threatened by the Black man but sleep easy that we only want what our brothers and sisters to be treated with dignity, equality and respect.

William Jackson, M.Ed.
"Copyright William D. Jackson - All Rights Reserved 2008."