I want to speak on something that concerns me greatly.
I am a staunch ally of my black sisters. I will fight for them, speak up for them, and I will have their backs whenever they need me. I also fight for my brothers. As a black men in America our experiences and the hell we have endured in this country are well documented. Black men and women are engaged in what seems to be an eternal struggle in this country for equality and respect..
Through it all I also must acknowledge that brothers and sisters also struggle with our relationships with each other. My sisters are frustrated with my brothers. Many of my brothers are frustrated with my sisters. I have seen sisters through their hands up in disgust and say that they are "through with black men". I have heard brothers throw their hands up and say that they are "through with black women". I am greatly concerned and very worried about this.
Brothers and sisters, we absolutely CANNOT give up on each other. I know you are frustrated. I know many of you are justifiably angry. But when we give up on each other the end result is the fracturing of the black community. When that happens we all lose.
I have said many times that black men and women are inextricably bound to each other. That is because we are. There is no path to liberation for the black man that does not include the black woman. Likewise there is no path to liberation for the black woman that does not include the black man. White supremacy in America and systemic racism will never be defeated if we as the black community don't learn how to love one another. In truth, the fracturing of the black community is one of the goals of white supremacy and whenever we as sisters and brothers turn our backs to each other we become weaker.
In regards to my sisters, I feel your pain. I absolutely do. I hear my sisters and I agree with what you are saying. Without question we as brothers have dropped the ball and we have consistently failed to support strong black women. We are far too dismissive of the pain of black women. In many ways, we are the authors of much of the pain they endure. We as black men often perpetuate many of the stereotypes that have been thrust upon our women. I have said this on many occasions and I have often taken my brothers to task for this. I have called my fellow brothers to the carpet on more than one occasion. That said, I also realize that I am only one man. I speak often and I speak loudly but mine is but one voice in a sea of voices. I understand that is a part of your frustration as well. I understand that not enough of us are speaking out and standing up for you and you have every right to be angry.
That said, as angry as you may be, I am asking you to stand strong. The few who stand against the ignorance of the many need you. We do. I know it is asking a lot. But without you, we will never succeed. Without you, the black community has no positive future. Without you, we struggle in vain. Without you, misogyny, patriarchy, white supremacy, and racism will claim victory.
In regards to my brothers, as much as we've gone through we need to step it up. We are men. We need to stand strong as men. We have a duty to our women. Systemic racism has seen us lynched. It has seen us murdered. It has seeks to undermine, devalue, and demean us in every way possible. We watch our sons killed. We watch our fathers and forefathers disrespected. We watch our families get broken down. We endure a society that seeks to emasculate us at every given opportunity. That said, as much as we struggle, we CANNOT FORGET ABOUT OUR WOMEN.
Our women are our future. They resurrect us through our sons and daughters. They give us the strength we need to fight on. They give us a reason for living. They are our essence. They are the source of our strength. WE WILL NOT WIN WITHOUT THEM. We need the black woman as much as she needs us.
Brothers and sisters, we as a people are in a lot of pain right now. What's more, there are no easy answers and no simple solutions and I'm not even about to pretend that there are. I only know one thing. The fate of the black man is the fate of the black woman. The fate of the black woman is the fate of the black man. Somehow, some way we have to find a way to stand strong and stand together. If we don't, our people have no future. I welcome any input and criticism to this blog posting.
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