This message is for my brothers. As a Black man I think that it is important that every so often I remind my brothers of this message. It is one we need to hear and one we far too often forget. It is a simple message really. Yet as I age I'm learning that the simple messages are often the most profound.
Black men. We have a duty to love, honor, respect, and protect the Black woman and the Black family. We have a duty to our children. We have a duty to our communities. We have a duty to our sisters. It is an important obligation. It is one of the staples of being a Black man. We have an enormous responsibility. It is not always easy. In fact, it is often difficult. But as Black men we must rise to the occasion. Our sons are depending on us. Our daughters are depending on us. Our women are depending on us. Our communities are depending on us. We simply cannot let them down.
It is unfortunate that many of us are failing to uphold these important tenets. Love, honor, respect, and protect. Our women feel oppressed by many of us because far too many of us have mistreated them and not upheld the tenet of respect. They don't feel safe with us because we've collectively failed to protect them. In fact, many of our women live in abject fear of us and some of us have become predators in our own homes and communities. Many of our LGBTQ family see us as no different than the white oppressors we face as well. This is because we greet them with the same hatred, bigotry, and contempt that the white man greets us with. In this, we have forgotten the tenet of love. With this behavior we bring dishonor to the Black family. This cannot and must not continue.
Now this not an attack on my brothers. This is not meant to shame us or belittle us. Nor is this meant to make us the avatars for all things that ail the community. This is a simple call to action. As Black men we are hated. Despised. Maligned. Disrespected. Oppressed. I understand this. As with most brothers, I've lived this. But we cannot allow this truth, however terrible it may be, to be an excuse for why we continually fail our women and our families. We are Black men. We have a duty and an obligation. We must rise above it. Simply put, we must do better.
As I said above, this is a simple call to action. No one ever said being a Black man in America was easy. But my brothers we need to come correct. Because too much is riding on this. Our families need us. We need to stand by our sisters. Support them. Respect them. Love them. Honor them. We need to raise proud sons and daughters. We need to stop ostracizing our LGBTQ family and behaving like our European oppressors. We need to hold our brothers who are failing accountable. We need to decisively deal with those predatory brothers in our community.
It's not easy, no. In many ways being a Black man is the most challenging thing you'll ever do. But you, I, we....we owe it to ourselves and our community. Love. Honor. Respect. Protect. Don't ever forget these tenets my brothers. They are the foundation which our community is built on.
Thanks for reading.
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