When I began writing Unfettered Mind: The Importance of Black Male Mental Health, I was unaware of the need for mental health tools and the denial by many that this was not an issue that needed to be addressed. HIV, unemployment, cripplingly low self esteem and a host of other issues menace black men in… Read More »
“As soon as a character of color is introduced in a story, imagination stops”. Toni Morrison As a young boy, I loved The Twilight Zone, The Planet of the Apes and anything that provided insight into other worlds and possibilities. It is only as we age, that we learn dreaming and committing to difference, exploration… Read More »
When our leaders are slain or not given the spotlight or have it taken away, the black community is plunged into chaos and confusion. Because we have not been reared in the art of power sharing and have been taught to mistrust one another, we are often one charismatic leader away from being forced to… Read More »
Building a love army is not complete without the final step (letting go of relationships that you’ve outgrown). When creating a love army, it is imperative that we are brutally honest with ourselves. It is not cruel or selfish to realize that certain behaviors and people are no longer what your life requires. When evolution… Read More »
I want to believe that I am still 25. Accepting limitations is hard. Nobody wants to acknowledge that they are not the person they used to be. By accepting our limitations, we cannot be held back or limited because of them. This is the second step in building a love army. Start looking for folks… Read More »
In Sade’s 2010 single, “Soldier of Love”, she shares she’s doing her best. As a person who is also committed to doing his best, my devotion to friends and a few family members is how I strive and hold myself responsible for showing up for me. For many years, I was unaware that myself and… Read More »
Apparently, your twenties is the time to make a shitload of mistakes one of which is sleeping with all the wrong people. If you come of age sexually, smack dab in the middle of a killer virus that scares people and has them dropping like flies with no real explanation as to why, it can… Read More »
Being unemployed sucks and the longer it drags on the worse you feel. One of the first things to fade away long before the onslaught of dwindling self esteem is the way time misbehaves. Time and its limits are understood by those with jobs, appointments and meetings. When there is nothing that needs your immediate… Read More »
My father is flying in from Detroit, Michigan to witness me marry a man. If we’d had a history of progressive thought and shared action based in liberation and freedom of thought this may not be so shocking. We have not. As a young child and into adulthood, I performed a great deal of hiding… Read More »
More than a year ago, another young black male life was snuffed out. While there was a great deal of hand wringing,tears and sadness, not a whole lot was done. Laws were not reexamined and destroyed with new ones taking their place. A murderer walked free and we all collectively shook or heads at the… Read More »