A Conversation That Began About Black Boys Emotional Impairment

by Kenny Anderson

Recently I had an analytical discussion with Richard Clay regarding young Black males today whose view of life is heavily influenced by the non-sense, half-truths, conspiracy theories, and devoid of facts opinions that’s pervasive on Youtube that keeps these young brothers spinning in an illogical self-limiting ball of confusion.

Let me say this about Richard Clay before I move on with this post, he is a well-known Black community leader in Detroit; he is a solid Brother who I’ve mentored for many years both politically and in the areas of Black Male Responsibility Development and the Black Family System (Parenting). In the areas of Black Male Responsibility Development and the Black Family System Richard has carved his own influential niche; check out his book “Raised Wrong, Educated Worse” and website blackboysincrisis.com

In our investigative conversation Richard said these young Brothers were tailor-made to become a captive Youtube audience because so many of them were underdeveloped in their reading comprehension by being warehoused in the special education system so the dominant way they learn is audio-visual; they can’t read to fact check what they see, thus the only truth for them is what they subjectively see and hear.

We also discussed emotional impairment as one of the primary reasons Black boys are placed in special education. Impaired emotional functioning is defined as the student exhibits one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance: an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

As our conversation progressed I specifically addressed the inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances and general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression that so many Black boys and young adult males exhibit. I highlighted that emotional impairment is really not about individual Black boys, it’s really about the impaired Black family unit that historically produced them through multi-generations.

Slavery the Origin of Black Emotional Impairment

Indeed slavery is the origin of the impaired Black family unit, the children who grew up in slavery were denied the most basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, protection from degrading and cruel treatment, compensation for work done, education, equality and the right to freely move around. They worked for no pay and were property that could be bought, sold, maimed or killed. When slavery was abolished in 1865 there were over 4 million Black ex-slaves in the United States, more than one million were children under the age of sixteen.

These children along with all their parents and other adults suffered from collective Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder; massively suffering from depression, trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, warped and amplified nervous systems that epigenetically became embedded in Blacks DNA ‘emotionally impaired predisposition’ passed down to this day.

I want to highlight how emotionally impaired Black children have been dealt with over periods of history from slavery to this day in most Black family units:

*Slavery 1619 to 1865 – Racist and demented slave masters who created emotionally impaired Black children ‘whipped’ or used cruel punishment’ to force the impairment out of them; most Black slave parents themselves emotionally impaired imitating the master tried either to ‘whip’ the impairment out of them or ‘pray’ it out of them.

*1865 to the 1970’s – Most Black parents themselves emotionally impaired still tried to either ‘whip’ the impairment out of Black children, ‘pray’ or ‘punish’ it out of them. However some Black mothers started to employ trying to ‘talk’ the impairment out of them because of the influence of Dr. Spock. There were also mothers who tried to ‘love’ the impairment out of their children; this love primarily became ‘enabling’ the ‘denying and support’ of self-defeating and self-destructive impaired behaviors. Also there were Black parents moreso mothers who tried to ‘buy’ emotionally impairing behavior out of their children to act right.

*1980’s to the Present – Most Black parents themselves emotionally impaired today either try to love ‘enable’, ‘drug’, ‘buy’, or ‘distract’ emotional impairment out of their children that’s created Black children who are defiant, deny or minimize bad behavior; Black children who are handicapped by over-prescribe psychotropic medications; way too many Black children are selfish and unrealistic wanting a parent(s) to be ‘caterers’ being in constant debt to purchase everything they want, they have a great sense of entitlement! Black parents are fueling an ‘electronic addiction’ pacifying their children with cell phones, tablets, and video games; they’ve become super-preoccupied junkies ‘obsessed and possessed’ by these devices.

Let me make this clear, all Black folks are dealing with ‘lesser or ‘greater’ degrees of self-sabotaging emotionally impaired behavior - the legacy of Post-Traumatic Slave Disorder that we have not addressed in ourselves nor effectively in our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Professor Joy DeGruy states that Blacks have never healed from slavery – the ‘Black Slavery Holocaust’. The original enslaved Africans were never treated for their severe trauma. After slavery ended nothing was done to help Black ex-slaves recover from trauma; nor was anything done to treat Blacks re-enslaved by Black Codes during Reconstruction.

For one hundred years (1865 – 1965) of Civil Rights struggle, no measure was put in place to provide mental health services to Blacks who had suffered from Klan terror, lynchings, racist murders, repressive Jim Crow laws, and diabolical Tuskegee Syphilis experiments.

Even in the post-Civil Rights era, most Blacks today who suffer from on-going racism, massive poverty and unemployment, homelessness, violence, drugs, and psychological duress don’t receive mental health services.

Professor Joy DeGruy says that there has never been a period of time when Blacks in America were given the information and opportunity to heal from our racial oppression-based emotional impairment injuries. So the psychopathologies have continued, passed down from generation to generation without Blacks being conscious of its origin, symptoms, and treatments.

Black folks, until we address and understand the emotional impairing nature of Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder along with engaging in ‘internal reparations’ by significantly raising our emotional intelligence and emotional management skills our family systems will continue to perpetuate emotional impairment.

A Black Man's Question: Who's Our Worst Enemy?

 by Ken Ray-Sun

Black folks, unfortunately too many of us have a habit of spreading misinformation that 'we are our own worst enemy', when you 'fact check' this sentiment statement it's disproven by history.

This statement could only be true if we enslaved ourselves for 246 years (1619-1865); then systematically repressed ourselves 'Jim Crow' apartheid for another 100 years (1865-1965): a total of 346 years of oppressing and exploiting ourselves.

Furthermore since 1965 to the present (55 years) we've caused our own selves to suffer the most in the U.S. from unemployment, poverty, wealth disparity, homelessness, incarcerations, sicknesses, and deaths, again not true!

Let us be clear Black folks we haven't had the power to be our own worst enemy, only institutionalize white supremacy has had that power from past to present to be our worst enemy. Do we engage in self-divisive, self-defeating, and self-destructive behaviors absolutely!

However to equate ourselves as our own worst enemy compared to institutionalize white supremacy is like absurdly comparing a 'regular bomb' to an 'atomic nuclear bomb'! I addressed this issue of being our own worst enemy as a result of a recent conversation I had with a Black female college student doing a class project on racism and conversating with some other young adult Black females.

I asked them what did they learn about racism in their homes and they said it wasn't discussed that much, so they didn't know that much; so what did they learn: be a nice person, get good grades, go to college, get a good job, and be aware of Black men - don't trust them!

Yet they weren't told to be aware of white male supremacy enemy in all its forms and fashions; racist random white men and police who murder their grandfathers, fathers, uncles, male cousins, and friends. No, Black men our your own worst enemy, not racist white men! It's interesting you don't hear white mothers even when their divorced telling their daughters not to trust white men.

I remember listening to Malcolm X and his response to some Black men talking about how we steal from each other, Malcolm interjected saying "you can't out steal the white man, he stole a whole people from Africa."

Yes, we got to stop saying we are our own worst enemy because it's dishonest, discouraging, perpetuates distrust/disunity, and promotes a default contradiction of dependency on racism to gain racial equality.

Moreover it prevents us from knowing and preparing ourselves through self-determination to deal with our greatest enemy 'institutionalize white supremacy'.

Black Male Pimping: Are We Living a Lie?

 by Kenray Sunyaru

This blog post was inspired by a rap ‘hook’ by Mozzy and Tsu Surf titled “Livin a Lie”:

They got some niggas rapping what they never do

They got some niggas rapping what they never do

They got some shooters that be strapped, but they never shoot

They got some niggas say they riding, they ain't ride for you

They got some niggas that be flexing, they ain't making moves

Play with me if you want, you gone have to make the news

They living a lie, I'm living the truth

They living a lie, I'm living the truth

From my perspective, Black folks live all sorts of myths and lies constantly deceiving ourselves about our oppressed socioeconomic conditions in racist America; these deceptions are our psychological defense mechanisms that stifles self-determination and prevents 'real' progress.

I want to touch on one of these self-deceptive lies somewhat, the living lie of Black men and ‘Pimping’. You hear rappers constantly rapping about pimping, there are many Black men with Youtube platforms promoting pimping.

Before I go on let's define the term ‘Pimp’; a pimp controls, manages, and exploits female prostitutes earnings from sexual exchanges. There are lesbian women pimps too; above all a pimp is an exploiter.

Black men if we keep it ‘100’ from our historical experience in America white male plantation owners were the original pimps ‘exploiting’ pimping our enslaved Ancestors both ‘male and females’.

Instead of being pimped on the street ‘track’ our Ancestors were pimped in cotton fields, rice fields, and tobacco fields. Indeed the white plantation owners controlled, managed, and exploited our maternal Ancestors sexually through ownership and rape; our forefathers were also ‘pimped’ controlled, managed, and exploited sexually (buck breaking).

I want to mention this about the beginning of the notion of pimping in the Black experience. After slavery particularly when Blacks went North there were very few jobs especially for Black men. In many cases Black women exchanged sex for money from white men for family survival.

In many instances white male customers didn’t want to pay Black women for the sex; they often raped and beat them; to prevent these repressive actions from white men, Black men would accompany them providing protection, this protecting would be later labeled as pimping.

Does Pimping Really Apply to Black Men?

Let’s apply the definition of pimping to Black men today by raising some questions: What do Black men control in our communities? To control you must have power, what power do Black men have? What do Black men really manage?

If we keep it ‘100’ Black men are the most powerless population in America; we suffer from the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, sicknesses, and deaths!!!!!!

Let’s apply pimping as an economic term ‘exploitation’ in our neighborhoods. When it comes to economic pimps Arab, Korean, East Indian, and other non-Black men do the ‘big pimping’; they ‘price-gouge’ making billions of dollars off Black consumer hoes that includes Black men.

Let’s take a look at the dope game, economically when it comes to selling drugs Black men are on the bottom of the totem pole, out in the streets as ‘drug selling hoes’ being pimped by non-Black males international drug cartels; then disproportionately imprisoned for drug offenses only to be pimped by the penal system!

While Black men are being pimped economically by non-Black men businesses, drugs, and prisons many want to view themselves as pimps in exploiting Black women; it’s the case of wannabe pimps who are being pimped wanting to pimp.

Black men let us stop living a lie and start living the truth; the truth is we aint no real pimps, we’ve been pimped every since the beginning!!!

Stand Your Ground: A White Vigilante or Random Insecure White Person Can Legally Kill a Black Man in America and Usually Get Away Scot-Free!

 by Kenny Anderson

Stand your ground laws throughout America in general allow people to respond to threats or force without fear of criminal prosecution. In other words someone facing an imminent threat can use lethal force right away.

For Black men in America who are too often viewed as inherently or presumptively threatening based on their race and gender “Stand Your Ground” laws have been proven to be deadly. Indeed when white people perceive a Black man as so-called threatening ‘negrophobia’ they can kill them and often face no legal consequences.

For example in Florida (Feb 2012) Trayvon Martin a Black male youth was shot and killed in his Florida neighborhood on his way home from buying candy 'skittles' by George Zimmerman an armed neighborhood watch volunteer who saw him as “suspicious” and dangerous pursued him, confronted him which resulted in a physical confrontation. Zimmerman feeling threatened killed the 17-year old Martin and was acquitted of the charges against him under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.

On February 23, 2020 three days before the 8th anniversary of the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man was shot and killed by a white man in Brunswick, Georgia because he was viewed as 'suspicious'.

The killer and his father a former police officer armed themselves with guns got into a pickup truck with a third man, and chased Arbery trying to cut him off while he was jogging; they confronted him with guns a fight occurred and unarmed Arbery was shot to death because the shooter felt threatened. Initially the killer and his father were not arrested due to standing their ground.

The prosecutor assigned to Mr. Arbery’s shooting concluded that the two armed white men were right to be suspicious and afraid of Mr. Arbery because he had an ‘aggressive nature’. The prosecutor concluded that the killer was allowed to use deadly force to protect himself under Georgia’s “Stand Your Ground” law and should not be arrested or charged for killing Mr. Arbery. The killer and his father were finally arrested on May 7, 2020 after massive protests.

The Killings of Black people by Whites Are More Likely to be Considered Justified

A recent report from the Marshall Project finds that there is often no criminal sanction when a white person kills a Black man in America.

The Marshall Project examined 400,000 homicides committed by civilians between 1980 and 2014, and found that in one in six killings of Black men by a white person, there is no criminal sanction. That rate is far higher than for homicides involving other combinations of race, and the disparity has persisted for decades, regardless of the circumstances.

Police agencies appear to be much more likely to characterize a killing as self-defense or justifiable when the victim is a Black male. Overall, fewer than 2 percent of homicides by civilians are classified as justifiable. But in cases when a Black man was killed by a non-Hispanic white civilian over the last three decades, almost 17 percent were ruled justifiable.

Examining data sets from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, reporters found that police label killings of Black males by white people justifiable more than eight times as often as others, and this racial disparity persists across different cities, different ages, different weapons, and different relationships between killer and victim.

Even after adjusting for the ages of the killer and victim, their relationship and the weapon used, the likelihood of a white-on-Black-male case being called justifiable was still 4.7 times higher than in other cases. In contrast, in cases where a Black civilian killed a white person, just 0.8 percent were ruled justifiable.

The report explains that, while self-defense laws vary across states, typically a homicide can be ruled self-defense when the killer faced no actual threat but had a reasonable belief he or she did,” even if that belief is based on race-based stereotypes or presumptions about dangerousness.

Studies show that Whites who kill Black men in Stand Your Ground states are far more likely to be found justified in their killings. In non-Stand Your Ground states whites are 250 percent more likely to be found justified in killing a Black person than a white person who kills another white person; in Stand Your Ground states that number jumps to 354 percent.

Indeed in America a white vigilante or random insecure white person can legally ‘dejure’ kill a Black man in America and in most cases will often face no legal consequences. Unfortunately in Black communities there is a ‘defacto’ stand your ground ‘modus operandi’ of Black-on-Black male shooting murders.

Yes, Black men ‘stand your ground’ is putting us ‘beneath the ground’!

Over Self-Importance: Divisive and Destructive

Black folks, in a racist society that devalues us we must psychologically have an appropriate sense of self-esteem and self-confidence to be a self-determining people. 

Regarding self-confidence it is a feeling of self-assurance that comes from an appreciation of our abilities or qualities that is not condescending.

In our interpersonal relations with each other a lot of us have a negative twisted egotistical confidence ‘arrogance’ characterized by having an exaggerated sense of our importance 'swag' that fosters Black-on-Black conflicts, violence, and murders. 

Yes there is white supremacy that we must check but there is also a sense of superiority amongst each other in various forms that must be checked too!

Black Lives Matter While Police Keep Killing Black Men!

It is very obvious that racist police ain't feeling the Black Lives Matter movement at all because they keep killing Black Men; the protest message ain't strong enough!

*On Oct 27th Police in Philadelphia shot and killed a 27-year old Black man Walter Wallace who had mental health issues after responding to a call about a man armed with a knife.

*On Oct 22nd 19-year old Marcellis Stinnette was shot and killed in his car by a police officer in Waukegan, Ill.

*On Oct 5th 31 year-old Jonathan Price was murdered by a racist police in Wolfe City, Texas; he was breaking up a fight and then gunned down shot in the back.

Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the Million Man March

On October 16, 1995 over 2 million Black men converged in Washington, DC for the historic Million Man March (MMM); this is its 25th Anniversary. 

As Black men what is our condition in America twenty five years later? Black men ya'll remember the first paragraph of the Million Man March Pledge that reads:

"I PLEDGE that from this day forward I will strive to love my brother as I love myself. I, from this day forward, will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically and economically for the benefit of myself, my family and my people. I pledge that I will strive to build businesses, build houses, build hospitals, build factories and enter into international trade for the good of myself, my family, and my people." 

Collectively Black men have we lived up to this first paragraph of the MMM Pledge? If not, what happened? Why don't Black men participate in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations like we participated in the Million Man March? Aren't the racist police murder of Black men the focus of BLM protests?

Vlad TV Just Another Long-Line Of Black Culture Exploiters

 by Kenray Sunyaru

Black folks from slavery to the present our labor, inventions, genius, creativity, music, dress, and overall culture is still being super-exploited.

Let's take a look at the cultural exploitive YouTube Channel Vlad TV.

Vladimir Lyubovny 'Vlad' is a former white rap mixtape DJ who transitioned to hip-hop video journalism when he launched VladTV.

Recently well known Black rappers Lord Jamar, Royce da 5'9, Mysonne who've been frequent guests on his show along with others have distance themselves from media personality Vlad due to him lying on Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan.

The problem started when Vlad interviewed comedian DL Hughley on his VladTV show and talked about Minister Farrakhan’s July Fourth World Address. Rappers and NOI members feel that DJ Vlad misconstrued the Minister’s words to taint him as calling for violence against Jews.

Vlad said that Farrakhan not only calls Jews “Satan” but also encourages people to pick up a rock to throw it at them. But in the actual Farrakhan speech, the Minister encourages people to pick up “the stone of truth” against “so-called” Jews who are not being “true” Jews. Vlad refused to apologize for misconstruing Farrakhan's words.

What is Vlad (Vlad TV)?

In 2008 Vlad established himself as an interviewer primarily interested in rappers’ personal and illicit histories. Vlad has been accused of often going for gossip instead of news or discussions about music; he's far far more interested in asking for detailed accounts of alleged criminal activities and incidents.

It has been reported that Black rappers, prominent ex-gang bangers and drug dealers do interviews on his TV platform to get publicity without charging Vlad, who then makes money by editing his videos into segments raking in millions of views per video and Vlad receives funds in an advertisement.

From my perspective this white man Vlad exploits Black folks need to be seen 'invisble man syndrome' getting them to tell their business 'self-incriminating' and talk about other Black people 'creating beefs' capitalizing off it.

According to celebrity net worth VladTV YouTube show run by DjVlad has generated him an estimated net worth of $10 million. Vlad has more money than the overwhelming majority of Black rappers.

I remember several years ago watching Vlad TV for the first time and asking myself why are these Black men running their mouths to a white interviewer you can't see, I viewed Vlad as a on the come-up media personality agent provocateur.

Unfortunately we haven't learned we're still running our mouths being prey to all types of non-Black cultural vultures.

Black Males: Killers on Both Sides

Black folks, rapper Mozzy's latest album cover captures the homicide victim plight of younger adult Black men in America; their lives caught between the cross-fire of self-hating Black male pistol-toters and racist gun wielding police.

Racist Police Repression: The Numbers Don't Lie!

Breonna Taylor: Her Racist Police Murder Cleared

 by Kenray Sunyaru

Black folks, there will be no charges brought against the racist police who murdered Breonna Taylor in her home says Kentucky's first Black Attorney General 'Trumpite' Daniel Cameron.

Indeed these no charges are absolutely 'not surprising and injustice business as usual'. Yeah, more state sanctioned violence 'justifiable murder' of a Black person like Biggie Small said "another one just like the other one."

Yes, and y'all already know what the official '1-2-3 directives' for us to follow 'response trinity' to Breonna's murder: 'Vote', 'Peaceful Protest', and 'Pray'; these three actions have never stopped racist police murders and never will!

Remember Breonna's name and the names of so many other Blacks murdered by racist police.

The slogan Black Lives Matter will really mean something concretely when we get serious enough to organize on a higher level and develop our capability to defend and protect Black lives - ASHE!

We Aint Wearing No Masks: Black Males Negative Refusal and Resistance Mentality

 by Kenray Sunyaru

Recently I was in a large jewelry store in Hamtramck (MI), there were Muslim ethnic nationals in the store all with masks on; there was about 10 Black males ages 25-40 congregated together looking at jewelry with no masks on and they had this false super-macho attitude that nobody better not tell them to put no masks on you know we Gangsters 'Gs'.

I said to myself these stone out-cold fools who don't respect themselves or others are just straight-up careless and reckless hammerheads; these phoney death-wish Gs are in denial about the real G 'Great' killer COVID-19; yeah they some real Gs 'Grave' diggers for themselves!

Beyond these Black men in this jewelry store I constantly see Black men on a daily congregating together never wearing no masks drinking 'passing cups' and smoking ‘passing joints, blunts, backwoods’. Yes it’s not surprising that Black men super-disproportionately lead the U.S. in COVID-19 deaths.

This non-compliance stuck on stupid 'refusal' to wear masks is not surprising to me, though retired now I provided counseling and developmental services to Black men and boys for over 30 years including teaching in prison for over 20 years, during this time I found too many Black men counseling resistant.

What I mean by counseling resistance is when facts were presented to them or when their self-destructive and self-defeating behaviors were challenged too many Black men constantly argued, refuted, and discounted; too many were hostile and tried to intimidate; too many interrupted, talked over, and tried to cut you off; too many of them blamed, made excuses, and denied.

I would constantly tell these counseling resistant Black men to stop carrying this resistance like a ‘badge of honor’ because they were only limiting, hurting, and destroying themselves!!! That a racist society didn’t give a fuck that their resistance contributed to them leading a life of incarceration, poverty, hardships, handicaps, addictions, sicknesses, and deaths.

What I found over the years dealing with counseling resistant Black males is that their reactionary self-sabotaging resistance was driven by a sense of powerlessness; to counter this feeling of a lack of control over their lives they believed being resistant gave them ‘petty power’ - fuck wearing a mask’; in actuality this distorted view gives them less control ‘power’ to protect themselves against the coronavirus.

This negative Black male resistance attitude is ‘mentacidal’; indeed we in the Black community must challenge this mindset because it’s insane, irresponsible, selfish, infectious, suicidal, and homicidal.

What's Really Going on Racially in the 'Presence' or 'Absence' of Black Lives Matter Yard-Signs

 by Kenray Sunyaru

For some time I'm often questioning myself of why when I drive around majority Black cities in Metro-Detroit including my own home cities (Pontiac, Detroit) where I see very few Black Lives Matter yard-signs, yet I've been through several predominately white cities and Black Lives Matter signs are everywhere. 

I'm not raising the question of Black Lives Matter yard-signs as a sole substantial criteria because slogan signs are symbolic and symbolism can be meaningful, superficial, pacifying, and deceptive; nevertheless racial and political symbolism must be analyzed. 

From my perspective, the Black Lives Matter yard-signs that I've seen throughout several predominately white cities is symbolic 'specific' support that racist 'gross' police murders should stop, that police reforms are necessary now. 

However the Black Lives Matter yard-signs in these white cities don't symbolically represent that Black lives should have 'general' socioeconomic equality in all areas; these signs don't symbolically mean that Black Lives Matter enough that institutional 'systemic' racism must end now! That Blacks are 'truly equal' and white-skin privilege has to be over now! 

The Black Lives Matter yard-signs proliferating in neighborhoods of white cities don't represent a consensus nor mandate for total Black-White racial equality, yes racial equality has not been clearly defined, there's no 'agreement' on what it means as Dr. King stated:

“There's not even a common language when the term equality is used. Negro and white have a fundamental different definition. Negroes have proceeded from the premise that equality means what it says and have taken white Americans at their word when they talked of it as an objective. But most whites in America, including many person of goodwill proceed from a premise that equality is a loose expression for improvement. White Americans are not even psychologically organized to close the gap; essentially it seeks only to make it less painful and less obvious but in most respects to retain it. Jobs are harder and costlier to create than voting rolls. Eradication of slum housing million is complex far beyond integrating buses and lunch counters.”  

Now to my observations of the absence of Black Lives Matter yard-signs in Black communities, the absence of these symbolic self-worth signs reflects the demoralization of many-many Blacks folks due to the massive disproportionate Black deaths during this COVID-19 pandemic. 

With all these coronavirus deaths coupled with racist police murders many-many Blacks folks believe Black Lives really don't even Matter thus no yard-signs. Yes too-too many Black folks are physically sick, depressed, grieving, scared, and apathetic; while many others are 'manic' wilding-out, drag-racing, and killing. 

While many-many other Blacks folks that I see are not wearing protective masks partying 'like it's 1999' on porches, in backyards, and at parks; they just want to have a 'good time' during these awful 'bad times'; they're getting their eat, drank, and smoke on to the fullest!!! Indeed many-many Black folks don't have no fight in them so they a'int gone put up no BLM yard-signs.

Also the absence of BLM yard-signs in majority Black cities represents a low-level of Black consciousness, very few active progressive Black organizations in neighborhoods, and overall disorganization. 

Malcolm X stated: "I'm not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate."

Like Brother Malcolm pointed out that just sitting at a table didn't make us real diners, and just having Black Lives Matter yard-signs sitting up in front of homes alone won't make Black folks equal either! So what's really going on racially in the 'presence' or 'absence' of Black Lives Matter yard-signs? 

For Racist Police Black Men's Lives Don't Matter!

Indeed Black folks, racist police ain't trying to hear nothing about Black Lives Matter especially Black Men's Lives!!!

Racist police shot an unarmed Black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake was shot in the back several times getting in his vehicle, his children were inside the vehicle.

Blake was taken to the hospital and shackled to his bed in leg irons while lying there paralyzed. After Blake’s shooting protests and rebellions erupted in Kenosha.

During one night of protest a 17 year-old white boy Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two protesters with an assault weapon walked past the police never arrested and turned himself in the next morning.

Remember the young white man Dyllan Roof who massacred 9 Black people in a Charleston, South Carolina church who was taken to Burger King after his slaughter for a meal by arresting police before they took him to jail.

Roof murdered Black Christians while a White Christian organization has raised to date almost a $100,000 for Rittenhouse legal defense.

Not a Birthday, But a Bornday: A New Afrikan Perspective

 by Kenny Anderson

In traditional African Akan’ culture each child is given a name corresponding to the day of the week upon which they were born. This name 'akradin' gives their life purposeful meaning and signifies their ongoing connection to the spiritual world ‘Nyame' (God), to the physical world ‘Obosom' (Nature), and to the 'Nsamanfo' (Ancestors).

In Eurocentric culture the focus of a person’s birthday is the ‘date’ of birth instead of the ‘day’ of birth; the day you were born on never changes, yearly the date of your birth will fall on any day including days you were not actually born on. Though my birthdate is today August 5th, however the actual day I was born on - my ‘birthday’ is Monday.

Though I acknowledge my yearly birthdate, I actually celebrate my ‘born-day’ weekly on Monday by designating this day as a time of being very-very grateful for LIFE ‘AKH’, of deep REMEMBRANCE and REFLECTIONS of Life’s-Lessons.

Personally as far as my New Afrikan spiritual-cultural practice I’ve renamed the Eurocentric names of the week that are meaningless and replaced them with the meaningful names of the 7 Principles of Kwanza ‘Nguzo Saba’ that are observed every day ‘365’:

*1st Day of the week is ‘Umoja’ Unity (Monday)

*2nd Day of the week is ‘Kujichagulia’ Self-Determination (Tuesday)

*3rd Day of the week is ‘Ujimma’ Collective Work & Responsibility (Wednesday)

*4th Day of the week is ‘Ujamma’ Cooperative Economics (Thursday)

*5th Day of the week is ‘Nia’ Purpose (Friday)

*6th Day of the week is ‘Kuumba’ Creativity (Saturday)

*7th Day of the week is ‘Imani’ Faith (Sunday)

Thus my weekly Born-Day of Umoja (Monday) celebration includes reflecting on its principle: To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race." For me internally Umoja means striving to maintain Unity in my words and deeds having ‘Integrity’!

Moreover I incorporate the traditional Akan name for Monday ‘Dwoda’ which means a quiet peaceful day of calm along with its ‘Adinkra’ symbol the Heart ‘Akoma’ that represents love, unity, endurance, patience, tolerance, goodwill, and faithfulness; meditating on heart qualities (caring, forgiveness, bravery); being heartfelt.

My New Afrikan integrative approach in celebrating my born-day was inspired by Brother Malcolm X who said we must engage in an ongoing cultural-revolution remarking: “We must integrate the best of our cultural past with the best of our present culture.”

I hope this post was insightful to Brothas and Sistas who can incorporate its contents into deepening and expanding their sense of a birthday in our continuing process of the struggle for cultural-reclamation ‘Sankofa’ and cultural-development.

Black August Perspective: The Everyday Challenges of Black Manhood in America

 by Kenray Sunyaru

As a Black man living in racist America, from the time I wake up in the morning until the time I go to sleep at night Black manhood is under attack. Most neighborhoods where Black men live facilitate demoralization: few opportunities, options, support, and services.

Every day a Black man must affirm his 'Life' with self-worth, self-respect, and a prideful sense of Black manliness, without these self-notions being a Black man in this country can be a very demoralizing experience. Indeed it’s a daily challenge to remain positive, productive, and progressive.

Every day I see too many absentee Black fathers, many are just flat-out irresponsible; while many others are driven out the home by very-very difficult to get along with women. Every day I hear too many Black women along with women of other races ‘male bash’ Black men; constant dissatisfied talk that Black man aint doing enough; no matter how much he does it aint good enough, you know the chorus ‘niggas aint shit’!

Every day I see too many Black men being totally unproductive idly standing on corners, or sitting on porches gossiping and arguing all day just wasting their time. I hear Black men spending countless hours debating self-righteously over who has the correct religion and doing nothing to improve their communities; while others argue over whose the best rapper or professional athlete; whose the baddest gangster, drug-dealer, or whose hood is the most dangerous.

Every day during this COVID-19 Pandemic I see many-many Black men not wearing masks and social distancing especially younger adults; I see these same non-complying Black men crying at funerals asking why their homeboy died from the deadly coronavirus. Every day I see young adult Black males driving like 'maniacs' recklessly speeding down residential streets with no regard for life.

Every day I hear Black male preachers preaching about the ‘gospel of hope’ and heavenly rewards in the hereafter to the ‘hood’, at the same time their living the ‘gospel of prosperity’ prospering right now wearing expensive suits, driving luxury cars, and living in big ass houses with the white folks out in the ‘burbs’.

Every day I see Black men ‘consumer-slaves’ tripping over and risking their priceless lives and freedom on clothes, shoes, jewelry, and cars; distortedly believing their self-worth is I am what I have. Every day I witness Black men enrich non-Black men (Arabs, Chinese, Koreans, East Indians, etc.) who dominate the businesses in our neighborhoods.

Every day as a Black man I witness so many unemployed and poor Black men. Every day I see too many Black men selling drugs, using drugs, arrested for drug possession, and sentenced to prison on drug charges.

Every day I hear about too many Black men killing or being killed; hearing about Black men being either targeted, harassed, or murdered by the police. Every day I see too many Black men with physical and mental illnesses.

Every day I see so many Black men that are 'haters', full of jealousy, envy, and intense dislike; hating on each other over money, material things, sectarianism, reputations, notoriety, women, and dumb shit! Every day I witness too many Black men exhibit the following self-defeating and self-destructive behaviors:

*It’s all about me, myself, and I:

These are Black men who are extremely self-absorbed and selfish. They believe in urban Darwinism, survival of the fittest. They use Black people for their pleasure and self-serving agendas. They have no regard for others and practice an exclusive morality; everybody else don’t matter. They are very narcissistic.

*I’m all-that and some:

These are Black men who make themselves believe they are larger than life, supermen. They believe they are superior and invincible which creates a megalomania complex. Their false sense of grandiosity causes them to be irrational and insensitive. Their exaggerated sense of self-importance results in recklessness and destructiveness.

*A playa and just playing:

These Black men base their manhood on womanizing and sexual conquests; they never want to establish genuine relationships. Constant sex provides them with consistent psychological relief from the tensions of racism, stress, attacks, and feelings of emasculation.

*What is it hitting for:

These Black men base their lives on numerology; gambling on the winning number. They play all types of daily lottery games; they gamble at the casinos; they play the ‘street-lottery’; they shoot-dice at gambling houses; and they bet on horse races. They are betting on numbers to predict their financial future.

*It aint no use in trying:

These Black men believe its the white man’s world; so it’s futile to try and make progress; planning and preparation is a waste of time; they accept external control instead of internal control. They are pessimistic and fatalistic.

*Lying, bragging, boasting, and joking:

These Black men are deceivers and pretenders. This deception and excessive exaggeration provides them with fantasy protection to hide their insecurities. They joke a lot to make light the heavy burden Black men must bear.

*Just a baby-boy:

These Black men are irresponsible and expect others to take care of them. They always have excuses about their shortcomings. They typically respond to constructive criticism defensively or offensively; from persuading others to feel sorry for them or through intimidation.

*It’ll be greater later:

These Black men anticipate better days ahead without applying themselves now to make their situation better. They are caught in a waiting game; waiting on divine intervention, heaven, something miraculous, a winning lottery number, sweepstakes, or some other lucky break. Their outlook is based on wishful thinking and is unrealistic.

*Just want to get high:

These Black men use drugs, or drink alcohol daily as a coping mechanism to deal with the tremendous challenges of Black manhood. They falsely escape through self-medication. They become gripped by addiction; spending their whole lives medicating their psychological wounds and self-inflicted

physical scars.

*Life is all about money:

These Black men are preoccupied with earning money whether legally or illegally. Their sense of manhood is based totally on finances and consumerism. The ones who make money honestly often work two and three jobs, becoming Workaholics often times at the expense of their own health ‘dying prematurely. The ones who make money dishonestly, chase it at the expense of their lives and freedom.

*Got to have some game:

These Black men are manipulators; always trying to get something for nothing. They are exploiters, who are always lying and scheming; they are constantly searching for victims to take advantage of.

*Angry as hell:

These Black men are filled with rage. They are full of hurt and resentment; often times they have been victims of violence. They are mad at the world and want revenge. They become callous and often times engage in senseless violence.

Everyday when I witness so many Black men engaging in reactionary, unproductive, and sabotaging behavior, I know they’ve succumbed to these actions because of our vulnerability; which stems from our underlying insecurity of being dependent; lacking the 'power' to control our lives. Our extreme dependency on white men for jobs, food, clothing, and shelter.

This reliance is not dependable, increasingly Black male labor has become expendable. Compared to white men, Black men know they face greater unemployment and have less job security. Everyday Black men have to live with this uneasiness that they have to cope with; some try to deny it, some stuff it, some ignore it, some mask it; and most conceal it, especially from Black women; as Naim Akbar states:

“It hurts to show a woman you care about that you are hurt. It hurts to show that type of vulnerability, because vulnerability is frightening thing for many Black men. Its dangerous. It puts you in the position of revealing your ‘Achilles’ hill in an environment that you fear is bent upon your destruction. You learn to keep your vulnerabilities to yourself, even from those you love.”

Every day I see many hardworking Black men raising their families not getting the acknowledgment they deserve. I also see the small number of Black men who volunteer with dedication coaching and mentoring our youth not getting the support they should; I also see a much-much smaller number of Black men who have been leading and sacrificing for years for genuine community development and progress not getting recognition and backing.

Everyday as Black men we have to deal with the burden of racism, for sure it’s a grinding experience as Thomas Holdcroft said: “Life is a grindstone,” Black men whether life grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us.

As Black men our polishing will only come through the struggle for self-determination, only having power over our lives can polish us, without control everything else will just be a vulnerable grind!