To My Son on His Birthday: Message of Having Character is Significant

 by Kenny Anderson

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." – Malcolm X on ‘Character’

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Dr. King on ‘Character’

Cinque my Son, today is your birthday, yes you made another year, a salutation of thankfulness!

Homicides is and has been the leading cause of death for Black males in your age range ‘15 to 44’ for more than half a century. Tragically, every year thousands of young adult Black males die prematurely before their birthdays.

When a conscious Black father has a Black son, we know he faces much greater perils than our daughters; his life is in much greater jeopardy in racist America. Therefore, as a conscious Black father I had to provide you with lessons ‘wisdom’ to navigate this perilous journey.

Son, unfortunately from a dominant one-dimensional ‘limited exterior perspective’ being a so-called successful Black man today is about being a professional, titles, athletic prowess, accomplishments, material possessions, financial assets, etc.

For me, son as a Black boy coming of age in the 1960’s and 70’s under the influential manhood energies of 2 giants ‘Dr. King and Malcolm X’, the emphasis of Black manhood was about having character that was the driving force of the Civil Rights Struggle and the Black Power Movement.

Character refers to a man's 'interior moral and ethical qualities'; it consists of beliefs and moral principles that will guide his actions in the best way. To name some, character is having honesty, integrity, accountability, and courageousness; it means standing for freedom, justice, and equality.

Son, my message to you on your birthday is about character! My oldest Brother, your deceased uncle left a stamp on me about character as a little boy when he returned home from the Viet Nam War, teaching me how to do the DAP, which your generation does by the superficial gesture of ‘bumping fists’.

In contrast, giving DAP origin is fist bumping for character development; it stands for ‘Dignity And Pride’. To carry yourself with ‘Dignity’ as a Black man means having self-worth, self-respect, and self-determination; having ‘Pride’ means being proud of the best in one’s Blackness ‘history and culture’.

Consistently giving DAP greetings is a character development reminder and reinforcer that's necessary to counter the current lack of character development; the common amorphous tendencies and rampant selfism amongst Black Millennials and Generation Z.

Son, for daily symbolic character development give yourself ‘DAP’, bump your own fist together to remind yourself to have ‘Dignity And Pride’; along with this at times raise your clenched fist to the sky to be lofty, inspired, and strong, especially during times of adversities.

Salute again to you Son on your Birthday, appreciate your special day, celebrate yourself, self-reflect, and Much Love!