With a month left before the 2016 presidential election, a sobering topic has emerged to dominate national discourse: rape and sexual assault. Angry at what they perceived as the lack of box office success for Nate Parker’s film Birth of a Nation, some Black men have blamed Black feminists for dampening enthusiasm and turnout of… Continue reading The Rape of a Nation and the Reconstruction of Black Masculinity
Tag: Masculinity
The Desire to Drown
I knew from the way she set her schoolbag down that the argument wasn’t over. Usually it sat on the floor next to her desk in our shared office, but tonight she’d left it out in the hallway. A habit that had taken me some time to decipher. The office was where I worked and… Continue reading The Desire to Drown
The Trouble With Being a Strong Black Man
A few days ago a friend and I were having a conversation when she mentioned an acquaintance of hers who died of a gunshot wound. When I asked her what happened, I expected to hear another story about a brother getting caught up in the streets and losing his life. When she told me his… Continue reading The Trouble With Being a Strong Black Man
Why We Need Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq
It’s not wise to underestimate how movies can shape a young person’s life. Twenty years ago, when I was a teenager, Tales From the Hood played a tremendous role in my growing up. The movie, through an infusion of horror and humor, showed several stories dealing with racism and Black men growing up in urban… Continue reading Why We Need Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq
Therapy Changed Everything
Deciding to go into therapy is a choice that often comes as a last resort. For black men, we avoid it until it becomes a self-imposed ultimatum. In my case, it was a desire. I wanted to talk to someone who held no judgement of my past. I wanted to confide in someone who held… Continue reading Therapy Changed Everything