In the movie Temptation, sparks fly as tough lessons taught

Being a Black Man:

At the Corner of Progress and Peril

By: Ethan Brisby

I recently attended a forum titled “Being a Black Man,” presented by Morehouse’s Journalism and Sports Program. I walked away with mixed feeling from the event. The panelist, which included an associated editor of the Washington Post, a representative of a national initiative to promote marriage in the Black community, a Morehouse Sociology student, and two college professors. Despite its diversity, many of the opinions, thoughts, and beliefs expressed failed to reach the core of the audience and many in attendance began to walk out mid way through this political socialization forum.

In 2006, the Washington Post published a series of fifteen articles about the status of Black men in America. It was well accepted by the community and praised for its wide range of experiences, successes, challenges and even some failure of Black males. This is a topic that needs to be discussed in-dept, as the status of Black males in America plays a dominant role in the political lives of African Americans from sea to shinning sea.

The main point I took away from this event was made by Nisa Muhammad, founder of Wedded Bliss. She created Black marriage Day, which was celebrated in more than 200 cities on March 29. Ms. Muhammad expressed her concern for African American males to marry stating that “married black men make more money.” I took this to heart as someone on the cusp of marriage, love, and a rising economic status. Many Black men are chumps in the face of marriage or think they have to be “situated” before they can take on the responsibility of raising a family. This is a valid point, however, according to Ms. Muhammad, the money comes in greater quantities to those who take that leap of faith and get married.

During the Question and Answer session, many of the students and other adults at the forum were extended the opportunity to ask questions of each panelist. The first question addressed the political image associated with Black males in America. “Why is it that a Black man has to look a certain way,” the student asked. This question was immediately tackled by Kevin Merida, an Associate Editor of the Washington Post. His answer included a working definition of what a Black man is, and he also included some rhetoric on ways we can begin to dispel stereotypes associated with African American males.

I recently completed a research paper titled Education and the Socialization of the African American. I am able to use the data I recorded at this forum with information compiled during research to assess problems and begin to create solutions to the African American male image. In my eyes it is through education that we increase the overall representation of the Black male. It is education that will create social, economic, and political stability. The experiences Black men have with these issues will differ from their equals as their political socialization process is unlike other races. Family structure, responsibilities, and overall acceptance as Black men as political and lead social figures all play a role in what it means to be a Black man.

As time went on this evening, I began to feel like the students were providing more insight to the conversation than the panelist and I was not alone in my thinking. At the start of the forum there were approximately 50 people in the room. As the true color of the panelist began to show, and students got more restless, that number dwindled down to less then 30 by the conclusion of the show. No one person can hoist his definition of a Black man onto someone else. However, these kinds of dialogs help to shape the social and political minds of Black men, and Morehouse is one of the only places in the world you can receive this type of communication.