Are you contributing to the stereotype?

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(ThyBlackMan.com) How to be a black man that sets a standard and not a statistic.

When you look at the politicians and the platforms in which they stand, it is quite often that the black man and woman come into the spotlight. And while we want to have acknowledgement and we want our voices to be heard, the linguistics allotted to us from the political stage are often not to the successful black male, but to the stereotypes which have framed our modern men and women. So the question that arises is why is this? Have we not progressed as a race which is worthy to stand beside the majorities? According to NBC news, white non-Hispanics are expected to be a minority group over the next three decades.  Additionally, the report shows growth of “17 percent; blacks”. Why then do politics and the media hone in on the black community’s stereotypes? The answer may be found not in pointing fingers, but in examining whether or not you are fueling these stereotypes.

Fatherless nation

Fatherless homes have been stated as one of the key elements in our country’s state. And while the numbers are great across the board, black children in unwed homes make up 66% of the Black or African American homes. Coming in a close second is American Indians with a 53% fatherless home percentage. And while the numbers have shown decreases by about 100,000 a year (an indicator that Black males are stepping up and being the father figures they are supposed to be) the numbers are still too high. If we want to be seen outside of the mentality that black men do not care for their children we must take the percentage down. If you have a child and are not involved with his or her life, you are contributing to the problem, not the solution. The argument that “they are better off without me” is an excuse that has been debunked time and time again.

Do you set the bar high?

Where there are several (and I do mean several) successful business men and women in the United States whom are black, there is still progress to be made. Black Students in college have shown a modest progress, but the numbers still fall below 50% (with 42% graduation rate). We should not take this as an indicator that we would give up and slide into society working jobs that barely bay the bills, but rather we should use this information to inspire us to motivate our youth, and ourselves to greater things. High School and college graduation should not be considered an option; it needs to be at the forefront of our ambitions. Men and women who attend college on average make twice the salary of a diploma holder. Those which do not have a high school diploma or GED are far more likely to fall into unemployment.

As education and establishing more successful and prominent figures into the mainstream is essential to the black community, setting realistic goals while at the same time dreaming big is vital. Encouraging doctors, lawyers, politicians, zoologist, botanist, stock brokers, and such over the stereotype that every black male wants to become a rapper is essential. Where there is nothing wrong with promoting a musical career, when doing such it should be to the same high standards of other avenues (meaning that the person wanting to be a rapper should obtain a degree in music theory, sound production, or similar field). We must stop looking at the world from a view that it is tilted against us (even if such is true) and start pressing forward and making it into a world in which we can thrive.

Get involved in the politics

I find it disheartening that the only coverage that the black American seems to get these days is in the uprising of the community when someone gets shot. Yes, we should stand unified in such times, but at the same time we need to have more than just a protestor’s voice. By expanding our influence into other sectors of politics and making our voice heard in these areas we as a whole will force the speeches which target the Black community as a minority, poor, and disorganized race into speaking about a race that is progressed, educated, dedicated to their families, and making a positive influence upon the world.

“There is no force like success, and that is why the individual makes all effort to surround himself throughout life with evidence of it; as of the individual, so should it be of the nation”

Marcus Garvey

Where there are still major tensions between the races, we must get away from making this our sole platform. We must look at improving the overall perception of the black community not by our voice alone but by the actions that we take. Only then can the stereotypes be broken.

Staff Writer; Lee Hawkins


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