As an African-American veteran I am impressed by how the Buffalo Soldiers, Montford Point Marines, Black Freedom Riders and Civil Rights activists, "Black Firsts," Black desegregators, slaves and the children of former slaves, navigated the treacherous tension of being more American than America wanted them to be.
In a maelstrom of slavery, terrors in the night, false arrests, lynchings, family separations, institutionalized emasculation and worldwide denigrations as being less than human, I lay like a defenseless babe in the mud among the feet of the aforementioned giants.
Anticipating my cries, in order to protect me, these great dark Giants spread their bare feet, enthusiastically lowered their shoulders and resisted with wide backs the weight trying to crush me. With uncommon faith, they did business with each other on Tulsa, Oklahoma's Green St., Atlanta's Sweet Auburn and chartered normal schools like the Haines Institute in Augusta, GA and HBCU's like Tuskegee in Alabama. They integrated other schools like Central High in Little Rock, AR, and my alma mater, Mercer University in Macon, Ga.
The best of their men rejected the visual and intellectual trappings of slavery while the savviest of their women skillfully multiplied their resources and carried themselves with self respect.
These heroic Giants did all these things and more so I could live as a man on this earth. So I could love my wife on this earth. Raise and nurture my children in peace on this earth. Benefit my community with God given talents while I live on this earth.
Those Giants are dead and gone now. They did an incredible job.
Now I Am The Giant.
The Giants before me would be appalled at how I have allowed my boys to remain boys well into their adult years.
The Giants before me would weep at how I have driven my women into desperate loneliness.
The Giants before me would scream and tear their clothes at how I allow the "new" black breed to portray themselves on reality TV.
The Giants before me did not endure the fire so I could live the way I live now.
In the wake the Zimmerman travesty, the cloud of Giant witnesses around me are reposed on well deserved thrones.
The Giants are watching and waiting for me to rise.
Now I Am The Giant.
I pray to God for strong legs, thick shoulders, a wide back, muscular hands, bellowing lungs, visionary/x-ray sight, a shrewd mind, high-velocity will, a nurturing/stout heart with a pliable obedience subject to God only.
Now I Am The Giant. And you are too.
- David Neeley
Monday, July 15, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
The Serious Work of Manhood
I only caught a few glimpses of the 2013 BET Awards show last week but the commercials, FB posts and the bit I saw, afforded me a strong impression.
Just a couple days ago in another forum, I was part of a discussion about the awards show. My thoughts remain that the show is a great idea but I'm still bothered to see adult men in music "so serious about being not serious."
Thankfully, one of the women in the conversation asked me to explain my myself. Her question allowed me to explore my gut reaction. A copy of my response follows.
Some folks may clamor that music is just entertainment and ought not be taken seriously. To them I say that the blues, gospel music, national anthems and battle hymns are much more than mere entertainment. Music moves us to act. Lyrics set to music tell us how to act.
Others may concede some music is serious and then urge me to allow room for genres that are purely entertaining. I make no such room for music. Music that does not move us is not fit to be played.
My musical perspective feeds my view on how it impacts the attitude and behavior of men and boys. Bad music begets bad men. The perpetuation of bad music perpetuates the production of bad men.
Anyway, here are my thoughts:
"The AA Community no longer blazes the line whereby boys are communally expected to be men.
In great part, to me, a man is male who disciplines himself socially, physically, emotionally, academically, financially and spiritually to gather resources so he may support and benefit others in those same realms.
In return, men like the aforementioned reap even greater rewards from the women and children in their lives and accolades from other men. This is the serious work of manhood.
IMHO, a boy's hand is set to learn this work between 12 and 13 years of age. At 18, certainly no later than 20, a young man should master the basics in the areas mentioned above. Instead, popular male AA music artists often embody and glorify deficiency in nearly every facet I'm talking about.
The AA community applauds and supports the "business of not being serious" about producing good men - men that are serious about serving, leading and supporting their women, disciplining their children with self-sacrifice and love all the while improving communities.
Yes, for a great while I was "serious about not being serious" and my light bulb went off well past my 20th birthday. I get it. I understand how "fun" it is to play with the social fabric of family and community. However, my lights are on now and I see how dirty we men make the AA community. The Black Man is what ails Black America and I take no great pleasure in seeing us (black men) encourage boys to remain boys with slovenly dress, emotionally abusive speech, disloyalty and misogyny. I'm not saying women are perfect in contrast. I'm saying as great as they are and as far as they have carried us, AA's won't get any better till our boys become men sooner and more often." - David Neeley
Just a couple days ago in another forum, I was part of a discussion about the awards show. My thoughts remain that the show is a great idea but I'm still bothered to see adult men in music "so serious about being not serious."
Thankfully, one of the women in the conversation asked me to explain my myself. Her question allowed me to explore my gut reaction. A copy of my response follows.
Some folks may clamor that music is just entertainment and ought not be taken seriously. To them I say that the blues, gospel music, national anthems and battle hymns are much more than mere entertainment. Music moves us to act. Lyrics set to music tell us how to act.
Others may concede some music is serious and then urge me to allow room for genres that are purely entertaining. I make no such room for music. Music that does not move us is not fit to be played.
My musical perspective feeds my view on how it impacts the attitude and behavior of men and boys. Bad music begets bad men. The perpetuation of bad music perpetuates the production of bad men.
Anyway, here are my thoughts:
"The AA Community no longer blazes the line whereby boys are communally expected to be men.
In great part, to me, a man is male who disciplines himself socially, physically, emotionally, academically, financially and spiritually to gather resources so he may support and benefit others in those same realms.
In return, men like the aforementioned reap even greater rewards from the women and children in their lives and accolades from other men. This is the serious work of manhood.
IMHO, a boy's hand is set to learn this work between 12 and 13 years of age. At 18, certainly no later than 20, a young man should master the basics in the areas mentioned above. Instead, popular male AA music artists often embody and glorify deficiency in nearly every facet I'm talking about.
The AA community applauds and supports the "business of not being serious" about producing good men - men that are serious about serving, leading and supporting their women, disciplining their children with self-sacrifice and love all the while improving communities.
Yes, for a great while I was "serious about not being serious" and my light bulb went off well past my 20th birthday. I get it. I understand how "fun" it is to play with the social fabric of family and community. However, my lights are on now and I see how dirty we men make the AA community. The Black Man is what ails Black America and I take no great pleasure in seeing us (black men) encourage boys to remain boys with slovenly dress, emotionally abusive speech, disloyalty and misogyny. I'm not saying women are perfect in contrast. I'm saying as great as they are and as far as they have carried us, AA's won't get any better till our boys become men sooner and more often." - David Neeley
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