Dear Black Men,
I have never really been the type to write love letters because I was always told “when a word is spoken, you can feel the emotions in it” but today I woke up feeling very inspired, and what was the cause of this inspiration you ask? Black men; and by Black men I mean the descendants of the Nubians, Akans, Asantis,Igbos, Yorubas etc I mean Black men as in the descendants of those who navigated the planet thousands of years ago, I mean Black men who are the descendants of Hannibal, King Taharqa, King Ramses I, Imotep, Shaka Zulu etc, I mean Black men as in the ones who brought up heroes like Marcus Garvey and Patrice Lumumba, I mean Black men like the ones with the wisdom of Malcolm and the Genius of Huey P. Newton, I mean Black men like the descendants of the Africans who survived the middle passage and life on the plantations, I mean Black men like the millions of nameless and faceless heroes who fought for the freedom we enjoy today, I mean Black men like the ones who continue to struggle in this cruel world – These are the Black men who inspired me this morning.
When I look around at the state many of my brothers are in- it upsets me not because I am angry at them but I am angry they have internalised the state they have been reduced to. When you know someone is better than something you would always encourage them to do better. I admit to being misguided with my methods at times, but the frustration I feel when a brother has no will to be the man he is destined to be is immense. It breaks my heart when I see some brothers degrade their ancestors for a slice of the devils pie, it breaks my heart that even some sisters feel the need to “give up” on their men, It breaks my heart when a Black man can look his mother in the eye and say he has “given up” on Black women. The very idea that we no longer see each other with respect and feel the need to downgrade each other in front of the world is saddening. I am happy for a brother if he finds love with any woman and can raise children who will be productive to not only society but will also have some pride in their father’s identity. After all, we have had revolutionary trailblazers who fought imperialism from all backgrounds – It’s about what’s in their heart. But today a deep rooted sense of misguided anger is used in the way we see each other – The black man and woman’s dialogue contains shaming language and anger fuelled by society. I haven’t always had the best relationships with Black men but I won’t give up on them because they are all I have – we should be able to scream, shout, yell, fight, argue but also be able to come together in times of struggle. I’m not going to make this letter negative so I am going to switch up the energy and talk about the things that have made me fall in love with Black men.
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