The Imaginary Black Man!

One day removed after the United States designated black history month I feel more used, abused, and confused than before. It is not that I do not have pride in being a "black" person, a "black" man but I am more than that. We have studied for ages Malcolm, Martin, Medgar, Stokely, Jessie Jackson(he's full of crap and talks more crap than anyone), Benjamin, Sojourner, Harriet, Mary, Madame C.J., Charles, Paul, Booker, W.E.B., Langston, Tony Dungy, Jessie Owens, and so on and so forth and have said all that can be said. Even being a little more than a year removed from the first president to have darker skin than the other U.S. presidents (without a tan) I still feel empty inside, not as prideful as I should in my ethnic group as a whole, and that measurable improvements both tangible and otherwise have not been made!

SO what is the problem or the issue that I am having? It is the lack of understanding that still lingers and has nothing to do with the "dream", and nothing to do with the "history" of "Blacks"! I am still imaginary to you, to them, and sometimes to myself!

Where does this imaginary state of being and mindset come from? Well it is simple...as long as I am a "black" male I will always be a statistic in someones eyes. I am a "black" man in this age range to be this..., I am a "black" man that has not been to prison in this age range..., I am a "black" man to complete a graduate degree in this age range..., I am a "black" man who is unmarried with no children in this specific age range..., this specific part of the country..., not to have AIDS/HIV in this specific age range or this specific region of the country at a specified weather season....who the heck knows! It is a census that is embedded within a census... and the information garnered in this portal is to be used for what reason? Is it to be used as a census of the census to census those who happen to be "black" males and who do not fit into the "realistic" and "relativistic" domain that the "black" man is "supposed" the adhere to. Is it those statistics and facets of the census that make the "black" man real and relevant? Is that when he is of some use and applicable to society? It seems that way to me!

The fact of the matter is that these "alarming" statistics and ability for me to not fall in the negative categories and fall into the positive ones makes me imaginary. It also makes those who are like me imaginary and those who are the antithesis of the aforementioned just as real and ordinary as can be, based on the numbers!

Why do we celebrate those in the history books every damn year that have made wonderful contributions AND treat them as a myth? Why do we look back at history and wrap our brains, entangle our brain matter, with the concerns and accomplishments of a once alive and breathing myth? In addition, we should realize that we happen to be in the same mythical state of mind looking at those who are alive, wrapped up in the same myth that we have assigned them to be! It seems to me that a simple 41 (or so) years after the assination of Dr. King, and a simple 60 (take or leave a few) years of fighting for a change (in all aspects political and otherwise) in how "blacks" look at ourselves...hardly a damn thing has changed.

Yeah as a "black" person I have said it. What are "we" fighting for now? What is the focus of our "struggle" and how to get through or "overcome" it? Must I still be called an "African American" or "Black American"? I am plain and simple an American! When will we stop celebrating the history and legacies and focus on advancement, so that those who are trying to advance and figure out the agenda and what's next on it will be recognized? Having large NAACP and CBC parties and award shows is not going to do the trick! Begging President Obama and reminding him everyday to do something for "black" people is not the solution! Wearing t-shirts with famous "black" people on it is hardly a solution...but a great way to show what you think of that person! Money is great to have but the only thing money can do is pay the bills...and bills come in a variety of forms! Praying to the good Lord is a wonderful thing, but the Lord can give you insight, wisdom, and guidance but WE have to act upon it and actually get our asses out of the bed and DO SOME WORK!!!

Please don't give me the crap about ..."If you don't know your past you don't know your future!"...that is old and played! That mess is imaginary too...I was never a slave and thus I have no first hand idea the pain and disrespect those ancestors endured! I can look at that past aspect and accept it but does that mean slavery (in any form) will not come in the future? There is no guarantee...as there are volunteer slaves roaming this country with all sorts of tanned skin that doesn't peel or rub off...and you know who you are! We have looked at the history for years and I am confident that we know it. We might find new adventures in our history that we did not know, but shouldn't we make ourselves relevant and modern? We have delved in the past and divulged all we can from it! Let's move on! Let's look at the future. Can't we write a book that makes us real and living? It is very difficult to be imaginary these days...and it is alarming that the people making us "black" men that are not relativistic to the statistics imaginary!

I Love You, But God Loves You More!