BlackCollegian.com

"Young Black Men who are upholding the tradition of achievement, striving for excellence, and battling society's negative stereotypes"

 

To further his education, Chancer Smith enrolled in a four-year university in 2008. In the collegiate environment, he has been obtaining the knowledge necessary to be a successful American. As he matriculates, he continues to have experiences that are helping him understand society as a whole.

Smith represents a strong group of young men who have made key decisions in life to strive for excellence while battling negative images and stereotypes in today’s society.

This young man is now a second-year business administration major at Tuskegee University. He made the decision to leave his home in Atlanta, Ga., to attend Tuskegee where he is pursuing knowledge, leadership and service. Attending Tuskegee University has given him the opportunity to distance himself from the negative influences of the streets and to walk a new path. “I’ve always wanted to achieve, do more and not become another statistic, knowing that Black men in general have to be leaders and set new trends that build up the entire community,” Smith says.

Prominent in culture today are Black men viewed negatively based on statistics. The belief that there are “more Black men in prison than in college” and “more Black men not being fathers to their children” hurt the Black community and America's image of it. Also, the notion that “all Black men are thugs” does not help either. The positive images of educated, enlightened young Black men are few, while the images of uneducated drug dealers, pimps and thugs are widely known and celebrated.

The stereotypes of the Black men of Generation Y, ages 18 to 25, consist of being poor, lazy and promiscuous. These images give the notion that in this "hip-hop generation" there is a shortage of outstanding Black men, which is not true.  This is unfair to a majority of Black men who strive to change the statistics. Black men have to defend themselves every day at institutions of higher learning, the workplace and in their communities.

There are various institutions of higher learning that promote a healthier image of Black men while helping to refine them as they earn their degrees. Whether at a historically Black institution or not, higher education is valuable in the development of a mature man.

Morehouse College in Atlanta, the only all-male HBCU, is one of those. Cameron Titus, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., is a Morehouse senior majoring in political science.

“Morehouse has molded me and helped me add to be the man that I am becoming through culture and education,” Titus says. This is a sentiment shared by his brothers who chose Morehouse not only for the education but for the nurturing environment as well.

Other young men across the nation have also chosen their colleges based on the environment and the overall experience they want to have. At Florida A&M University, Dillard, Fisk, Hampton and a host of other HBCUs, many students have expressed their love for the experience. Part of the environment includes organizations that enhance the culture and disposition of Black men.

To attend college is a privilege for most students and especially young Black males. Collegiate males develop a platform on which to communicate in and outside of the classroom. In college they are no longer afraid of judgment if they excel in the classroom, whereas in high school it may have not been socially acceptable to display intelligence.

The urban daily life leads some males to feel that they have to hate and steal from another Black males because of the street mentality. It takes so much for Black men in this era to even compliment each other honestly about anything from personal appearance to intellect to academia. Black men are known to discredit each other for their own likes and dislikes. The pound or bro-hug handshakes are mechanisms to showcase friendship, but they also stifle true bonding.

Instead of a Black man seeing another well-dressed brother and  saying, “those shoes look nice,” he states in a joking manner: “I need to steal those shoes from you.” This is an example of how Black men relate to each other without being honest for fear of losing street credibility and perceived masculinity.

Brandon McCaskill, senior broadcast journalism major from Largo, Md., who currently serves as Mr. FAMU 2009-2010, relates, “I consider myself an individual in all aspects of life. It's about self-expression whether it be through wearing a bold color, bow tie or a pair of tailored pants.” McCaskill has observed that most men aren't comfortable giving each other compliments. "I see nothing wrong with giving props when they're due," says McCaskill.

“In growing and coming of age, individuality is the key to masculinity,” says Bennie Brown, of Hattiesburg, Miss., a senior political science major at Tuskegee University. There needs to be a time for one to be separated from negativity or mediocrity and to be encouraged to excel.

Then there are groups of men who have successfully entered the work force without being enrolled in college.

Justin Alan Major, of Lithonia, Ga.,  a junior economics major, knows that “true character is shown, not by the number of degrees one has attained, but by the obstacles one has overcome, and the contributions one is able to make to society.”

In families and in hometown communities, the Black man plays the consistent roles that any male of any race plays. Those roles consist of being brothers, uncles, fathers and sons who share in the families' responsibilities. There are Black men who do handle their business and are caring about what they want to do in life because they have come from a family that encourages them to do so.

Dr. Lonnie Hannon, professor of sociology at Tuskegee University, believes “the key to any masculinity is confidence from the transition [of] boy to man.” Maturity, growth and individuality are also important factors in this process.

The absence of fathers in the home may contribute to some actions and reactions of young Black men. For example, some do not like to be questioned by authority if there was not a father figure in their lives. When there is someone present to question young men on their actions, whether good or bad, they help to teach the young man to have respect for authority.

Of course, there are many single mothers who raise young Black men well. Many Black women, being the pillar of strength in the community, use all resources possible to raise their children. However, in some cases young men get caught up in street life, despite their efforts.

Becoming involved in extra-curricular activities at a young age has proven to cultivate leadership skills and interaction among males.

Michael McField, a senior business management major from Carson, Calif., who currently serves as Mr. Dillard University 2009-2010, shares his experience. “Being a member of the Collegiate 100 Black Men of Dillard University has allowed me to build relationships among other men who share the same goals and interests to form a close- knit group.”

However, he says the Black community rarely focuses on organizations like the Collegiate 100, the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs and the fine arts to connect with Black male youth.  McField says the Black community too often uses athletics as the only way, other than church involvement, to reach out to its young men.

Young Black men who have above-average weight and height are often encouraged to be a football or basketball player with dreams of entering the NFL or NBA. Gerald Baker of Lithonia, Ga., a business administration major at Tuskegee University, knows this all too well.  “I played [foot] ball in high school and never believed that I could go to college until the 10^th grade, [when] my football coach told me about the educational side of college, not just sports, then I believed I could go.”

The media's influence is very pivotal when households allow the television to raise their children. Stedman Lee, of Conyers, Ga., a third-year pharmacy major at Florida A&M University, feels that it is time to stop supporting such programs.  "The media constantly portrays Black men as uneducated, apathetic thugs who lack aspirations and dreams," Lee says.  "The piercing reality is that we as a people have over time allowed these industries to not only create and broadcast this negative archetypal Black male image as the epitome of what a Black man is or will potentially become, but have also given them our support by watching these negative images and allowing their ratings to increase."

When television depicts young Black men who are “about something,” they are often well-to-do and high-achieving in areas of academia, business and industry. However, these shows tend to overlook the positive young Black men who deserve accolades for their efforts but who may not be wealthy. These men are everywhere but are rarely promoted and given media attention for their accomplishments.

Even among Black women, there is a belief that Black men are not fulfilling their potential.  Megan Sousa, of Waterbury, Conn., a senior psychology major at Tuskegee University, says, “Women in general are taught that they need to go to school, which becomes a desire, and men are oblivious to the fact that college is somewhere they can go.”

The reality is that there are plenty first-rate Black men doing well.

The media is not the only way of informing people. Each community has a social responsibility in educating and motivating Black men.

Across America there are Black men on the move aspiring to be the best in everything that they do. These men have long-term goals in various fields; they desire to make a difference in their communities and to impact the world.

Uwem Umontuen, of Nashville, Tenn., a recent political science graduate of Fisk University and a University of Memphis graduate student, says Black men must combat the negative images and stereotypes. "Currently, the Black man has been described as an endangered species; as black men we must do our best to make a comeback. We have many expectations put on ourselves that we must strive to uphold.”

Other Readings of Interest

• The Dress Code
  By Ian Evans for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN
  Some Black college students embrace the business-casual dress code with personal style.