Dear Black Men…I Still Love You

Dear Black Men,

I’m writing this letter in hopes to clear some misunderstandings that have been occurring over the years. You are currently under attack in a social war that now must be laid to rest. Whether or not we,the black man and woman,did this to ourselves, or even if this one letter can end it isn’t important. What matters now is that you read this and maybe receive some relief. I know what I am told about you. Many say I should give up on you and move on. According to the CDC black men make up 50.3 percent of all diagnosed cases of HIV, 72 percent of black mothers are unwed and children grow up with absentee fathers, black men are unemployed,under educated, and over incarcerated. Movies showcase you as drug dealers,addicts, or villain. You beat women and kill innocent bystanders. The black man is on the verge of extinction and you caused your own demise. It angers me to see and story of another brother gone due to another black man’s careless decision. To much blood has spilled in concrete jungles. The stupidity of a few has stained your image and name.  Yet, I know you. I know you better than CNN or Fox News could ever know or see. I know this isn’t all you are.

You are amazing in your form. Broad shoulders that carry the hopes of ancestors and the burden of this cruel world. Skin that crosses shades of the deepest black or the lightest of browns. Skin that can be covered in the finest Armani or house scars from work and hustling. Eyes filled with pain that never seems to end. Eyes that want to look into a brighter future. One that doesn’t judge by complexion. Arms that welcome hugs from your children and hold them to cure a nightmare, or lift up boxes from blue-collar jobs. Lips that can give the kiss of life and speak change into millions. Your sex on legs that I can’t get enough of. Your noble in character and a natural-born leader.  When you walk I stare, When you smile I melt, when you talk I listen.

Despite what I am told in press and from headlines I know your worth. In spite of your mistakes I forgive and understand. This world comes down on you. It can make you even hate your reflection at times. But, Black Man I love you. Not just the ones that make millions or play in leagues, not just the ones who captivate stages and stadiums. I love all of you. I love the black man who never gets a segment on TV who never ask for awards. All he wants is to make a life free from discrimination. To be a name not a color. The worker and student, the one’s looking for a second chance on the outside, the thinker with a dollar and a dream, the fathers who fight for visitation, the husband who places his wife on a pedestal. I love all that you are, all you stand for, and all you can be. The day you understand your place in this world will be the day you truly become the king that is within you. .Know that you have a legacy to give. Know that I love you unconditionally.