Richard Taylor wants his black brothers to know that they’re royalty.
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Dear black brothers, I’m going to say one thing to you right now: MAN UP. Man up, not because you’re not masculine enough, but because we have personalities that are teaching women to think like us, and the majority of us don’t know the difference between males and men.
So in order to man up, we have to analyze what being a man is truly about. For so long we’ve been force fed ideas and images on what a man is, but now I’m realizing that we have been lied to … over and over again. We have been told by society, our favorite rappers, and some of us by our parents, that manhood is about being tough, f*cking women, never crying, getting money over b*tches, breaking hearts and not snitching. As I reflect on these ideas, I see that they’re the furthest thing from the truth.
These aren’t the ways of men; these are just character traits of a male. You might think to yourself: “What is the difference?”… I thought the same thing when I first heard this. But then I read “Vision for Black Men” by Dr. Na’im Akbar and he defined a male as “simply a piece of flesh hanging six inches below the navel”.
Usually when a male sees a man, he sees power, intelligence and all of the other traits that are more visual to the eye and socially accepted by his peers. But what he fails to see are the true habits of a man, like integrity, truthfulness, humility, honesty, faith, love, boldness and compassion.
A man is habitual in his actions and decisions; he moves with a purpose greater than himself. He’s concerned about the betterment of the people around him. A man never flaunts his manhood, because kings know when they’re in the presence of other royalty.
Black brothers, you are not what the world says you are. You are more than the selfish, violent, unfaithful, sex driven beast that the media portrays you to be. But it’s up to you to break that mindset and stop being brainwashed by temporary foolishness … it’ll lead to a lifetime of anguish and defeat. You’re a king! You were created with power that can’t be matched and potential that can’t be measured! You have to believe it and stop taking the male way out! It’s time for us to assume our calling as real men and stop living in the shadows as a dangling piece of flesh six inches below the navel.
Thanks for reading.
B.O.L.D member Richard Taylor, considered the voice of Chicago, is a best-selling author and motivational speaker.
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I am so glad to have read this! My mind is boggled by society’s consumption and addiction to the portrayal of black men as hyper-sexual and dangerous. It frustrates me to no end. I hate to be a conspiracy theorist but I see white patriarchy dangling $ signs in front of young, black men encouraging the performance of these stereotypes.
Yes, good point. Have you seen Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes? Such a good documentary on that subject.