Regardless of how we choose to identify, we don’t know if we will live to see another day. This sentiment especially holds true for Black males, who often fear a premature death by the hands of others in their community or from a police officer who was hired to “protect and serve.” This reality both upsets and inspires me. I am upset that systemic and individual racism continues to plague communities of color. However, I am inspired by the belief that as long as we possess air in our lungs, a future where all people can realize their full potential is possible.
In his latest book, We Were Eight Years in Power, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates criticizes this spirit of optimism as it relates to former President Barack Obama’s perception of the American people. When Obama occupied the Commander in Chief role, it did not signal the beginning of a post-racial society. Coates discusses how race was central to Obama’s campaign and continued to play a role throughout his terms in office. The fear that Obama would institute White slavery and the neverending requests for his birth certificate are among the facts Coates presents as evidence of the persistence of a racialized America.
In my university classes, I would often begin discussions about post-racialism by highlighting a mutually understood and fundamental observation of the first Black president.
We called Barack Obama the first Black president and not simply another president. This in itself signals that race continued and remains a fabric of US society.
In We Were Eight Years in Power, Coates demonstrates a well-researched history of that racism in the United States and the limited impact that Barack Obama’s presidency had on race relations. Coates also argues that the election of the first White president, number 45, compounds the evidence that race is an epidemic in the United States.
Incomparable to previous presidents, Coates points out, Trump won the 2016 election not due to prior governmental work experiences, but mainly due to his ability to play identity politics. He successfully convinced a significant portion of White America—which included working, middle, and higher income citizens—that his administration would repair the perceived damage inflicted by Obama’s eight years in power. Coates supports this argument with a citation from the Edison poll that indicates Trump’s support from White voters never went below 40 percent in any state during the 2016 election.
I deeply respect Coates’s ability to articulate—through a writing style that often resembles poetry—an understanding of race, racism, and masculinity in the United States. However, I don’t completely agree with everything that he suggests prevents America from being great again. Coates is an intellectual and a wordsmith who makes compelling arguments to support the reality that race continues to reproduce and sustain social inequalities. And yet, I don’t believe that Coates also sees himself as part of the solutions. Indeed, he admits that he is responsible for identifying the problems without joining efforts geared toward possible solutions.
This is where our divide takes place. Again, I have a great deal of respect for Ta-Nehisi Coates. I have read his books, and after seeing the Black Panther film I want to explore the Black Panther comic book series he has authored since 2016 in addition to his new take on Captain America. However, I believe that as a writer it is essential to explain the problems that create and maintain social inequalities and work through other mediums to influence positive changes in our communities.
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I am not undermining Coates contributions. It is important to present the difficult questions for people to grapple with and analyze. It is also my belief that men can actively work and assist in the potential remedies. White supremacy is a powerful system, but I know that I am not powerless. This is not a call to arms. Responding to violence with violence will ultimately lead to more lives lost. But it is a plea to men that we do not allow racism to dictate the potential we possess as individuals and as a community.
I am not simply arguing for individual responsibility, nor that we should ignore racism and just work. I am suggesting that we understand racism and other socially based inequalities as inspirational tools to do more in service for others. For example, this could include mentoring a young person, teaching a course with a social justice theme, or engaging direct protest.
There are multiple ways for men and others to get involved and make a positive impact that can lead toward a more humane and just society.
I say all this while living in Mexico, apart from the Black community in the United States where my family, friends, and comrades still reside. However, I see the entrepreneurial work that I am pursuing as my role in the struggle for liberation. I often travel to the US for speaking engagements in schools and work directly with teachers and students. My current work also involves consulting businesses and coaching individuals in the field of personal development. With each aspect of my business, my goals include making a positive impact in the lives of others.
Like Coates, I am a writer, thinker, and intellectual. I also believe that greatness resides in me, alongside the potential to achieve anything that I desire in life. I am not naïve to think racism can be addressed solely by my efforts with schools, businesses, and individual clients. It will take a unified group to make long-term success attainable for all people. As a personal development advocate, I do believe we must work with individuals—young and aging—to embrace positive self-awareness, the creation of clear and sustainable long-term goals, and to make wise leadership decisions that can aid steps toward equality.
Coates admits he is an atheist. I believe that we divinely arrive on this Earth for a reason. Sure, my faith influences a more optimistic view of life. However, I cannot actively analyze the problems while simultaneously assuming a passive role in other direct actions geared toward positive changes. I must believe that my voice and actions are valuable.
Will freedom and equality for all take place overnight? Absolutely not. Do I think that I have all the solutions? Again, no. But I believe we must do something. I know that somewhere, between Coates and Me, lies the voice of a people who can achieve the impossible.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images