The Tragedy
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown’s life ended. I remember the exact moment when I heard the news and saw the video images of his body face down on the street in Ferguson, Missouri. My wife told me while I was sitting outside my two sons’ daycare. They were one and two years of age at the time. A mix of emotions ran through me that included: anger, rage, concern, and fear. I decided that day I needed to do something.
I felt compelled to respond. As a Black man, father to two sons, a mentor to boys of color, and an academic who studied the impact of racism, I had a surplus of reasons to find a role in the resistance movement. In the moments after learning of Brown’s death, I sent an email to several of my friends who were activists, husbands, scholars, and fathers.
“How are we going to respond?” I asked them. One reply stood out among others. It was simple. “Let’s continue to put in the work that we are doing in our community.” Put in the work. That message guided some critical decisions and actions in the days, weeks, and months to follow.
Out of fear that I wouldn’t return home, my wife urged me not to go to Ferguson in the aftermath of the homicide. She was concerned about the protests and the reported violence that activists confronted. After listening to her rationale and the recommendation from one of my comrades, I decided to remain in Chicago and do what I could with local resources.
I participated and helped organize marches focused on bringing more awareness to police brutality and influencing local changes. In addition to the protests, I engaged more conversations with my students about the experiences of boys and young men of color.
From a Young Man’s Tragedy to Creativity
The murder of Michael Brown, protests, and conversations with others about the experiences of Black males also led me to channel my mix of emotions into the creative process of writing a book. For the past three years, I have been working diligently to uncover the content that best illustrates my experiences as a Black male born in America. In some ways, writing the book has been therapeutic for me, because it has required an inner exploration of my childhood, adolescence, and adult experiences.
Selecting the personal stories that I share in the book required me to be transparent about intimate experiences with race, racism, notions of masculinity, and the construct of gender. I discuss growing up as the only brother to five sisters, the son of a Pentecostal minister, and the apple of my mother’s eye.
Some sections explore the challenges I endured in school that included school suspensions and failed courses—from experiences in the third grade to difficulties I encountered in graduate school to earn a doctoral degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Education.
I believe the book represents an accurate depiction of my background to this point.
From Tragedy to Creativity to You!
Last week, I finally signed the contract for my book to be published. I considered the self-publishing, hybrid, traditional, and academic publication routes. However, with the primary and secondary audiences of the book likely being teachers and students, I decided to go with an academic option. It is seemingly the best way to get my book into schools and to increase distribution among my intended audience. The contract took nearly six long months to secure, but with gratitude, we agreed to the terms and conditions on Tuesday of last week.
The final version of the book is due January 10, 2018. I do not have a release date, but as soon as I do, I will share that information in my column. This week, I worked on revisions and came across this sentence:
Too often many young men who are kissed by the sun and hugged by melanin at birth, are forced to succumb to structural inequalities and socially constructed identities.
The book would not have been made possible without my experiences as a Black male, an intrinsic desire to make a positive impact in the lives of other boys and young men of color, and the ability to channel my anger and self-discipline toward the creativity within me.
When was the last time you were upset? How did you manage your emotions? Leave a response in the comments.
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Photo Credit: Getty Images
