Does anyone still say, “word is bond, kid”? These four words serve as a statement and a question with the intention to separate fact from fiction. In other words, it indicates if you are a man or in general, a person of your word. For example, if someone says I will meet you tomorrow at 3 PM and you want to guarantee they will arrive at the dedicated time, a proper response is, “word is bond, kid.” When I was in high school, I frequently used this expression to validate my comments, actions, and intentions. Occasionally, I still find use for “word is bond” today!
A few weeks after the publication of my book, on May 18, 2018, my mom called and said, “I’m reading your book.” I was thrilled to know she was supporting me by taking the time to read a project I worked on laboriously off and on for three years.
When we talked, she said, “I like what you wrote, but I wish you verified some things with me before sending it to the publisher.” Without an ounce of disrespect or connotation to my mother’s gender, and filled with the sound of humor in my voice, I replied, “word is bond, kid?”
I used the four-word question and statement from my teenage years to validate and question her comment. My book is a series of autobiographical narratives that describe my school experiences from the third grade to graduation from a PhD program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It makes use of a critical race theoretical paradigm to highlight my experiences in school with regards to race and masculinity.
If anyone knew the intimate details of the material when I decided to write the book and seek a publisher, it was me. The book is my story and an attempt to validate the experiences of Black boys and other young men of color as valuable resources to shape school policies and school cultures.
In an era when leaders are abusing their power to destroy policies that can lead to more equitable work and employment environments, my book serves as an important contribution to the field.
In the book’s introduction, I admit that the stories do not reflect a common qualitative or quantitative approach to conducting research. Some of the dialogue that appears in the text comes from my journals and conversations that I have retained from the past two years. There is a portion of the material that comes directly from the memories I retained for over twenty-five years. Yes, these methods do indicate there is a possibility for some errors, but the content is as accurate as I believe possible to reflect the truth of my lived experiences.
Pseudonyms were used to protect the identity of some family members, associates, former teachers, school administrators, and friends. The names of my sisters, parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin that appear in the stories remained unaltered from the draft to the final published version of the text. Despite having the conversation with my family before the book was released, the decision to keep their names did not resonate well with everyone.
If any of my family and friends found their names in the book and you’re reading this response, please understand how important it was to me to keep the content as authentic as possible. Using your name in my book is an act of love and represents the importance of your role in my life!
My mother’s problem with the text included two details, which she pointed out to me. For one, I indicate in the book that she was born and raised in Compton, California. In fact, my mother was born in Long Beach and raised in Compton. Another mistake is that I indicated my grandfather died when falling from a tree and working in his family’s landscaping business. The truth is that he was electrocuted when he stepped in a bucket of water, and a live wire fell to the ground killing him instantly while working at a job for the family business. My great-uncle is the one who fell from a tree while working and therefore spent a significant portion of his life paralyzed in a wheelchair. The story I told in the book is what my youngest sister and I remembered from childhood.
After reading my book, my mother apologized to me for not understanding everything that I was experiencing throughout my journey to adulthood.
From third grade to PhD, there were moments when I didn’t love myself, hated school, fought my peers, disrespected teachers, and did everything possible to distance myself from my parents’ teachings. I told her there was no need to apologize. And in unison, we said, “None of us are perfect parents.” Taking a moment to pause, I replied, “I will write a follow-up for my column. Word is bond, kid.”
If you’re curious about my book, Amazon is now fully stocked, and you can purchase yours today, at this link!
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This post is republished on Medium.
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