More Black Men Must Embrace Writing as Liberation

If Graduate School hadn’t come knocking on my door in 2014 when it did, I am not sure where I would be at this stage concerning my writing.

Let me give you a little backdrop surrounding my ascent into Graduate school. First and foremost, after spending literally 5 years at ITT-Technical Institute (The now Closed & defunct private College); I recognized the importance of challenging myself intellectually.

Mind you prior to my ascent into ITT-Technical Institute I spent 5 years at an HBCU (Kentucky State University); only to walk away with 92 college credits (Failure in every sense of the word).

I somehow believed that the credits of my HBCU experience would transfer over, and they never did. I found myself trapped in the quagmire of stupidity. Yes, I said stupidity.

Here’s The Caveat (or self-imposed limitations)

I somehow convinced myself that education would cure my yearnings for a better life. Education does do that, but I went about it in the wrong manner.

So, from 2000–2005 and from 2008–2013 I was in Higher Education. Crazy right. Who does that? And for what reason other than getting a high paying job.

Would I trade those experiences? Never> There is something about what I had to endure that made it possible for me to clearly articulate my story.

Believe it or not nothing was wasted in those exchanges of ideas. It took these laborious & wasted experiences (my time, money & self-esteem) for me to gravitate to the library and books in a way I never knew to be possible.

1.96 G.P.A.

I graduated High-School with a 1.96 Grade point average. Yes, you heard that right. I am not afraid to be transparent about my shortcomings in order to show you that things will work out if you will never give up.

So, in the fall of 2013, while I was on my laptop inside of University of Kentucky’s Library (William T. Young), with my black shabby backpack on sitting at a brown table, I see an ad for Liberty University. Bingo!

I will say that the confidence I gained from ITT-Tech which actually felt like a junior college; gave me direction and I ended up graduating in those 5 years with 2 college degrees and a 3.8 G.P. A to boot.

Here Comes the Pen

One the greatest transitions you will ever make from undergraduate to graduate studies is in your communication. It’s not about how smart you are, how many friends you have, or whether you were able to appropriate a scholarship to fund your education.

The transition for me hinged on community, graduate level writing and a work/life balance. After getting into Liberty University as an online student I found myself learning how to write, research and think as a graduate student.

I learned the importance of communication and why as a black man in America, the articulation of our experiences was critical to the “Self-Help” genre of Afrocentric studies.

I started Blogging

After getting a few high scores on my graduate level papers, I begin exploring my gift in a greater degree. I started a blog called “HBCU Enlightened”.

I guess I was playing catch up. I thought to myself why didn’t I start this blog years prior while I was attending an HBCU? Nevertheless, I kept writing although everything I wrote sucked.

It was extremely hard at first, but I never gave up. I then became the victim of information overload because I read everything that was placed in front of my plate; in addition to being a father and full-time student.

I was thoroughly convinced that more learning versus more action would solve my insatiable thirst for the unknown. Now, that I look back on these experiences it more about becoming a black writer, thinker, research, and advocate for Higher Education.

These varied experiences were laying the groundwork for what I now refer to as Professor Brackens. Although, I feel as if I already have my Ph. D its’ in the process of becoming that will one day see the manifestation of my dream as a professor.

More black writers Please

From stuttering my first 3 years in college to a seasoned communicator of my own truths and blogger feels amazing. The reason black men must embrace the pen is because the destiny of millions is trapped up in it.

The root of my shortcomings in life was that I didn’t feel as if I am the thing that I desire. In other words, I wanted the thing (Entrepreneur) without any emotion or feeling attached.

It took me going to graduate school to feel myself as a legitimate writer. I am only writing on medium at this point because “I feel” my lived experiences can help others work out their own shortcomings and mental deliberations.

When I say “more black writers please” its all subjective. I by no means speak to one group of individuals. I am universal in my approach towards educating through my experiences.

If your world is absent of light (black), write from your pain and experiences. The world needs more men and women of color that will speak light into the marketplace.

My light just happened to come from the lens of education.

Final thoughts

Writing is such a powerful narrative. The experiences of black men need to be told in a way that is easy to digest and relatable to the masses. I am glad that God choose me to be who I am and to share my story piece by piece with the world.

Our narratives must flood the marketplace. There is a great need given this pandemic and current depression for more inspirational stories driven by the need to self-actualize.

It’s critical that you embrace the pen in this season. Somebody needs your experiences. It’s a must that we break out of the “Stereotype Matrix” in 2023.

Through the pen I learned that we should separate ourselves from what others think of us. In the end our narratives must flood the marketplace.

Until Next Time…