If there were promising signs of camaraderie and fellowship brewing among the Brothers in the not-so-distant past, then what’s the cause of the disconnect that runs amok among Black men like a virus in 2015? Although this affects Melanoid people of both genders and all ages on many levels, let us for now focus on Black men’s hesitancy to get on the same page in order to lift Black Society to a respectable level that could possibly even rival the great Ancient African empires such as Mali, Kemet, and Kush. For starters, we have to look at the foolish pride in rugged individualism that many of the Brothers wear like a badge of honor. The narrative of “Doin’ me” is great when a man seeks to build themselves up to be strong for not just themselves, but for their families and communities in the long run. However, this way of thinking has grown to epic proportions in a way that leaves our people ripe for the picking at the hands of white supremacists at every turn…because the warrior class–Melanoid men–has been diluted and stretched thin as we pursue other endeavors that we feel are more worthy of our attention and time, at the expense of the well-being of people who look like us.

Another factor that we must take into consideration is the cutthroat competitiveness that exists among the Brothers. How many times have we witnessed the Brother in school who was the first to get the latest kicks as his less fortune homies with holes in their shoes looked on? How many times have we seen the Brother who gloats that “The grass is greener on the other side”, as he passes up wholesome Sisters in Black Society for a white woman, just BECAUSE she is white, and because none of the Brothers from his old neighborhood ever dated a white woman? This high school star athlete mindset is one of the reasons why Melanoid men are subjugated to wrongful treatment by the dominant society. Other groups do not fear the Brothers in the least bit.

As a Melanoid man myself, I by no means had the intentions of belittling any other Black man, because I realize that there are many who seek to become the best they can be. That being stated, let us as Brothers take a vow to lift each other up at every possible opportunity. Let us as Black men abandon the belief that we’re “jock riding” just because we give another Brother props for accomplishing a constructive goal that they worked hard to accomplish. Let us start to make it a priority to support each other’s businesses, projects, and show respect to one another regardless of what neighborhood we hail from, our skin tone, or educational background. Our women, families, and children are depending on us to return to our rightful places as kings, scholars, builders, and warriors. We don’t necessarily have to all be the best of friends, or live in the same city to implement these progressive changes, but they’re more than possible.

We’re all we’ve got.

by B. Clark