The popular belief among Melanoid people here in the States is that our women can assume two parental roles, of both mother and father, and this has caused a rift within our family structure. Another disturbing occurrence in Black Society is to witness a terrible double standard. This double standard consists of heaping praise upon Melanoid women just for the simple fact that they gave birth to a child, while ignoring the irresponsible acts of some mothers in Black Society who fall short of properly bringing up their children. Meanwhile, Melanoid men who might have the burning desire to raise their children and be heavily involved in their children’s lives are often kept away from their children in the form of highly restrictive child support laws, vindictive mothers, and racism/white supremacy. In the process, he is severely punished by the court system, publicly ridiculed by his community, and unfairly suffers from a damaged reputation as a Black father. The aforementioned factors are a result of the all-out war on Melanoid men, which in most cases is more severe than the war on Melanoid women and children.

One month after the Mother’s Day celebrations, it is intended for the fathers to be honored on Father’s Day in June. However, many of us have now seen the social media posts in recent years that read something like: “Happy Father’s Day to all of the REAL fathers out there.” For the sake of this particular topic, why isn’t the same commentary given to the mothers of Black Society? Isn’t there an obligation in Black Society for both “real” Black fathers AND mothers to be present in order to serve as the strong foundation of our families? Are Black fathers so inherently immoral that they can only receive praise with strings attached?

Although we as Melanoid people in this society face a common enemy–the system of racism/white supremacy–we must be mindful that our internal bickering in regards to our fathers and mothers must be resolved, because the children have been suffering the most in this process. We must also realize that people in the dominant society are entertained by our excessive celebration of Black mothers and shaming of Black fathers at every opportunity possible. Both parents serve a role in their children’s lives, and while it is admirable that we feel that we must take the time to celebrate our mothers today, let us do the same for our fathers (in the event of special occasions such as Father’s Day) in an equally loving and authentic way.

by B. Clark

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