Ode to Future Generations — The Brotherhood of Awesome

dear black children,

Young black men. Young black women.
Black children. Black boys. Black girls.
Single mothers. Single fathers. Married couples. Mixed babies. People of color. All y'all.
I just want to say:
You are beautiful. You are wonderful. You are talented. You are powerful. You are adored. You are everything.

All these things you already know but you can't hear them often enough.

You possess within you the ability to do great things and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to speak these words—to share these thoughts and feelings with you out loud. I think them. I feel them. I know them. But today, I feel compelled to share them. Maybe, in part, because society might expect less of me. Society might expect me to be too hard or too illiterate or too absentee or too incarcerated or too impoverished or too strung out to do so. But, for the grace of God, the universe, my parents, family, friends, teachers, mentors, and other factors contributing to my upbringing, I am none of these things. So many of us are none of these things. It seems so obvious but, perhaps, it's not. And I'm now discovering the best way to combat the negative portrayals of black men like me is to use my voice to dispel the myths.

It is my responsibility. It is my honor. It is a privilege to remind you and, at the same time, me of your (our) infinite potential.

The world is a great place and human beings are inherently good. Hard to believe sometimes when you look around, but I believe this to be true.

History cannot be undone but behavior can be unlearned. And, no matter how old or smart or good we may be, each of us—every human—can stand to do better.

Change takes time and requires action, commitment, and contributions from all of us.

We may be entitled to more than we have, but we are not entitled to more than others. We are not immune from accountability. We are not free from our own prejudices. We are, however, very much a part of this country and the world and, even though it may not often feel like it, our presence is deeply influential and we matter so very much. This is the truth, no matter if and how vehemently someone—anyone—tries to tell you otherwise.

It hurts to be mistreated, misunderstood, left out, and persecuted, especially when all you're trying to do is exist, provide, be yourself, and fit in. But someone will always be there trying to tear you down and pick you apart, trying to tell you why you'll never succeed or get out or amount to anything. Always. Because that's just how people are. Not all people, but those troubled, riddled, plagued, and haunted by their own insecurities. I think it's a much better use of one's time to put one's energy into positive things, but not everyone shares that perspective and not everyone thinks that's good for them, me, or even you. I encourage you to let that remain their challenge and not make it yours. You alone know what you're capable of and nobody's negativity can stand between you and whatever you're meant to be.

As a community, we must continue to move forward. We can march. We can boycott. We can sit in. We can protest. But we must remain optimistic and objective. We have work to do as well. We cannot fault others alone for their ignorance while perpetuating ignorance of our own. We cannot fault others for stereotyping while spreading stereotypes of our own. We cannot make sweeping generalizations. We cannot talk of the future we desire while clinging to old habits that will keep us where we are and where we've been. We cannot assume that color is always the main link or divider between us. In some cases, it is. In others, it is not. In my book, a shared set of morals, values, interests, beliefs, and loves trumps color any day. But that's just me.

Our blackness is a part of who we are. But it is far from all that we are, and within the context of blackness, every line of thinking exists. If you're black, and you're reading this, my blackness is different than your blackness which is different, on some level, from any other black person's blackness. And it's okay. In fact, it's more than okay. It's what makes us unique as black people and as human beings. Calling one another out on our blackness, or lack thereof or overabundance, is a form of judging and just one more way to stay separated. It's also, in most cases, a waste of time, breath, and energy—to make someone feel less a part of some club than others. To what end? So, I don't encourage it. But I do acknowledge it happens all the time. Not constructive.

My mother was a high school music teacher who would fail kids in her class if they turned in a paper riddled with bad grammar. And, for this, I applaud her. She was a music teacher. But first and foremost, she was an educator. Setting a child off into the world ill-prepared for what he or she would face would have been doing them and her and her school the ultimate disservice. It was her job to teach them right from wrong and steer them toward success in life as much if not more than success in voice or music theory.

My parents grew up in rural North Carolina, pre-Civil Rights Movement and during Jim Crow. They lived through the worst of the worst. Yet, they never harbored any resentment toward white people. They always cultivated an environment of love and inclusion. To this day, that fact remains.

They both sit atop my list of role models and I realize now that I, too, can serve as somebody's role model. And I will never be good at doing this by pretending to be someone or something that I am not. I'm not hood. I'm not street. I'm not a player. I'm not a baller. But I am proud. And I am curious. And I am open. And I love to write. And I love to create. And I love to connect.

I love when worlds collide. I don't much enjoy seeing them stay separate. But again, that's just me. And I'm entitled to be me. And you're entitled to be you. Just be as excellent and honorable a you as you can be.

People make unfair assessments of one another. We all do. Consciously. Subconsciously. None of us is perfect and we can't censor our thoughts. But we can influence conduct and be leaders, shining examples, and catalysts for change. Real change. Not rules, legislations, amendments on paper, and reengineered systems masquerading as change. Real change.

Blackness is too big and too powerful and too deep and complex to distill down to one line of thought, speech, movement, dress, or expression. We cannot assume that our blackness makes us identical because it does not. It connects us in a way that no one else will completely understand but they, too, have their connections and we all share so much more in common.

We will do ourselves a great favor if we can see that creativity and inspiration and innovation are the universal connectors. Art and music and dance and food and writing. If you listen to any influential hip hop artist's album, you will hear loops, licks, lyrics, and samples not from other hip hop artists but from the Beatles, Flock of Seagulls, Portishead, Dylan, Queen, and others you may never have heard of or would likely never consider. Black artists looking to white artists for inspiration? White artists looking to black artists for inspiration. It's been happening since the dawn of time, and it's not a competition. If you look at black visual artists' work, you will see influences from Norman Rockwell, Warhol, Edward Hopper, and Juan Miro. And vice versa. Black influences white influences black influences brown influences beige influences tan influences pink, purple, red, yellow, and so on, all the way down and across the spectrum. Excellence emulates and champions excellence, as it should be.

Soul food influences Cajun food influences TexMex influences Continental influences Asian fusion influences French influences gastropub influences BBQ influences soul food. And that's how it is. And that's how we mix. And that's how we grow. And that's how our worlds collide. And that's how we merge. And that's how we get along.

So, in closing? Be who you are. Never make excuses for your work. Focus on what you can achieve and not on what opportunities are not coming your way. Work hard. Be nice. Stand up for what's right. Things may not be fair. But we have come a long way and it's resilience and perseverance and knowledge that move us forward and intellectual capital that creates financial wealth and allows us to level the playing field. Be as excellent as you can. Write well. Speak clearly. Speak up. Speak out. Listen. Listen and learn.

Brilliance and transcendence and enlightenment are the keys.

All these things you already know but you can't hear them often enough.