John F. Kennedy High School
The Black Man as seen through my eyes is one of the most misunderstood species in this world.
Many people from different ethnic backgrounds have stereotypes about the black man. We are seen as gangstas, murderers, drug dealers and pimps. The media doesn't help the cause by portraying my gender as being violent, uneducated and unemployed.
For example, the coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial has perpetuated the age-old fear of black men posing a threat to white women. Elected officials like Senator Bob Dole blame rap music -- mainly written and performed by black males -- for `torturing and mutilating women' as well as `killing policemen and rejecting law.'
The daily struggle that I have to go through as a black man is just making it through a day alive. Getting up thinking about if today will be my last day here on earth. Wondering if I will be shot today. Proving to employers that I'm just as hard working as the next man and can do the job even though the stereotype is that I'm lazy and would rather make my money illegally. Trying not to fit the description that the police are always looking for: six-foot black male, about 150 pounds, and between the ages of 16-20.
Trying to present myself as a friendly and harmless person when walking past another ethnic group who holds on tight to their packages or anything of value in their hand. Trying not to fall into the stereotype that all blacks are cold and dangerous even though growing up in the ghetto will make Mr. Rogers turn into a monster and make Godzilla look like Barney.
My many experiences as a black man trying to overcome the game of this cruel society has been trying to keep as still as possible during a robbery at my job where I saw my whole life flash inside the barrel of a .38.
Trying to convince the police that they have the wrong man as a suspect in a robbery while I'm on my way home from school. Proving people wrong time and time again that I can succeed in life instead of failing and being another statistic.
I wrote this article because I wanted to make a statement that not all of those stereotypes are true about the black man. For example, I graduated from one of the roughest schools in Richmond -- John F. Kennedy High. I don't have any children, I'm not on drugs, I don't own a gun and I don't have a criminal record.
I, as a black man, have to thank God every night for just letting me survive another day in this world. Many of my friends haven't been so blessed. Many have been killed or incarcerated.
Some have decided to drop out of school or spend their time in a cloud of marijuana smoke. I decided not to go that route. I was blessed to have a dominant mother in my life who kept me straight, tearing down the stereotype that single mothers can't raise black males.
The black man is amazing when he excels in something other than sports and entertainment. The black man has showed many times his ability to excel in a variety of fields. Dr. Charles Drew in the discovery of plasma; Robert Maynard, the first black publisher of a major newspaper; Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court Justice and Gen. Colin Powell, the first black to hold the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest military office held by a black man -- these are just some of them.
Growing up as a black man is a challenge that every black man must go through. Surviving in a society that is labeled `white,' striving to reach the top of the mountain called success, but repeatedly getting kicked back down. Trying to have a poker face when the employer tells you `not enough qualifications for the job,' or `we aren't hiring at this time,' and my favorite: `you're overqualified for the job.'
Black males are repeatedly getting kicked in the face and denied because the stereotypes and fear of their race. If people would take the time and ask questions about the black man there wouldn't be so many stereotypes going around. The black man is a hard-working species that has a lot of pride about himself and his race. No matter how many times the black man is denied for jobs, or stereotyped wrongly, the black man keeps rising to the surface of excellence.