Fears of Black Men

Race and color is such a power and pivotal issue in the US today. The racial issues of the country have taken a dramatic turn for the worst, and uptick since 2008. The conclusion of the 2008 election was a turning point of race and racial relations in the US. The Non-Minority American subconscious came out and rebelled against any black or colored. The Non-Minority population showed how fearful they were that an African-American, the first minority, was the face of the most powerful country in the world. Racial tension in the country has gotten worse since the election of Barack Obama into the office of president. For the most part, the general public made the assumption that Obama's winning of the presidency was the great equalizer in the name of race in this country, but we would soon find out that as a country; Americans were still not ready for a person of color or minority as the president. Even to this date 11 years after Obama was elected, we are in the presidency of a self-proclaimed nationalist who has done nothing but talk about blacks, Latinos, immigrants, and the handicapped. In 2015, Donald J. Trump announced that he was running for president and his rallying cry to his voting base was "Make America Great Again." That rallying cry brought all the most racist people out, and all it took was for him to say that he was running for president. Since Trump has taken office, every white nationalist, white supremacist, neo-nazi, or klansmen that has been hiding, has courageously stepped out of the shadows. Charlottesville was a blatant reminder that racism in America is alive and well; especially when the president will not condemn nor call out these groups for what they really are, groups of domestic terrorist organizations.

The ending of Barack Obama's presidency led the American people where we are today. Today, we are a very sensitive, emotional, and racially separated nation. Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and Terrence Crutcher are just reminders that the country was not ready, and has not ever been ready for a minority in office. The general public who is fed by the media is very quick to say that the US is a post-racial society where people can be successful. Some people who grew up in the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s are comparing the racial climate of today to the climate of the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s. During that time period, we saw Emmitt Till murdered, the three Civil Rights Workers killed outside of Philadelphia, MS, The 16th Street Church Bombing of 1963 in Birmingham, AL that claimed the lives of four little girls, the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr in 1965 and 1968, as well as the attempted assassination of Huey P. Newton in 1967 by the Oakland Police Department. One could make the argument that we are not that far removed from that racial climate with all that has happened in the last four to five years.

The main reason that there is so much racial tension is that the media keeps pumping out the narrative that black men are thugs, gangsters, rapists, and the most dangerous men in the country. While the majority white, general public, for the most part, live in rural or suburban communities where very few minorities live. The sad part about this is that these people believe what the mainstream news media tells them as if it is the gospel. The people who have never had any contact with people of color are the most afraid of people of color, especially black and brown men. The unfortunate thing in all of this is that the media has conveniently left out that in black and brown communities, black and brown people are afraid of the police and do not trust them. On that very same note, black men are more afraid of white people than the media would allow being portrayed; which also contributes to the mistrust of police in minority areas as well.

In order for us to be able to live with all these people from different backgrounds; we have to have an honest discourse and discuss the racial history of this country, the false narrative of black and brown men, the denial of the trauma of minorities, and the fears of black men in this country.

The general public learns everything from the media, but what is the reality of minority men. Black men have to live the fear that they could be killed leaving home and never making it back. Then, black men are scared of the police; the very people who have been sworn to protect and serve them. When you are afraid of the people that are supposed to protect you, you just do not feel safe. When you are not feeling safe, or feel anxious, you will feel uneasy, and you are untrusting and protective. These are just a few of the fears of black men.