Men in Black: Dimensions of a Black Man

   

On Thursday February 9, 2012, I had the pleasure of being on a panel at Eastern Michigan University for a student organization called Black Student Union. The name of the event was "Men in Black: Dimensions of a Black Man."

While I was attending Graduate School at EMU last year, I met Joshua Kennedy, current President of Black Student Union, while he was a candidate for Homecoming King. I was orchestrating the contest for the Homecoming King & Queen Competition and ever since that occurrence, we have just keep in constant contact.

The purpose of the event was to bring together prominent African American men in the Metro-Detroit area to discuss the tools and resources they used to obtain higher education and professional success; despite negative internal and external forces that occur within urban areas. 

The panelist included EMU Alumni Eddie Connor Jr, Anton Chastang (100 Black Men of Greater Detroit, President), Charles Pugh (Detroit City Council President), Arthur Cartwright (Actor, Previously on Detroit 187) and myself. There was also a few other panelist but I was unable to get their names. I really enjoyed being on the panel but wanted to discuss the points that I didn't get to talk about here. I will be brief but felt like I needed an outlet that I could share with people my responses.  

Topics of discussion:

·    - Racial, domestic, and economic adversities faced towards the journey of success.

      Being the only African American and even male sometimes in classrooms, jobs, meetings, etc. has definitely been a challenge for me but I have learned from those experiences and appreciate the fact I was involved in whatever capacity I was in. However, I have felt alone many of times and sometimes can't relate to the subject matter or material simply because of my background. I have embraced these experiences and they have made me the man I am today.    

       I also wanted to address the fact of why I chose BGSU for college. Yeah I had a full ride scholarship and that was ONE of the determining factors for attending but I looked at the entire picture of me going to a PWI (Predominately White Institution) and being African American. I learned so much about myself, other people, other cultures, social norms, life skills, etc. A lot of the skills I have learned inside and outside of the classroom are DEFINITELY transferable and have aided in my educational and professional success.  
 

·     -Ways to combat and overcome said challenges in order to achieve success.

        Be professional 24/7 but have a sense of humor. Having a sense of humor can take you a long way.

       I tend to dress up a lot when I go to work for a number of reasons. I am not saying that I don’t have to dress up at work but I like to because I feel important, have a sense of belonging, and feel like I have a purpose while I am there. I also believe a lot of people pre-judge you before you even open up your mouth and having on a shirt/tie can sometimes make someone change there perception of you. That can also have its pros and cons but I won’t go into that subject matter.

      Don’t play into statistics that we will be late, not well groomed, not professional, etc. Always stay on top of your Ps and Qs and show up early. Ask questions. Follow up with people you meet at an event or program. Stay involved on campus and most importantly, NETWORK! Even if you have a job now, continually stay networking with people inside your field of interest and outside. You never know what can evolve from those relationships. 

·     -How to reestablish the values and morals historically held by black men. (Resilience, resourcefulness, etc.)

        Be resourceful to your friends, family, classmates, co-workers, etc. Be good at more than one thing. Diversify yourself.

         Don’t always depend on other people. Be independent.

         Establish relationships with people you might not normally associate with. You can learn from them and     they could learn from you too. Always be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.

·     

      *Define SUCCESS

      Success can be whatever YOU want. YOU can make it as simple or as complex as YOU want. Only YOU can define YOUR success. 

I I just wanted to share my two cents with you and hope it has provided you with some food for thought. Please feel free to share with others and comment below. Take Care.