“Many females of this generation have ‘no order’ so they cannot relate to how a woman is supposed to conduct herself;”
“I’m all for protecting Black women that deserve my protection; most Black women don’t deserve my protection;”
“That’s a worldwide lie that they (Black women) are not protected. We (Black men) need protection from they a$$…they call the police knowing it’s a chance sh*t can go left;”
“Women are the ones who are filing for divorce close to 80 percent of the time, not men, thus breaking up the family structure;”
“Women have contributed nothing to the world, nothing!”
Criticisms and challenges in public articles regarding Black men:
“Black men most likely to leave women of their own race:” (PBS: American Love Stories Featured Posts);
“As a light-skinned Black man, I prefer light-skinned women. Am I a racist?” (Quora);
“Black women marry less than others, and it’s even worse for darker-skinned Black women;” (The Guardian);
“Sorry, you seem nice and all, but I’m just not into Black girls;” (34th Street Magazine);
“Society Thinks Black Girls are Ugly;” (The Harvard Crimson);
“The Love is unlikely to be returned;” (Voice Online).
A poll of 1,100 African Americans from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health asked respondents between the ages of 18 and 49 about whether they were seeking long-term relationships.
They found a significant gender skew among Blacks. The majority of respondents, 57 percent, were not interested in seeking long-term relationships, and more women than men are opting out of seeking those relationships as a goal.
There is a famous quote bandied about recently attributed to the late, great Malcolm X: “The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” Basically, increasing numbers of Black women are feeling left out and disrespected.
One of the factors that contributes to this mindset is related to the high number of Blacks raised in single-parent households where there is reduced experience related to intact families. This leads to the development of low expectations in women who come from these homes.
No matter what side of the fence you find yourself on regarding the issue of Gender Wars, there is an extreme imbalance in our communities. The resulting dysfunction can be seen in crime statistics, inadequate educational access, poverty, homelessness, and just about any other problem that the Black community faces.
Who is responsible for this predicament? Men are pointing fingers at women, blaming them for the dysfunction, and women are pointing fingers at men. The truth is probably somewhere in between. It’s certain, however, that if the community is to heal, it will take all hands on the proverbial deck to fix things.
It has been said by some observers that gender problems tend to be bellwethers of the demise of a civilization. It is the calm before the storm; the harbinger of doom. We are truly in the throes of a struggle in this regard, and it will be important for the Black community to come together in an attempt to offset this malevolent trend. We cannot delude ourselves into thinking that we can ignore the problem and it will just go away.
We must face this gender-related problem, though admittedly a complex one, head on!
One difficulty that must be overcome is that “gender roles” might need to be modified. There may have to be families where women take on roles traditionally reserved for men, i.e., as breadwinners. They may not be able to be the traditional stay-at-home moms expecting men to carry all of the weight. And men must become flexible and not be intimidated by the strong women that will result from this scenario.
The focus should be on BLACK PARTNERSHIPS of an egalitarian nature where mutual respect is evident. Self-love is needed for healing. And finally, Black men and women must learn to love each other regardless of skin tone. Hopefully, we can evolve in this regard. A Luta Continua.
(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)
About Post Author
