I seem to hear a lot of discussion lately about manhood, and what it represents, particularly about responsibility and strength. What do you believe an ideal man represents? I propose the following. The Black Man's Creed 1. I must have a personal mission.
My mission is the goal that I spend my life in the pursuit of achieving. Whatever I decide it is, I will dedicate myself entirely towards it, with all resources available to me. My mission must extend beyond my own life, because what I do for myself dies with me but what I do for others lives indefinitely.
2. I must have mental discipline.
I must develop the intellectual fortitude to conquer all challenges. I must learn the difference between book knowledge and practical knowledge, and find balance between the two. I must realize that the only credible knowledge is that which originates in my mind; I do not allow others' perception to influence who I am.
3. I must be responsible.
I realize that I am a steward of my home and my community. Their future is entirely in my hands, and I turn away from things that will bring harm to myself, my family, and my neighbors and countrymen.
4. I must be competitive.
I understand that in the game of life, not purposefully "playing to win" is actually "playing to lose". Each moment in the day is an opportunity to gain an advantage, or to lose ground to those who would see me fail. I condition myself, mentally and physically, to be at peak performance 100% of the time.
5. I must show both strength and compassion.
I must be as a soldier at war - able and ready to fight my own battles, but also prepared to return as a loving provider to my family. I am prepared to help those in need, but not to the point to where they become unable to help themselves.
6. I must be wise.
My words and actions reveal who I am - a man of integrity and discipline. I speak with my own natural eloquence; I never lose my temper or allow my adversaries to control my emotions. I am a role model and a man of knowledge - I speak little but say a lot.
7. I must be free.
I will not be a **** of financial or socioeconomic bondage. I have committed to building a financial foundation for my household. I make wise investments so that my children and their children will never know the feeling of economic disadvantage.
8. I must be strong.
I control my own desires and emotions to create a better life for myself and those around me. I resist laziness, apathy, lust, and ignorance. I confront my personal weaknesses and work daily to break them.
9. I must be truthful.
I am forthright in all of my dealings, but more so I am true to myself. I do not try to fit in or become that which I am not. I define what is good and bad for me, and act accordingly.
10. I must be courageous.
I shall not permit interference in my mission. I will help people who do not deserve it. I will work harder when I don't feel like I should have to work at all. I will strengthen the weak, even if it tests my own strength. I will educate the ignorant even though their ignorance causes them to turn their backs on me. I am not afraid of walking this path alone.
(c) 2003 Jonathan Carter
I am going to show that to my brothers, they can really learn from you.
There is always room for improvement and a little advise to help speed the process.
The code is deep...but more importantly I am not surprised in the answer nor the responses from the black males.
It correlates with the fact that the black males who responded are all in college. THE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE DRILLED IN THE HEADS OF THE BOYS ON THE CORNER!!!!
College is an institution that provides education and cultivates the mind!!!
White man says: deny black males education and watch black society crumble
I totally agree with you. I am not surprised with the answers that all of the Black Brotha's have posted. I believe that these responses are expected from all black males that log on to HBCU-Central, and absolutely nothing less. As a student at Morehouse I find that everyone has dream - simply desire to be somebody of substance. Our dreams not always but usually benefits us as individuals and not the boys on the corners whose dreams are really like ours, to be able to provide for our families (We just choose to pursue it in a different way). We the strong black males who have experience life outside the hood must inform the ones who believe that FAST or EASY Money really isn't that is also temporary the streets have been around forever and no can beat them. Everything comes at price if it is worth something of substance. From my experience we as the future leaders talk a very good game about responsibility without accountability or liability. We seem to forget that We Are OUR Brothers KEEPERS.
It's nice to hear and talk about this topic because at Howard, there has been these ongoing forums on black manhood, one of which I go to for the Division of Fine Arts. We have disccusions on these sort of issues and the issues that affect us as artists. It was essential and meetings of such should happen not in just the arts but it should be happening all around. I believe that this creed should start at elementary school because I have seen young boys who are as young as 7 years old act as if they were grown. If anywhere, I think organizations on college campuses should implement this in the mentoring and tutoring programs that they work for. Not every black male will listen but at least you are giving them something to work with.
