Thursday, April 10, 2014

Like It or Not... I am still the kid's Dad.

Hey, nobody said being a good dad was easy. But, in America “black fatherhood” is under attack due to the assumption that the American Black male somehow places less value on parenting. In the face of evidence to dismiss the existing assumptions about black dads, there’s resistance from the media to change the conversation. According to recently published new data by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), black dads are just as hands-on when it comes to raising their kids.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Telling Black Men the Truth

Dad often said that the best medicine is the kind which we do not have the taste for. So, I know that this may come as a shock to many, but the American Black Male is not a social calamity needing to be fixed. We do not need politically motivated campaigns "to build ladders of opportunity" (sorry President Obama), nor do we need rudimentary, vague and non-specific ideologies on how we can enact change. We do not need prayer watches or a laundry list of problems beginning with “pulling up your baggy pants.” And, even more importantly, we do not need to be told to take the leadership role in the home and the church. It is time to tell the truth.

Don’t Blame Me for Praying

Often, I hear my critics argue that I should not include prayer as a legitimate part of the success strategy for the American Black male. After all, prayer alone never got any black man across the street. Yet, I am not at all eager to show my critics the positive connections between prayer and success, nor am I enthusiastic to serve as evidence of God' direct activity in anyone’s life. If anything, I need my critics to provoke me to new levels of prayer and trust in my God. Since I can’t make “haters” go away, I’ll do the next best thing and share with you best strategies to effective praying.