June 19, 2007 @ 12:16 pm

Black + Male = Hope?

John Kennedy

"We Gon' Make It." This was the chant Kevin Powell led in downtown Brooklyn Friday night, to open his three-day conference on being Black and Male in America. But while the Jadakiss-inspired intonation echoed from the brick walls and stained glass windows of Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church, the words of Powell's keynote address would sit in my mind long after the church emptied. "We... Gon'... Make It" While attending my alma mater, Howard University, I've seen no shortage of discussions and roundtables about the issues ailing African American males. High incarceration rates, low graduation rates - we've heard all the statistics before. But unlike most of these panels, which usually end up being rants about problems with few proposed solutions, Powell's conference challenged the attendees to proactively change for the better. Powell - an activist, writer, former VIBE editor and director of the conference - laid out plans for individual improvement, which included building political awareness and cultural knowledge, and laying a spiritual foundation. The following day, panelists spoke about mentoring the youth, methods of economic empowerment, and positive personal health habits. Powell didn't pull no punches; he never promised to provide all of the answers, but he surely started participants on the path for betterment as a people. "Your God... is going to ask you, 'What did you do with your life? Who did you try to help? Who did you try to empower? Or was your life just about material acquisition and status and resume?' No, brothers, it's got to be about change."
-Kevin Powell I exited Powell's powerful keynote speech feeling uplifted, inspired, enlightened. But unlike past motivational speeches I've attended, the sentiment was actually lasting. That's probably because to me, Kevin Powell isn't just another influential Black male voice; KP is that dude. The Black American dream. He's conquered the highs and lows that life's thrown at him and grown from a fatherless child living in poverty to a renowned author and revered public speaker. And with all of his success, he's held it down in the 'hood, personally mentoring a number of young Black males. What makes Powell most appealing, though, is that he undeniably represents hip-hop. For so many young Black males, hip-hop plays as a soundtrack for life's struggles and triumphs. Seeing a figure like Powell emerge with music as his salvation makes the prospect of actively bringing about change seem all the more plausible. And at the still-young age of 41 (hey, 40's the new 30), he's still someone that teens can relate to. "Anytime I saw an older Black man, he didn't even know how I was just watching him, learning how to fix my tie, how to fix my jacket, how to walk, how to talk, because I was like, 'I need a father!'... It hurts."
-Kevin Powell The critical topic of fatherhood was an issue stressed during the conference, which was deliberately scheduled for Father's Day weekend. Powell's touching testimony about his lack of a pop dukes growing up really hits home. The often-thought-but-rarely-shared words provided comfort in the fact that the fatherless are not alone. And this is such a key issue today; as of 2004, 56 percent of Black homes are single-parent households, a majority of which are headed by mothers, according to a 2005 Census Bureau report. It's real out here for the "Laffy Taffy" generation and we've all got to be there for the young'uns coming up now. Of course, Powell stressed the importance of caring for your own, but as Ed Lover stated earlier in the evening, it takes a community to raise a child. Just as the bowtie-sporting Nation of Islam icons set an example for Powell, it's our responsibility to be an archetype for others growing up without a male presence. Helping out at an after-school program, coaching a sports team or just dropping knowledge on the young people we see on the daily are all ways we can make a difference in someone's life. "Hip-hop was created to be about life, about being visible, and it has been turned into death and sold back to us."
-Kevin Powell Before the end of the conference, Powell urged all attendees to meet and exchange information with at least four others in attendance. It was amazing how quickly the usual ice grills melted to reveal pleased-to-meet-you smiles and eager handshakes. Shocking, even. It seems that Black males are either constantly competing with each other, or jealously plotting to take from those who have attained success. Perhaps the latter was the motive in the murder of talented up-and-coming rapper Stack Bundles last week. The growing violence in the hip-hop community is even more reason for assemblages like the Black and Male in America conference, which promote unity and set brothers on the same course with the same agenda. Unification is key. And as Powell stated, right now "We can ill-afford to diss each other." "Music was the one thing that sustained us... "
-Kevin Powell And sometimes things seem hopeless both on and off the radio. But when times are hard on the boulevard, I'll just play back those four powerful words in my head. "We... Gon'... Make It!"

Article tags: Black, Male, Hope 

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