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 Roots to Rap
Rahiel Tesfamariam
Columnist Page
Friday, November 12, 2004; Page 18
The Shackles of Thug Life
Streets here in the District that are paved with drugs, guns and prostitution are neatly tucked away behind the beauty of the Monument and the Capitol. Tour buses avoid the neighborhoods where residents live below the poverty line and tourists never hear the Chelsea Cromartie and Valencia Mohammed stories.
This country has done a wonderful job of painting the District’s landscape as a pristine utopia filled with politicians. But right here in D.C., as in so many cities throughout America, young Black men are struggling to fit in a world that is trying so hard to hide their existence. The tragic truth is that many of these brothers face an internal enemy far greater than the enemies that meet them on the streets everyday.
It just takes an open eye and an alert mind to recognize that nations throughout history have done everything in their power to destroy the Black man, which equates to a destruction of the Black family. As a result, so many of our men walk through life with false notions of masculinity.
Because society tells them that it’s not okay to be vulnerable, they are doing everything in their limited power to avoid giving off any sign of weakness. They latch on to things that make them appear to be more of a man, which often times means money, weapons and sex. But who ever said that being a man was defined by the size of your wallet, the heat in your pocket and the women on your list?
So many of them have convinced themselves that the struggles faced by their generation (my generation) are new and unknown to the world. But read Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”, Carter G. Woodson’s “The Miseducation of the Negro”, and Malcolm X’s “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” Research to find out who Mumia Abdul Jamal is and who Marcus Garvey was. Pay close attention to Ray Charles’ experiences of racism in “Ray”. Walk into your local Nation of Islam mosque or listen to any one of Farrakhan’s speeches. The struggle for Black men in America didn’t start yesterday; it’s written all over the faces of men past, present and future.
Many of us can see beyond the façade and recognize that many of these men who pretend to care nothing for the world and what’s in it are in actuality battling tremendous insecurities and a dangerous lack of confidence. Realization of self-worth is what prevents one from committing a crime, realizing that you have much more to offer the world than the bare minimum that it expects from you.
In my opinion, the desire to rebel and deviate from the norm is not courageous if it is without purpose; stepping out on faith to be better than what your surroundings dictate is the greatest act of rebellion. There are so many who crave something to numb the pain– whatever that pain may be- but no amount of drugs or sex can fill a void that you have to confront, tackle and put an end to.
I ask you to reflect on the following statement from a man who once murdered innocent people: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Paul saw that being a man is far greater than being what your mind and body tells you that you should be; he realized that it’s also what your heart screams for you to be.
For Rahiel Tesfamariam send email to rahielt@washingtoninformer.com.
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