What Now? What Else? What Next?
“Resilient people develop a mental capacity that allows them to adapt with ease during adversity, bending like bamboo instead of breaking. They possess a set of powerful traits.” Author Faisal Hoque In other words when it comes to people of African descent, “We bad!” The best scriptwriter. The best book writer. The best palm reader. Nobody could have foreseen the year 2020. And it’s not over!As people of African descent we looked forward with apprehension to another year of our men dying while Black, whether from police brutality or one of the many illnesses contributing to the life span gap that exists between Black people and others. We hoped that the old car would limp through another year, because our zip code would guarantee that we would pay more to finance a new one.
And Lord don’t let me have to buy another house. They say that interest rates are at an all time low, until I walk through the door.
And then COVID-19 hit. China, Europe, U.S. Africa, Carib-bean and everywhere else. While we were initially misled about it’s reach and severity, I think we knew.
There’s a saying “When white America gets a cold, Black America gets pneumonia.”
Somehow, somehow we knew what was in store for us. Plagued with every underlying condition known to modern medicine, we had to know.
So we did what the experts said to do. We sorted through the conflicting messages. We sheltered in place, as best we could. We retreated to survival mode. A familiar place for us.
And then they said that Black people were dying at a fast-er rate than others. The political conversation got uglier. COVID-19 became racial. Mask wearing became a political decision.
When the virus first hit for a split second there was a na-tional camaraderie. A kind of we’re all in this together type of spirit. But Black people knew that wouldn’t last.
And it didn’t.
We faced a pandemic already in trauma. In February
Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia…Shot by white predators while jogging.
Next Breonna Taylor…Shot by Louisville police while sleeping.
And then George Floyd, kneed in the neck by a white policeman in Minneapolis. I’m still not sure what, if anything, he was doing to attract police attention.
Let’s just say he was a Black man walking, talking and breathing while Black.
And America finally paid attention. And as of this writing they’re still paying attention.
Meanwhile, in Black America, we’re just waiting to see the outcome. But we’ve got to do more than that. We’ve got to grab hold of the controls and bring this runaway train to a halt.
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Entertainment, Health & Heritage to Build and Thrive
The South Side Drive magazine is published by Real Men Charities, Inc. The organization’s mission is Building Healthy Families and Communities. The magazine is designed to be a catalyst for economic development, reflecting a truthful image and examples that demonstrate the art of living. We seek to share the Good News about Chicago’s south side and Black culture and serve as the Guide to the Good Life in our city. We are placemakers and keepers of the culture.
Children are forgiving. They need
you to teach them and help them,
just to know you care, according
to the men with which I interact,
just knowing that you are there
within reach makes a world of
difference, not money, not Nike
shoes, just you.
How?
Fathers connected to your children, pull them close. Virtually grab a few who are disconnected from their fathers and see if you can’t relieve some of the trauma. Disconnected dads, come back.
Children are forgiving. They need you to teach them and help them, just to know you care, according to the men with which I interact, just knowing that you are there within reach makes a world of difference, not money, not Nike shoes, just you. Teach them how to survive in the classroom. Teach them how to sur-vive the streets. Google “parenting” and get rid of any out-dated thinking Teach them how to survive the police. Teach them how to survive economically. Teach them.
Let’s all take control of our lives. Figure out and develop the skills we need to survive the 21st century and beyond. I love what we at Real Men Charities are doing every Sunday. Many of the sessions which are in year two are for men only, and some
Eat healthier. Put fewer toxins in
our bodies. Stop self-medicating. Get
enough rest, and make sure our children have bed times. Read bed-time
stories. Children need to go to bed in
peace and feeling loved. That’s new
school, to create the best chance of
survival.
are for families. Please check them out. We run ads for this pro-gramming in every issue of this magazine.
Eat healthier. Put fewer toxins in our bodies. Stop self-med-icating. Get enough rest, and make sure our children have bed times. Read bed-time stories. Children need to go to bed in peace and feeling loved. That’s new school, to create the best chance of survival. Discuss what peace looks like, no matter how corney the children say that may be, believe me, that is what they will remember when they are 40, beyond the dicipline and disappointments life will surely deliver. Go to the doctor regu-larly. That lump will not be prayed away.
Get a better understanding about how your body works. Bad dental hygiene affects your heart. Calluses on your feet can affect blood circulation in your legs, which yes, can affect your heart. Healthy bodies, lead to healthier minds. Seek peace at every opportunity. Stress kills.
Pray for others before you pray for yourself. You might be surprised at the outcome.
These are all things that we can control.
Slavery ensured that the descendants of slaves would all suffer from PTSD to one degree or another.
Going forward we need to live our lives as if all we have to depend on are other Black people, Black business and be cham-pions for the relief of our trauma and mutual healing. For real though.
Special Invitation from Real Men Charities, Inc.: Please join us Monday, June 15 for a special Zoom conversation during the #MOBEMonday series. Check in at www.MOBESymposium. com and register to attend The Invisible Men Revealed: Real Men Cook, Black Men Engaged as Fathers & Leaders.
Also, on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, please join us by checking in at www.RealMenCharitiesInc.org for our Global Digital Real Men Cook event. You will want to register or down-load the station’s app . Hosted by 95.1 FM Radio’s Ramonski Luv and a host of others. You bring the food and we’ll feed your soul with the best conversation we can ever have at a time such as this. This is Men’s Health Month, let’s make it mean something and change some things. Up to now Chicago has not been very healthy. From this local brand and event, going global on Father’s Day, we aim to make a difference and would love to have you as part of the crusade to do so.
