identify with their sensitive side without being ridiculed by their peers. It’s okay for black boys to have joy. It’s okay for black boys to shine!
It’s okay for our black men to show a woman affection without being labeled “corny” or “feminine”. We need to stop questioning their manhood when they decide to act outside of this hypermasculinity box.
We need to allow our black men to hug other black men and feel embraced by their masculinity. We need to allow our black men to outwardly and openly grieve and be comforted.
We need to allow our black men the right to tell another man, “I Love You” and mean it.
We must allow our black fathers to kiss their black sons so that those black sons grow up to be responsible and loving black fathers.
This hypermasculinity narrative was written about us, for THEM.
It’s been time to write our own.
We need to allow black men the freedom to be, Black. Because black is fearless. Black is brave. And black is the audacity to DREAM when the world expects us to be a nightmare.
Abril Green (Edwards) is an author, spoken word artist & motivational speaker; founder of #BumpyButNotBlocked Ministries & Spoken WorDship where she spits “Poetry with A Purpose”. Currently a Literacy Interventionist at Chicago Public Schools, Abril believes “the greatest relationship outside of Man and His Higher Power, is between a Pen and HER Paper.”