Reflections on African American Men and Masculinity

“A shift in class values occurs in black life when integration comes and with it the idea that money is the primary marker of individual success, not how one acquires money. Adopting that worldview changed the dynamics of work in black communities. Black men who could show they had money (no matter how they acquired it) could be among the powerful. It was this thinking that allowed hustlers in black communities to be seen as just as hardworking as their Wall Street counterparts.” (hooks, 2004, p. 18). 

            It took a long time before I started to connect the men and masculinity GAD readings to the experience of Black men in America. Particularly the experience of African American men. Now that I see it this is all I can think about. Corey and Bannon's (2006) "Gender and Its Discontents" is the chapter that allowed me to see the overlaps between the way masculinities are constructed and how they can oppress and disenfranchise by further stigmatizing those who are not in arms reach of hegemonic masculinities' gold standard: economic independence. This definition of masculinity is too economic for my tastes, but if you look beyond the money you can see the material realities that work to keep Black men stuck in boyhood. In her book and in other writings, bell hooks mourns the situation of Black men while many others express frustration, anger, fear and a host of unproductive sentiments. I remember, as a girl, expressing dissatisfaction with how my male counterparts could not imagine adulthood outside of being a basketball player, a musician/rapper or as some sort of hustler. On TV, that is what it meant to be a Black man. This is what they saw, everyday and so many were not able to imagine much more. The structural barriers to manhood are also very significant: Black men get less education, are the first to loose their jobs in cutbacks, they are more likely to get pulled over and ticketed although they are not committing crimes at a higher rate. While Obama has helped many overcome an unwillingness to imagine Black men as powerful leaders, the double standards and the unconscious biases that Black people must navigate everyday is unchanged, and in some cases it is worse. 
      As I read the Bedford (2007) article I was inspired by the effective role the men took in creating social change and creating awareness around issues that are often labeled "women problems". The project captivated my imagination because it could be applied in other social arenas like race, disability, sexuality and age. Teaching the agents who are cast as the "oppressor" about how their beliefs and actions effect their social unit is so simple yet it is too rare. A lot of what I read about could make a world of difference here in America and I confident that it is effective in GAD projects around the world.