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The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life, by Kevin Powell
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Author and activist Kevin Powell and contributors Lasana Omar Hotep, Jeff Johnson, Byron Hurt, Dr. William Jelani Cobb, Ryan Mack, Kendrick B. Nathaniel, and Dr. Andre L. Brown tap into the social and political climate rising in the African American community with this collection of essays for Black males on surviving, living, and winning.
The Black Male Handbook answers a collective hunger for new direction, fresh solutions to old problems, and a different kind of conversation—man-to-man and with Black male voices, all of the hip hop generation. The book tackles issues related to political, practical, cultural, and spiritual matters, and ending violence against women and girls.
The book also features an appendix filled with useful readings, advice, and resources. The Black Male Handbook is a blueprint for those aspiring to thrive against the odds in America today.
This is a must-have book, not only for Black male readers, but the women who befriend, parent, partner, and love them.
- Sales Rank: #111914 in Books
- Brand: Powell, Kevin (EDT)/ Harper, Hill (FRW)
- Model: 4041175
- Published on: 2008-09-09
- Released on: 2008-09-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.44" h x .70" w x 5.50" l, .55 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 244 pages
About the Author
Kevin Powell, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, is the author or editor of eleven previous books. He is a native of Jersey City, New Jersey. Thanks to a college financial aid package, he studied at Rutgers University and has gone on to write for publications such as The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Esquire, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Vibe, and the Guardian. He is also the president and cofounder of BK Nation, an American organization focused on civil rights, human rights, and equal opportunities for all people. Powell is a proud long-time resident of Brooklyn, New York. Visit www.KevinPowell.net and www.BKNation.org.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
Creating A Spiritual Foundation
By Lasana Omar Hotep
I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace
-- Kanye West
"Can't Tell Me Nothing"
Among the running jokes in the Black communities: the amusement and amazement we share watching a recording artist who makes music about violence, sex, and drugs receiving an award on television and saying, "I want to thank God." The contradiction seems glaringly obvious. How could a person who glamorizes greed, misogyny, and violence be religious or spiritual? We are all sitting there at home wondering, "How can the same person whose lifestyle and artistic expression emphasizes hatred, materialism, and raw intimidation, be standing there onstage wearing a diamond-encrusted crucifix?"
Actually, this phenomenon provides an important insight into the complexity of Black male spirituality. The disconnection between what this individual practices and what he preaches (or believes) is not difficult to recognize. But recognizing a man who, regardless of his flaws, yearns to experience the unconditional love that only a higher power can supply may be more challenging. The source of this apparent contradiction can be traced to the way in which many of us are first introduced to religion and spirituality.
We are encouraged to worship from early in our development. But few of us are introduced to the concept of character development as an expression of spirituality. Some of us have become so focused on our particular religion that we lose sight of achieving spirituality. Religion is the set of rituals and practices used to recognize, worship, and seek communion with God. Spirituality is the manifestation of this divine connection in one's daily life. Think of religion as the vehicle and spirituality the destination. The destination is the ability to see aspects of God in our lives and to exhibit this awareness as we interact with our environment.
Although it may be easy for us to detect the contradiction in what a musician on an awards show does and says, it is often difficult to recognize it in our own lives. I first became aware of my personal contradictions at age fifteen. I was a fiery, up-and-coming Black Nationalist who thought he could change the conditions of Black life by overpowering people with Black facts. Iremember recounting a ciphering (informal discussion) session that I had in the school cafeteria to one of my mentors. I was excited to explain to him how I had "blasted" all the brothers and sisters with my knowledge, and how stupid I made them look. He simply asked me, "What do we call each other?" I replied, "Brother and Sister." My mentor then asked me whether my actions seemed truly "brotherly." Without further discussion, I got the point. Just intellectualizing or articulating a concept wasn't enough. I also had to demonstrate it in my behavior. There it was staring me in the face: I was talking about being a "brother" but living out the life of a sarcastic smart-ass. It's not enough to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk. From that point on I've used the same test as a measure for self-criticism and for my evaluation of society -- especially religion.
I was not raised in a religious household. Growing up between Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, my family attended church primarily on two occasions: funerals and Easter. Unfortunately I attended my fair share of funerals. During the 1980s, Los Angeles was becoming the gangbanging and drug-slinging capital of the world. I had a father, uncle, aunt, and cousins involved in street life and they exposed me to some of the worst that the world has to offer.
Having these people in my life helped me to understand how young entertainers could embrace a lifestyle reflecting hatred while simultaneously professing a love for God. My family members were neither monsters nor soulless, uncaring people. They may have been into the streets neck deep, but they still wanted to be loved unconditionally. The love they received from family members was conditional and usually peppered with destructive criticism. But even in the midst of a destructive lifestyle, they turned to God for unconditional love.
But even as brothers seek this divine unconditional love, they who experience all the ugliness in the world still have issues with God. This is why so many Black males are absent from the church. Numerous articles, books, and community forums are held to address this matter. Truth is, some of these brothers are angry with God. Some are wondering where God was when they suffered abuse as little boys, or when they were mistreated as teenagers, or even now, when they are dismissed as shiftless adults -- regardless of their personal struggles and/or successes. Others wonder where God was when they were being racially profiled by police, discriminated against in the workplace, or even when they found out their lover was cheating on them.
We know this anger exists because of the way Black men murder one another without a second thought, the way Black males abuse girls and women, and the way we self-medicate with everything from alcohol to codeine-laced cough syrup, marijuana, and crack. The anger is manifest in our perpetual petty beefs, our judgmental attitudes toward other Black men, and our inability to constructively resolve conflicts among one another. The anger expresses itself in various other ways, too. Some Black men echo our oppressors and accuse fellow Black males of using racism as a crutch. Some may have enduring patience with other people who abuse and mistreat them, but have a short fuse when dealing with our Black brothers. These same attitudes can be found in men whether they were raised as Christian, Muslim, Hebrew, Buddhist, Humanist, African Spiritualist, or something in between. Indeed, this spiritual crisis is not merely a reflection of their character, but also of the religions and spiritual systems and institutions that claim to offer solutions to their problems.
In my own search for balance and centeredness I have rounded the bases of the world's most popular religions. At age fourteen, I left home plate and headed for Christianity as first base, joining a nondenominational storefront church congregation after attending services with an aunt. Like most young Black men, I wanted to have a strong relationship with God. During the devotional part of the service it was made clear that unless "you know, that you know, that you know" that if you died that instant you were saved and on the path to heaven, you risked burning in the fires of hell for eternity by not joining the church. I was not certain, so I joined. I went to new members classes and participated in youth activities. But, ultimately I found the experience to be unfulfilling.
I loved the fellowship and the message of hope the church preached and, yes, the music was incredible. I found an emotional release in the midst of community worship, but the generic sermonizing about God's power, grace, and vengeance missed me for the most part. As much as the pastor attempted to make biblical stories relevant to our daily lives, I still felt like he was talking about a time and place far removed from the reality I faced every day. Some brothers have issues with the church because of politics or other philosophical differences; I was too young to make those connections. I rather longed for something that spoke directly to my struggle as a young Black male trying to define my manhood, my Blackness, and my relationship with God in a constructive way.
At age fifteen, I left the Christian church for second base, the Nation of Islam (NOI). It was not an immediate transition. I spent several months in a kind of spiritual limbo. My experience as a Muslim awakened my spirit and my mind -- not necessarily the theology of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Minister Louis Farrakhan -- but with the social and political message of Black self-determination.By this time my mother had relocated us to San Antonio, Texas, in hopes of providing my younger brother and me with a safer environment. As already stated, inner-city Los Angeles in the late 1980s was a war zone and the casualties were predominantly young Black men.
I learned about the Nation via its weekly publication, The Final Call. Prior to reading excerpts of speeches by Minister Farrakhan, I had never heard a Black man mix politics, economics, sociology, and religion into such a digestible cocktail. I responded to the NOI because it was unapologetically Black. The Nation combats the identity issues that plague Black males by telling us that we are "the makers, the owners and cream of the planet earth," and moreover, that Allah (God) is Black and wants us to reclaim our legacy as rulers of the earth. The Fruit of Islam (FOI), the men of the NOI, are structured in a hierarchical quasi-military fashion that fulfills our yearning for belonging to a structured group. The selling of newspapers, bean pies, and other products places Black men in a constructive posture within the community. Not everyone likes bean pies, but whenever they see the young FOI approaching in a suit and bow tie, they nevertheless show respect.
Religiously, I practiced the prayers, attended the services and observed Ramadan (a Muslim time of fasting). The ministers who officiated the Sunday meetings used both the Bible and Qur'an. They made these texts speak to my circumstance by interweaving passages from scripture with Black history, interpretations of economic exploitation, and critiques of contemporary leadership for failing to empower the Black community. I remained an active, faithful Muslim into my freshman year of college.
A combination of forces moved me to the next base and separated me from the Nation of Islam. During the early 1990s, the NOI was going through some administrative and organizational restructuring. I was forced to choose sides: whether to stay with the minister who introduced me to the teachings of the Honorable Elijah...
Most helpful customer reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful.
"Great Advice For Black Males To Help Themselves."
By John Hinds
Kevin Powell's book, The Black Male Handbook is a collection of essays that provide insight and instruction on how black males can transform their lives from mediocrity and turmoil to success and peace of mind.
I like the fact that the book covers areas such as spirituality, health, finances, mental health, political awarness and relationships. Presenting the information in the form of essays made it an effective and user friendly book.
There were many concepts and recommendations that resonated with me. First, I liked the fact that the first essay talked about establishing a spiritual foundation because that's the key to transforming your life in all other areas. Loved the following quote in the book,
"Spirituality is the manifestation of this divine connection in one's daily life."
Unfortunately too many people don't practice what they preach and I love the fact that this book is focused on changing nonproductive behaviors into life-enhancing ones.
Secondly, I was glad to see that the book discussed redefining black man hood where black men are encouraged to ask for help and to express their feelings. Contrary to popular opinion, getting help is strength, not weakness. More black males need to recognize that.
Further, I was impressed that the contributing authors were men enough to talk about their past mistakes and use them as opportunities to grow.
Kevin Powell's essay was particularly moving. I admire his courage to discuss his story of domestic violence and how he was able to learn from it and to become a better man.
Lastly, I am glad that the book embraces the philosophy of 'each one teach one' and also embraces the attitude of collectively moving forward as a Black Community and being accountable to each other.
This handbook serves as a great guide to helping black men from all walks of life realize their inherent greatness and to walk the Earth as the Kings that they are.
John Hinds
Author of "What's In Your Water?"
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Finally, Some Solutions are Proposed
By Linda D. Alexander
In this age of "It's all about me", it's great to read a body of work that communicates the cost of "overcoming" for people of color in America. In pursuit of the American dream, something got lost along the way and Kevin Powell has the audacity to "call it out." What got lost was dignity and respect by and for both males and females. What really disappeared was a sense of "community" - that unspoken commradery of being from the same place in the same time, of sharing a season with neighbors, relatives and friends. What got lost was a sense of belonging. This compilation of essays by different men of color from different perspectives and backgrounds speaks to the urgency of the problem. More importantly, practical solutions are offered that have a probability of success. I applaud Mr. Powell for the effort and the desire to be an ambassador of "what should be" and not "what has been".
Linda Alexander
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
It is an excellent for my young male leadership camp
By Amazon Customer
Yes. It is an excellent for my young male leadership camp.
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