Often Misplaced, but The Anger is Real, PT 1

I’ve been asked by a couple of my Caucasian friends and while living in Africa a few of my African friends and other Blacks there from the Diaspora: “Why are African Americans so angry”? Huh, what!? The question took me aback and by surprise by all who asked me. Why me? Who declared me the spokesperson for my people? Who said we were an angry people? Since I’m African American did they see me as an angry person? Am I angry? Geez!

I thought about that question then and even more so as of late. I believe that now I have more insight into my answer. When one of my Caucasian friends asked me a few years ago I was kind of insulted. He wanted to know why African Americans were killing each other. Why was there so much violence in predominantly African American neighborhoods? I told him there were a myriad of reasons, but that I didn’t understand it myself. If this friend was still alive and asked me that same question today, I would be ready to fill in the gaps that were missing in my answer before. Why? Because lately I’ve felt the anger and the hurt. It reminds me of a Bob Marley line, “Who feels it knows it LORD”. Well I feel it, but my acts because of those feelings are constructive and not destructive. Thank GOD I have the coping skills, wisdom, faith and wherewithal to handle the anger and hurt.

Many of our young people, especially the young men don't have that wherewithal. They have not had the chance, the opportunity to experience so called, “home training” to develop the traits needed to deal with what life is hurdling at them. Many are born into stressful environments, and I’m talking about what’s inside the home first before they even encounter the stress of their communities and the world. It’s not their fault what their born into, but it begins to dictate their lives. Domestic violence inside many homes that they witness daily, drug issues with one or both parents, single parents that must spend more time at work than home, young uneducated parents that didn’t have a chance themselves to mature and be educated, and dependence on government systems. Too many have yet to learn that dependence means you’re not independent and that keeps you enslaved mentally and physically on what and who you’re dependent on. Once a person sees themselves as the dependent, then they can blame those that who they depend on. This helps in finger pointing and avoiding responsibility.   

And that’s just inside the home. So, if it’s in the home, where do you take that anger? Who do you trust enough to speak to the anger? Enter peers, gangs, clubs and the like that get where that person is coming from. Ahem, by the way this applies to all people.

Now let’s look at the assault that comes from outside the home environment. The media can be informative, but for a mind and emotions that have not fully developed the media is a dangerous ally. Poor education zoning and supplies, videos, movies, and music that promote and glorify killing. How you are perceived by many as a threat or a bad person because you’re Black. No matter what your lifestyle, educational background, financial status or high falutin neighborhood you’re still seen as Black. When you are driving, when you’re walking, and just going on about your business you can be stopped by the police and these days a few crazed people because for no other reason than that you are Black.

This is stressful y’all! And these things only scratch the surface off of the scab.

The injustices that are so clearly seen almost daily in our communities, the news, the justice system itself makes you cringe. You feel it in your gut. Deep in your gut like someone punched you so hard it makes you grab your stomach and double over. It’s an assault on your senses. You can’t hide from it or look away, because it can be you next or your family or friend. Why, because you're Black in American and many other parts of the world. 

When you carry all that stress and anger if you don’t have coping skills you explode outwardly and inwardly. To ease psychological pain many self -mutilate. Killing your brother or sister is self-mutilation and destroying yourself. This anger, this hurt is way past wanting to break something or hit a wall. It hurts so much that we are hurting each other. It causes destruction of our families and communities.

This is so sad. It hurts to the very core y’all.

So those who become afraid of our own, those that don’t try to understand what’s going on with all this violence begin to villainize many of our young men. Treating them so coldly or like they're invisible, and in turn they will do whatever to be seen. Or is it the reason so many wear the black hoodie, to be invisible? And maybe if so that indivisibility makes them feel safe.

IJS

Part 2 will explain in my opinion the anger in African Americans that Africans don’t understand.