Do You Hear Me Now Black Male Vulnerability Don Cornelius Soul Train

Lately, I’ve been experiencing men, who do great work in the community,but use a generic script from some pimp book (only instead of calling me “bitch” and “ho,” it’s “my sister” and “beautiful queen”) and get offended when I call them out on it. I have two questions: who are these women who fall for it and make them believe every woman will accept that behavior? And, what can we do to help some of these men, who have reformed themselves into leaders in their communities, but haven’t changed the way they view and
interact women?

–Distraught and Running Out of Patience, Teaneck, New Jersey

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Sugar’s Take

Distraught,

You have just touched on what I call the ‘Sun Ra Sun’ crew. These are the brothers and sisters that have read a little Egyptology, some Supreme Mathematics, know somebody whose cousin is a Yoruba priestess, Great Aunt was an Eastern Star, rocks a Kabbala bracelet and thinks they are Badu’s long lost sibling. We all have our own way of living the spiritual knowledge we attain, but it is horrible to use your ‘aura’ and ‘energy’ (damn people say this word too damn much) to pimp or take advantage of people’s respect for you. Common has a skit on one of his albums where he’s spittin’ all this knowledge and starts to slap a hoe shortly after that…look it up…I’m tellin’ the truth. He’s making fun of those ‘deep brothas’. I’m not really sure why sisters fall for that stuff other than their natural attraction to men in positions of power. Even head janitors have groupies. I think the ‘Sun Ra Sun’ crew should read all those books they have in its ENTIRETY before claiming to be the royal offspring of Kemet. And for all my scholars who know hotep also means content, may all our lives be sound testament to the melding of arts and sciences that govern the universe.

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Ed’s Take

Peace Sista Distraught,

Pimps don’t always congregate on corners. They often reside in pulpits, NAACP Conferences, corporate board rooms, and university classrooms. Being a leader comes with perks, and sadly, some men of power and influence feel entitled to pimp the trust and adoration of women to their sleazy self interest. So to answer your question, first, any woman (a PH.D in Counseling, teacher, stay at home mom, feminist, lawyer, or administrative assistant) can fall victim to charismatic misogynists posing as down for the people, “community” leaders. Why, because women have always been the backbone of social movements from Harriet Tubman and Fannie Lou Hamer to Angela Davis and Michelle Obama. Men know this and instead of kickin lines like “baby you so fine” or buying drinks at the club, they give you a copy of Pearl Cleage’s What Seems Like Crazy On Ordinary Day, tickets to the Democratic National Convention, and invite you to their hotel room to discuss the revolution…all with the intent of a romp in the sheets. Jesse Jackson Sr., who in 2001 admitted to fathering a child out of his marriage, and Bill Cosby, a “moral authority” who stepped out on his wife and settled a civil case alleging sexual assualt, are very key examples.

Secondly, leadership at all levels is often a sexist affair. And in order for things to change, brothers have to hold other brothers accountable for their cave men view/treatment of women and manhood. Brothers must also support and form coalitions with sisters to challenge the sordid behavior of folks betraying public loyalty. {/column2}

Related Links

Mother Wants Jesse Jackson To Be Father To His Illegitimate Child

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/08/16/jackson.mistress/

Bill Cosby Accused of Sexual Assault

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149804,00.html

Got a question; email us askedandsugar@afrostoshelltoes.com!!!

About Sugar Between catching the uptown train to conduct “we luv the kids” writing workshops to dancing rumba on the lower eastside, Sugar Johnson flaunts his creative freedom in various mediums. The actor, vocalist, and educator have not only shared the stage with prolific artists such as The Last Poets, M-1 of Dead Prez, Jessica Care Moore, and Spike Lee, but he also labors to cultivate the forgotten souls of Rikers Island. Johnson made his film debut in Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. The ASCAP member holds a B.A. in Mathematics from DePauw University and will release the poetry collection Food Clothes and Shelter on his imprint Home Grown Publishing, LLC in 2008.

About Ed Award winning writer, educator, counselor, and activist Edward M. Garnes, Jr. is the founder of From Afros to Shelltoes: Art, Action, and Conversation, a nationally acclaimed series of cultural productions confronting the social divide between elders and hip hop heads, and holds a B.A. in English Writing from DePauw University and a M.A. in Counseling from Michigan State University . His seminal essay, ” Sweet Tea Ethics: Black Luv, Healthcare, and Cultural Mistrust,” currently appears in Not In My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, a 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated collection edited by Gil Robertson. (www.afrostoshelltoes.com).

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