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    The Only Black Man There
    The Only Black Man There
    The Only Black Man There
    Ebook63 pages54 minutes

    The Only Black Man There

    By Victor Smith Jr.

    ()

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    About this ebook

    One of the few young black male psychologists explores his experiences as a black man and his response to racism.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateJul 31, 2017
    ISBN9781543908121
    The Only Black Man There

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      Book preview

      The Only Black Man There - Victor Smith Jr.

      To whom it may concern:

      This book is dedicated to the real grass roots brothers in the struggle.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      ISBN: 9781543908121

      Table of Contents:

      Introduction

      Growing Up Black

      Black in College

      Black on Black Crime

      Food & Health

      Education

      Keeping Up Appearances

      Going Forward

      Introduction

      It’s hard to think about the things people say in their mind when they see me. It depends on how I’m dressed, who I’m with, or where I’m at. Greetings towards me usually consist of: What’s up boss? Boss, man, and bro. These are interchangeable labels people use when referring to me. I get called man as I buy coffee at Starbucks or boss as I make a purchase at the gas station. Rarely am I called, Sir. Their facial expressions indicate confusion or disbelief when they see me, as if they don’t know why I’m there. They might say, What’s up man? You need something, bro? I want to say, Yes. I’m not standing in line at the deli counter for fun. Also, please call me sir.

      Being the only black man there can be exciting, but it is difficult to understand exactly how it feels unless you experience it yourself. There is a dichotomy in the way that black men are portrayed in popular culture; it is all positive or all negative, but rarely is it a complete person. On the one hand, I am looked to as cool or hip and athletic. People think I like rap music, or they think I can dance. At the same time, they think I am sneaky, untrustworthy, a criminal, a gangster, a rapper, an athlete, or a hustler. They don’t see me as a person, like them. I’m just a caricature of a black man. Black men have been misrepresented in popular culture and are negatively judged by other cultural groups and themselves.

      In this book, I will explore the types of situations that are faced by black men in modern society. Some sensitive topics will be examined. I will tell you about my experiences within the framework of the history of African American people and black portrayals in popular culture. The purpose of this book is to paint a picture of the connections between the historical treatment of African Americans and modern day problems faced by black people in order to open up a necessary discussion.

      It is also important to explore differential culture within the African American group. For instance, there is the grass roots black man. This is the type of person who never really got a big break in life, lived in a disadvantaged neighborhood, and worked and hustled to make a living. The grass roots black man understands the struggle. If you talk to a grass roots black man, you will get the real, raw, underground feeling. You would get the most passionate, aggressive opinion you could possibly get. That is who I, my father, and his father associate with. We were and continue to be grass roots brothers.

      Some grass roots brothers get lucky and make it, or hit a lick. This could involve starting a business, going to school, or inventing and selling something. When my father was in a college program in the 1970s, he was told that one out of ten black people will complete the 4 year degree program. It was called the talented tenth. The African American culture has become even more divided based on who makes it and how far they make it. Now I feel like it’s the talented thousandth.

      It takes one black man to make it and to be noticed – not as a leader, but as a standout person who is not going with the okie-doke. This is the type of mentality that I come with. I think this is why people view me as what in slave-times would have been referred to as uppity.

      I think that in the time since the 1970s, something has changed for the worse and even fewer black men

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