Racism is Not an Excuse to Underachieve

One of the most overused platitudes by unambitious black men is “The White Man is holding me down.” Although I am the first to admit that racism still exists, it should not be used as an excuse not to try your best. I came from a family lineage of hardworking able bodied men who got up and went to work every morning. From Uncle Ellis Hue to Uncle Alonzo, I always was surrounded by men who provided for their families, even in the face of bigotry and racism. Why, because they knew that money doesn’t grow on trees. When I was growing up, if a man didn’t work, he didn’t eat, literally. That’s why it is disheartening to see my peers standing on the corner, wasting their time engaged in frivolous and sometimes criminal activities. Many of these brothers are very sagacious individuals, but on the flip side, they are too dumb to realize that education is the doorway to happiness and prosperity. Wasting their time pursuing hoop dreams even though only one out of one million men will ever make it to the NBA.

Instead of setting viable goals and aspiring to transcend their conditioning, they remain stagnate. When will they wake up and take advantage of the opportunities that are afforded to them and demand the ones that have been taken off the table? Instead of joining grassroots organizations that are attempting to foster change, they wallow in self pity, solidifying their defeatist attitudes and giving credence to their detractor’s stereotypes. It is obvious to me that there are factors that can hinder the success of African American youth, but with hard work and perseverance, many of these can be alleviated. The social ills of today are definitely here to stay, and unless we take a more proactive approach to them, we will be forever positing, “The White man is holding me down.”