I haven’t written a blog in awhile, but today I found some inspiration in looking at some of my older pieces of writing. Some have been influenced by history. I have a particular affinity for the 1960s and John F. Kennedy. I credit that era with paving the way for my family to find a place in the United States when they arrived in the decade afterward. I also recognize that as I write this entry, it is in the middle of Black History Month.
Black History Month is a time when I usually see widespread acknowledgement of the good that has happened – the many bright achievements of Black Americans that have made this country exceptional. Often times these achievements are either only indirectly acknowledged during this time of year only to be somewhat diminished later or never really acknowledged at all by a Mainstream society that has so many other things to capture the imaginations of everyone. Afterall, It is the streaming era – what’s new is only new for like a day (if that!).
Black History Month is also a time when you see recalls to the mainly painful experience of Black people in the United States. We know the major time periods that sort of guide this negative experience so it’s not really worth mentioning again here. But, speaking for myself only here, these experiences seem to be the guideposts no matter how much success occurs within our community. It sort of breeds an everlasting pessimism that we await more negative experiences than we dare dream of great triumphs.
I also like blogging about sports – another huge influence on my writing. In fact, my employer – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – has an overarching theme that Leaders Rise Here. And I truly believe in that theme and its potential for myself and the many students that compete for the conference.
Part of my complex outlook stems from seeing the great triumphs and experiences of two of the greatest athletes of my childhood, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Their drive and outlook on success were so similar, as evidenced by the following short videos, yet so seemingly elusive within the context of the Black experience:
Other than the fact that they reached heights only few have reached in sports, their approach seems so elusive because it seems like, again for me, there is something more common about struggling within the context of being Black. Whether success appears to be much more scarce or it actually is – being on that pathway often seems to be lonely.
I draw parallels to my own academic experiences, especially being in more mainstream environments. It seems like for many students who come from similar mainstream environments before attending college that there is a seamless transition into college. Sometimes (many) friends from high school make that journey and make that transition even more natural.
Jordan discusses this tunnel vision one must have to be successful and Kobe similarly talks about the intense focus he had to have in order to hone in on his craft. I wonder…how much of this experience is unique along the lines of race? I know that there are many peers they had with similar experiences and mentors who guided them along, but given the context that we have as Black in America, how much more isolating is it to have their particular mindset for success?
Now there are many people who are successful on their own terms. People who have families. People who work to make ends meet. People who have travelled the world. People who have started businesses. Many of them are Black. But how many of them can confidently look in their communities and say that success is widespread (or discuss the successes without a nuanced view of thorny negatives)?
Maybe this thinking is out of touch. Maybe it is not possible because there indeed is few opportunities and many barriers. But some communities are able to appear well off because there are many thousand-aires…in addition to having the millionaires and billionaires! And no one had to redistribute their wealth to accomplish that. And no one had to isolate, dim their light, or conversely appear so uniquely larger than life to accomplish that.
I believe that this is one of the great American challenges of our time and I hope that it is viewed as a Mainstream challenge. Success need not be solely about self, it can also be about your community, too.
Well done bro