Black Men in Life Space: A Change for the Better

Photo Source: Showtime

The late great Chicago soul singer, Sam Cooke sang and announced that "A Change is Gonna Come." On season five of Showtime's, "The Chi," the award-winning writer, creator, producer, actor, and CEO Lena Waithe is helping to change the way everyone views Black men in life space. The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines Life space as a representation of the environmental, biological, social, and psychological influences that define one person’s unique reality at a given moment in time. The physical and psychological environment of Black men in life and in film has been in jeopardy for decades but Waithe is helping to change that perception while maintaining characters who are flawed but redeemable.

On the eighth episode of The Chi, Season 5 “Sweet Thing” (S5E8) the overriding theme is all about change. For some, change can be painful. Change means that things will not remain as they were; in fact, change can mean a shift that is sometimes so dramatic it can transform a person’s life for the long

Photo source: yolondaross.com/bio

 term. I have watched “The Chi” since the first season, and I have been more than pleased with the creative plot twist presented by director and creator, Lena Waithe. This Showtime American drama about the lives of Black people living on the Southside of Chicago has provided some of the most entertaining and riveting storylines that I have ever viewed and experienced in television. Character development since the first season has been both refreshing and true-to-life. For example, the character Jada (Yolonda Ross) and her progressions as a single mom navigating dating life, the pain of loss, and nearly loss of life as a cancer survivor, finally reaches a redemptive point when she rekindles her relationship with high school love and son’s father, Darnell (Rolando Boyce).

Photo source: Showtime

Darnell’s transformation (as a Black man) from the mannish boy that Blues legend Muddy Waters screamed about to a man, father, and possible loyal husband is a rare sighting in television and film. Why is that important? Arguably, without looking at “The Chi” ratings based on race, gender, etc., it is safe to say that a majority of the viewership reflect the characters on the show – Black people. Some of those Black viewers are likely between the ages of 18-33. It is important (for a change) that those viewers and others see Black characters -- in all of their imperfections -- develop or change into people who make better life decisions. In other words, they are redeemable characters. This is important in a society that views many Black boys and men as oversexed, unredeemable, and completely lost. This counternarrative presented by Waithe and her team of writers demonstrates that even though characters like Darnell, as well as his son Emmett (Jacob Latimore) started as flawed, disloyal men, they were more than capable of changing for the better. Like anyone, they are capable of becoming loving fathers and husbands if they are given a chance to develop and make a change for the better. Bravo to the cast and crew of "The Chi". You are creating television that is worth watching and this is definitely a welcomed change. ~Peace 

School Closed FOR GOOD!

In education, the United States ranks 17th out of 50 countries.  That is a sad number for a country that claims leadership in so many other areas.  It seems that education is not the top priority.  It is proof that many are not concerned with problems that do not affect the majority.  For instance, it is mostly inner-city neighborhoods in various urban centers across the United States that are being affected by the growing number of school closings.  The parents and leaders of those communities are concerned because it will not only cause inconvenience for a disproportionate number of African American parents, but it will also be dangerous for the children who will have to attend other schools in other neighborhoods. 

Why is this such a bad thing?  Well, there are rival crews and gangs in those other neighborhoods.  This may sound silly but it is the sad reality.  What are the choices for African American students growing up in this type of environment?  Well, many of them will be brave and fight their way through.  Other students will just choose not to attend school.  This, of course, could cause a spike in dropout rates that are already high.  Unfortunately, there are others who will perish because of their courage.

I know this because I grew up in a similar environment.  I grew up in the Linda Pollin Memorial Housing Project (now demolished) in Southeast Washington.  My old elementary school is one of many schools set to close in Washington, D.C.  This is going to affect over 200 children Ferebee-Hope who will have to find another school to attend.  Why would this affect elementary school children?  Well, it was in that elementary school, back in the 1970s mind you, where I was first robbed. I also started hooking school around the fifth or Sixth grade.  It all started there at Washington Highland Elementary (Now Ferebee-Hope Elementary).  More instability in a potentially unstable environment can have devastating consequences.  Back then, the school was 100% African American.  Today, it is nearly the same at 99%.

The problems which existed for me as a student there some 35 years ago still exist for those students today.  In some cases, the problems are magnified.  So, I hope that state and local governments will consider the ramifications of their actions as they continue to close more schools in the African American community.  I think that it would be wise and to the benefit to the children to find out exactly what can be done to prevent these closings or come up with better solutions to protect these children once they arrive at their new school.  It should be taken just as serious as those first students who entered Little Rock Central High School in 1957.  In some cases, it will be even more dangerous. 

Aunt Juanita Bruce

She was grandma's older sister. I called her Amanita. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Grandma once described her as the "party" sister or at least the more adventurous one. She hit all of the hot spots as a young woman in DC during the 1940’s. Her favorite hang out spots were places like, The Howard Theater and bars like The Casbah on U Street. She would outgrow the DC scene and move to Chicago sometime in the 1950’s. She lived on the South Side of Chicago for almost 20 years before moving back to DC in the late 60’s. By the time I came along, Amanita had lived most of her life. She settled down into an apartment on E street in Northeast DC. In fact, her apartment was right across the hall from my grandmother’s place.

Amanita would get me dressed every morning for school when I began kindergarten at Gibbs Elementary in 1972. She would fuss and tug as she tried to get me ready for school in the morning. I would always asked her for some pickles because I could smell them on her breath early in the morning. She would fuss and tell me that she didn’t have any pickles as she put on my jacket to walk me down the street to school. I always wondered why she wouldn’t let me have any pickles?

Eventually, I became old enough to walk to school by myself and Amanita would be on the front stoop everyday when I came home. She would be fussing about something because she was always fussing. Maybe my shirt wasn’t tucked in or I had dirt on my face from recess. She always had a ready thumb full of pickled saliva to wipe away any evidence of dirt. I didn't like that.

In 1979, I was sent to North Carolina for school. I was 12 years old and I only came home to DC during the summer months. Surprisingly, I missed Amanita and all her fussing. I would always go by to see her whenever I came home. She would give me that big, wet auntie kiss and we would catch up on what’s been going on. Well, years passed and Amanita died in 1984 when I was in the 11th grade. For some reason, I wasn’t able to attend her funeral? It took me a week to actually mourn her death. It was one day after school that I began to cry while doing my homework at the dinner table. It was then that I realized how much I loved my Amanita.

In the end, I found out that Amanita’s name was really Juanita. When I was a child I called her exactly what the other children called her, which was "Ama-nita" or "Ama-needa." Now, I realize that they were combining the words Aunt + Juanita = Amaneeda. I also found out that she didn’t eat pickles at all. Aunt Juanita liked her Gin. God bless Amanita.