What Does it Mean to Be a Black Male Today?

Sharing Our Secrets Panel: Brandon Hay, Amanda Parris, RT!, Rich Kidd

I'm very excited about my brother's play, Secrets of a Black Boy, hitting the stage in Toronto this Saturday July 27th! He's worked hard on making sure that each of the characters that he has created portrays the truth of the young black male.

If you only used the media as your source for who a black man is you would probably come to the conclusion that black men are violent, arrogant, sexual beings who are absentee fathers. Secrets of a Black Boy aims to answer the "why" behind some of these perceptions and also flips this stereotypical image so that audiences will leave seeing black men as so much more.

Darren recently spoke with Urbanology Magazine about the truth that he needs to tell with this play:

I’m very in your face; I’m not sugar coating anything… I think with seeing this piece, this will probably change your perspectives on black males. And I know that’s brave to say, but at the end of the day, I know my culture, I know myself, and I know my peers, and this is basically a window into our lives… I feel like there are a lot of negative images of black males in the media as well as some of these storytellers and I definitely want to put an end to that.

There has been a lot of dialogue and feelings of fear for our black men, especially recently, due to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman case. A lot of anger and frustrations have been expressed, or expert opinions on news programs but not enough dialogue amongst youth and the people that these issues affect the most. Darren has created an awesome forum called "Sharing Our Secrets" that will be offered exclusively for audiences of the 2pm performance this Saturday. The forum is for the youth of the community with a panel of some of Toronto's most respected community leaders and artists. The amazing lineup has just been announced and it will include - Brandon Hay of The Black Daddies Club, Award Winning Director RT!, community activist and founder of the Lost Lyrics Amanda Parris, and the much buzzed about producer and performer Rich Kidd.

This panel is truly awesome because all 4 of these individuals really put time into their communities inspiring, motivating and working with our youth. So they know exactly what issues they face and steps to creating solutions.

The play and this panel is definitely a MUST SEE for all you folks in Toronto! I promise, it will be a play that will have you laughing at one point and then really thinking about your life and the lives of those closest to you in another. We need to keep the dialogue going in our community!

The "Sharing Our Secrets" Forum will be after the 2pm show at 4pm for those who purchase tickets for that afternoon performance.

For more information about the play, click here: https://secretsofablackboy.eventbrite.ca/?nomo=1

The Case of Trayvon Martin: Why is the Victim Continually Put on Trial?

It's been just over a year since the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed by a man named George Zimmerman for looking "suspicious" in his neighborhood.  The news rocked the nation and many like me have not forgotten the impact of how incredibly unfair this fate is to Trayvon and many of our young black men around the world.

A year later, Trayvon's trial has finally gone to court. While to many it seems like an obvious open close type of case, we have heard countless stories and read many a headline that has tried to paint Trayvon has a troubled teen, a "thug". Has tried to make his killing appear as if it were his own fault; what he had somehow asked for. I have to say that every time I read these things my heart breaks over and over again for his soul that isn't able to defend himself and for his family that are missing their blood so deeply. This week, Zimmerman's defense team released and teased the media with supposed evidence about conflicting text messages and Trayvon's violent past. It just adds insult to injury. Why is Trayvon countlessly being put on trial? He is dead. No voice but his grieving parents' to defend him and his character. Why hasn't the man who committed the crime been questioned as much in the media? Instead we hear excuses and justifications for why taking an unarmed young man's life is not only okay, but justified. 

I'm thankful for the judge who this week ruled that all of the evidence that Zimmerman's defense team has tried to use will not be considered in the trial. I am thankful that with this initial ruling, a young man who was robbed of all the things that he deserved to experience: graduation, prom, first love, getting a real job, and so many of life's simple experiences, will get the chance for a fair trial.

The trial begins in a few weeks. I'll be watching how this unfolds and praying for Trayvon and his family's peace every step of the way.

What are your thoughts on how Trayvon has been continually depicted throughout this process?