Monique Q Caradine

For the record, I love Black men. I absolutely adore them. Throughout my life I have been surrounded by strong, loving, caring, responsible Black men. Now, I’m raising one.

I believe that Black men truly have the potential to rule the universe. This occurred to me several months ago when Lebron James had the world at his feet, waiting for him to announce what team he was going to play with for the 2011-2012 NBA Basketball season. That moment in time illuminated for me the fact that–when they are determined, focused and have the encouragement and support to display their brilliance, follow their passion and be celebrated for it–the power and potential that Black men innately possess can absolutely trancend all limitations.

However, the behavior we see displayed in some young Black men today is disturbing. The violence that happens at the hands of young black men, the poor school performance and the apparent lack of self love, in my opinion, reflects among other things a fear of success; a fear of what they could actually acheive IF they did not allow themselves to fall victim to society’s negative view of them which is further exacerbated by pop-culture and media images that are destructive at best.

So what should we do? How do we start today raising confident, strong, bold young Black men who are NOT afraid of brilliance or the massive success they could enjoy if they would only embrace the vastness of their potential?

How can I ensure that my son will be celebrated and not chastised for the fact that he is an academic high-acheiver?

We must rally together as Black mothers and fathers and grandparents and God-parents and not depend on any outside institution to raise our boys because they have consistently proven that they are not capable of handling that responsibility.

The video and audio below reflect the pain caused when we don’t do our part. At what point will we care enough about our children to put our lives on the line for them?

Derrion Albert’s Mother Anjanette Albert featured on the Monique Caradine Show

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

One Response to “Does fear of success drive Black men’s self-destructive behavior?”

1. Tweets that mention Does fear of success drive Black men’s self-destructive behavior? « Monique Q Caradine -- Topsy.com says:

   11/12/2010 at 3:11 PM

   [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Miss Lori, Monique Caradine. Monique Caradine said: Does a fear of success drive some black mens' destructive behavior? http://moniquecaradine.com/fear/ [...]