I look for affirmations where I can find them. I pick what I perceive as the good from, gays, whites, blacks, militants, pacifists, women or whomever. We can no longer afford to belong to any group, no matter what they espouse, if they do not affirm and validate all of you. The ways in which we manifest that love are as myriad as the issues we must address. Unemployment, substance abuse, self-hatred, and the lack of positive images are but some of the barriers to our loving.
Black men loving Black men is a call to action, an acknowledgement of responsibility.
We take care of our kind when the night grows cold and silent. These days the nights are cold-blooded and the silence echoes with complicity.