To our dearest and most beloved Black sons...

THIS VERY IMPORTANT LETTER IS WRITTEN EXPRESSLY TO YOU, WITH MUCH CARE, COMPASSION AND CONCERN FROM TODAY'S MUCH maligned African American men. We are your brothers, yes, just as you often refer to yourselves in casual conversation. But we also are your fathers, cousins, uncles and friends.

This message is for those of you who are here now, growing up without male figures of any kind in the household, or in your respective academic settings. Yet it is also directed to the privileged among you who may lay claim to many of the advantages that life has to offer, as well as to Black youth of every social and economic strata in between.

It's for the elite minority among you that society has traditionally embraced (meaning those who will ultimately serve to entertain them in the realms of athletics, or by way of the performing arts arenas), and it's for the alarming number that America has overwhelmingly, and historically, written off. We also speak now to the generations of our sons that are as yet unborn. THIS IS OUR MESSAGE TO YOU:

1. You come from greatness. And given this simple fact, you don't need so-called "role models" to teach you to be men, so stop vainly searching for them . It's time to put an end to all of the tired, intellectualized excuses for failure, and start setting your own standards and goals. Our history books are full of positive Black male images, if you absolutely must have one emulate. But why not be your own role models? Everyone has choices. You can choose excellence, or you can choose to do nothing and fault everyone else but yourself. Just because one in born into a disadvantaged household, neighborhood or upbringing doesn't necessarily mean that it therefore has to be born in him.

2. Respect and protect the Black women. That is, those that respect themselves. Every Black female shouting from the rooftops that she deserves respect doesn't necessarily merit it merely because of her gender, just as every weak Black male hanging out on the street corner hurling verbal insults at sisters isn't representative of all men of African descent. Respect has to be earned, individual by individual, and each entirely of his or her own accord. The Black woman is, however, the queen and the precious jewel that God has so graciously seen fir to bless us, of all men, with. And with a dignified, respectable sister behind and beside you, there is no limit to how far you can go in life (for there is no greater team). Given all of the prevailing rhetoric about Black men supposedly becoming an "endangered species" or "extinct", you'd think that Black men one day are just going to cease to exist, and that Black women are going to be forced to carry on all by themselves. Not so, young brother. Black men aren't going anywhere that Black women aren't going also, as the futures of Black men and Black women are irrevocable bound together.

3. Just being a male doesn't make you a man. These are those among you who have been misguided to the point that you believe that because you are a male, you also automatically become a man at some magic age. Some of you also presume that proof of manhood comes from fighting with you fists, instead of using your brain, or from wielding a weapon or fathering children. Please understand that only the weakest excuse for a man hides behind a gun. Because that's just what carrying one is -- weakness, and an excuse (for not thinking). Just take a gun away from such a person and force him to solve a problem with intelligence and reason, and you'll know what we mean.

4. Knowledge is power. As a young Black man, you must learn and accept that you are not a "minority" when three-quarters of the people in the world look like you. And, you should never think or allude yourself as such. Develop a global perspective when thinking, writing or speaking of the African diaspora, work for the re-unification of people of African descent the world over and thoroughly know your history. Learn to discern truth by reading between the lines of what is offered to you as fact. The ability to do this will open up a whole new world, and cultivate a heightened sense of dignity and pride within you.

5. Whatever you become, you were Black first. Whatever you prepare yourself for, a career as a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or a plumber, this society will always view you as a Black doctor, a Black lawyer, a Black engineer and so on. Get used to the idea, and choose to wear it, as well as your passion for excellence, like a badge of honor. Have no tolerance for mediocrity. Embrace your identity, and resist the attempts of America and others undermine, dilute or discredit who you are.

6. Racism isn't going anywhere, so don't use it as a crutch. Pure and simple, there isn't a racist conspiracy behind every negative experience that you may happen to encounter in life. Don't get into the habit that so many of our self-appointed leaders have of crying "racism" each and every time something doesn't go exactly the way the you would have wanted, or expected it to. Yes, bigotry is important, and it is definitely on the rise. This country was founded on many of its principles. But every promotion that you are passed over for, every scholarship that you don't get and every inferior good or service that you are rendered should not instinctively be ascribed to it. Take each incidence, however, learn from it and grow.

7. Always project and carry yourself with dignity. You are the son of the original people of the Earth, and of the great kings and princes of Africa. Remember this. Real Black men don't bark like dogs, or otherwise reduce themselves to the behavior of a lower animal species. Also, you are not a "nigger", so never characterize yourself, or any other Black person as such. Walk with your head up, render a firm handshake and look anyone, White or Black, directly into the eye when you speak to them. Be true to your word when you give it to someone, and make it mean something.

8. Be fathers to your children. This needs little or no explaining. If you have a child or children, you simply must be a presence and a factor in their lives and not just a monthly check for the mother. If the family courts have managed to relegate you to this system of "fatherhood by mail" as they do so often, fight it. Even to the point of pursuing custody, if you must.

9. The world and society owes you nothing. It has been said that "You may not get all you pay for in life, but you'll certainly pay for all you get." No one owes you a scholarship simply because you've earned good grades, and nobody owes you a job once you've been awarded a degree or mastered a certain skill. If you want something -- anything at all -- you have to go out and get it. No more, and no less.

10. No one is successful by accident. You must plan your work, and work your plan, young man. People who are successful are the ones that least surprised by it when they attain it, because they likely have been working towards their dreams and ambitions all along. It's just everyone else around them (and who usually doubted or tried to discourage them) that begins to behave differently. Don't blindly buy into what some one else determines it to be, though. Define and decide what success would mean to you, and then achieve it on your own terms.

These are Black things that you must understand. Peace and strength.

Always,

EBONY MEN