‘I feared Black men…’ Ibram X Kendi
The Emotional Toll of Racist Narratives
The New York Times best-selling author, Ibram X Kendi, spoke about the emotional impact of society’s racist narratives that teach and enforce Black men as dangerous, to be feared and threatening.
‘When I was younger - particularly in high school - just as I recognized other people feared me, I feared other Black men. That was the most traumatic situation and in many ways I’ve been trying to heal from that trauma because that prevented me from forming genuine relationships with other Black men…’
He was speaking to MOVING MASCULINITY, the Emotional Justice digital village about the toll of a racist narrative he continues to heal from in order to strengthen his relationships with Black men.
This is what I call ‘EMOTIONAL INHERITANCE’ – what is passed down – not simply regarding physical inheritance – traits, features – that we usually identify, but the world of the emotional. Emotional Inheritance is about how your soul is shaped – that could be by the men who made and shaped you, the racist narratives imposed, taught and enforced all around you. Emotional Inheritance shapes you, shows up in your emotional world, in how you see yourself, in how you see others.
Ibram explains: ‘…When people view me as dangerous, they create dangers for me. So, then I have to create safety for myself because the fears of other people are creating dangers for me. It results in me having to operate in a way in which every day is Halloween in the sense that I’m wearing a costume that scares people. ..’
LISTEN TO IBRAM X KENDI IN FULL ON MOVING MASCULINITY
https://www.movingmasculinity.com/ibram
Ibram X Kendi is one of seven Black men from across the US and the UK from the worlds of education, literature, film, academy, activism and education; there are men who are straight, gay, formerly incarcerated, and spanning various geographies. They are sons, some are fathers. They’re Black men who are part of the MOVING MASCULINITY EMOTIONAL JUSTICE DIGITAL VILLAGE.
They are:-
IBRAM X KENDI | DARNELL MOORE | DIALLO SHABAZZ | SIMON FREDERICK | WADE DAVIS II | CEDRIC BROWN | MARLON PETERSON
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MAY I CRY? NEW TRAILER!
MOVING MASCULINITY’s new trailer just dropped. Check it out.
WATCH THE NEW TRAILER
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NEW PARTNERS ALERT!
LOS ANGELES AND ACCRA
We’re excited to welcome Black Emotional And Mental Health Collective (BEAM) based in Los Angeles and led by YOLO AKILI ROBINSON; and Brain Fitness Africa based in Ghana, led by LIZETTE BIZERI as new partners to MOVING MASCULINITY.
As we continue to build out the MOVING MASCULINITY 10-year global lab, our approach is on the ground partnerships and collaborators to shape our path and honor our vision as we scale.
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SCREENING 1
COUNTDOWN TO MOVING MASCULINITY ACCRA
APRIL 18
THE MIX, OSU, ACCRA
We are counting down to MOVING MASCULINITY ACCRA, the debut of our global screening and dialogue tour.
Seats are going fast, so if you haven’t already, make sure you RSVP.
Here’s the link:- https://bit.ly/movingmasculinityaccra
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SCREENING 2
COUNTDOWN TO MOVING MASCULINITY NEW YORK
APRIL 29
DOLBY THEATER, 1350 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK
Our New York screening is a gathering at the Dolby Screening Room with refreshments and small bites to welcome this intimate public conversation on Black masculinity in America.
Our post screening dialogue features the narrator and film-maker ESTHER A. ARMAH in conversation with global education leader: DIALLO SHABAZZ.
NO ENTRANCE WITHOUT RSVP: Here’s the MOVING MASCULINITY NEW YORK RSVP LINK → https://bit.ly/movingmasculinity_newyork
MOVING MASCULINITY
A Film Narrated & Directed by Esther A. Armah
On Memory | Masculinity | Race | Emotional Justice
Weaving Poetry | Sound | Story | Ceremony
Featuring Black men ages 16 – 60 talking loss, grief, pain, shame, vulnerability, rage, freedom, love.
A GLOBAL SCREENING & DIALOGUE TOUR
Accra | New York | Los Angeles | Cape Town | Chicago