Will Real Black Men Please Stand Up?

We Black Women Need You!

A Black woman is recovering in the hospital after being struck on the side of her head by a man. As it says in the image, the man attacked the woman with a brick because she refused to give the man her phone number. While the attack was happening, several men stood nearby watching the assault. No one stepped in to aid the woman.

After the attack, the man simply got into his car and left the scene. The right side of the woman’s face swelled up as she chastised the men for not coming to her aid. The men just stood around her muttering and one was heard in the video about the brick, claiming not to have seen it. Later, the woman posted another video from her hospital room, crying and lamenting the attack.

Many people have an opinion on this horrible incident. They’re angry at the attacker and the men who didn’t help the woman. But some are saying there was more to the situation than shown in the video. Apparently, prior to the attack, the woman was going around slapping men and antagonizing them. Many claim this led to the assault by her attacker.

I don’t care why the man struck the woman with a brick. The fact remains that he attacked her and could have killed her. Real men don’t strike women. It is seen as cowardly and weak. If you’re such a strong man, why would you need a brick to attack a woman? Why attack the woman at all?

The problem is that men aren’t being raised to protect women. They’re being raised to see women as sex objects or baby mamas. The marriage rate for Black citizens in the U.S. has dropped since the year 2000. Fewer and fewer Black men and women are getting married. However, the number of unmarried Black women raising children has tripled and unmarried Black women without children has doubled. This is a crisis in our community.

Of course, marriage isn’t for everyone, and in the Black community, there are many factors that lead to Black women being single. For one, many Black men are incarcerated, leaving the dating pool thin. Another reason is that many Black men know that they’re in high demand and can pick from a plethora of women. In addition, if Black men do get married, they’re more likely to marry non-Black women.

The marriage equation aside, there are a lot of Black men who will not support Black women in any way, shape, or form. Back in early August, in Montgomery Alabama, we had the Montgomery Brawl. Dozens of Black men and women came to the aid of a Black man being attacked by white men. The support for the Black co-captain of the ferry boat was overwhelming and showed how Black people can come together against racist attackers. But why doesn’t that happen when a Black man attacks a Black woman and other Black men witness it?

Black men, real Black men, we need you to come forward. The cowardly Black men need to fall back. Black women need strong Black men. As we also saw in August, in Florida, a white lone gunman entered a Dollar General and shot three Black customers, two men and one woman, to death. The outrage was swift and many in the Black community attended rallies and prayer vigils for the victims. Black people demanded gun reform and an end to racist rhetoric. But the shooter was full of racial rhetoric and hatred, due to the racially insensitive language of Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis.

Our books have been banned. Libraries are being turned into detention centers. Teachers can’t discuss race, gender, or sexuality in schools. African-American History has been rejected in Arkansas and Florida. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in companies are under scrutiny. Some of the policies have been placed on hold. Remember, the Supreme Court struck down Affirmative Action in college admissions. It’s only a matter of time before the workplace is next. Racial harmony seems an improbable dream.

America is a country divided. It is no longer a division between political parties. The division has splintered across culture, ethnicity, race, and sexuality. Everyone is under attack. Intolerance is growing. The racist attack in Florida will not be the last.

America, a reckoning for Black Lives is due.