Dr. Hill, went on to ask the panelist a most intriguing question. This question was “who was the first black man to impact your life?” The responses once again were strikingly similar life experiences. In the cases where fathers were absent in the lives of panelists such as Killer Mike, David Banner and Chaka Zulu, they said their grandfathers stepped in to shape their life. Killer Mike (Mike Render) stated that it was his grandfather who taught him how to fish, shoot a gun, build an engine and be a good man. Killer Mike stated that his grandfather wore overalls all of his life and it taught him the value of hard work. Chaka Zulu stated similar experiences and the fact that other black men fill the void when a father was not present.
But the role of the black woman as a single parent was also brought up in the discussion. One panelist noted that the role of the single black mom raising a black boy cannot be underestimated. The panelists went on to state “My Mother taught me, like many other black women how to be a man when my father was not present.” But rapper David Banner took polite exception to this statement by saying “a black woman cannot teach a black boy how to be a man.” When Banner made the statement, the vast majority of the audience erupted in applause and a lively discussion ensued among the panelists.
The panelists pulled no punches in discussing other issues such as imagery of blacks in music, the mainstream media and our own self-worth. There are plans to continue to take the town hall meetings to other college campuses and other venues to continue to develop dialogue and solutions to the problems facing the black male today.
The importance of these town hall meetings cannot be underestimated for the potential impact it will have in the black community. The BET Hip Hop Awards show will air Oct. 14, 2014.
