Is There a Country for Black Men With Strong Opinions?

What do you do when you find yourself unable to fit into a set box academically and socially?

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In a time where what you believe determines your career, it becomes important to know how to think or how to hide what you think. Sociologists and academics from Jonathan Haidt and Jordan Peterson to social critics like Thomas Chatterton Williams and Coleman Hughes have described the intellectual chasm we are. Some of us struggle collectively to justify our existences and inherent privileges. No longer can we ignore concepts like intersectionality because it’s no longer safe to. Where do you go when you are seeking haven? What do you do when you insist on having a black nationalist mindset and are unwilling to accept the limited role espoused under traditional black feminism? How can you reconcile your privilege without wallowing in self-loathing? Most of all, how can you present your views when you’re told you can’t contend with the lived experiences of black women?

I think about this a lot these days. I agree with what academics like Saidiya Hartman and Jared Sexton say, especially about how black men need to revamp black masculinity to better the collective freedom of the race. But I find myself vexed at how people cherry-pick statistics to fit their narrative and…