Usher and His Babies Grace the Cover of People Magazine

 

The article is People is basically about how Usher is doing as a single dad, now that he is divorced.  I am honestly not that interested in Usher, becuase I think that as a singer he is highly, over rated -- case in point, the Michael Jackson tribute in which he was paired with people who can actually sing.  At any rate, pointing out that Usher is an entertainer and not a great singer is not the point of this post.  

What I want everyone to notice is that gracing the cover of a major magazine is a Black man and his sons. His boys are almost as cute as my little guys. Yes, I had to point out how awesome my boys are. The reason this photo caught my attention, is the fact that in the media, Black men are constantly portrayed as deadbeat fathers.  When they are allowed to actually take up space, they are often constructed as abusers, drunks, violent etc.  Every bad characteristic that you can think of regarding fatherhood is attached to Black males, as if there aren't White fathers out there ducking child support payment.

But Renee, what the hell does this have to with women?  This is after all a woman's website -- shouldn't you stay on point and  speak about racism against WOC, if you have to talk about racism at all?  The aforementioned is the common response when Black women start to speak about racism that happens to Black men in women's spaces, because it somehow isn't seen as relevant.  To believe that, you have to ignore every time that  White women stand next to White men to lap up their White privielge with relish.  That's right, just as Black men and Black women are subject to racism, White men and White women enforce and benefit from White supremacy. And you know what the fuck else?  It's my blog.  As I mentioned earlier, I am the mother of two amazing boys -- so if I ignore racism against Black men, how can I in good conscience say that I have done everything to stand by my boys?  I am a sister to two pretty great men. How can I tell them I love them, if I ignore the attacks they must face.  In short, as long as Black men remain members of my family, I have an obligation to point out the ways in which they are marginalized.

When I look at Usher, I don't see something rare, because besides the media claptrap, I have always lived in a world where the Black males I loved and interacted with handled their business.  I do think that the idea of a Black father loving and supporting his children is something we try to not only discourage but avoid mentioning.  The only reason this is on the cover of a magazine is because they are talking about a celebrity.  On Father's Day, a day for celebrating the sacrifices of  men for their families, even Obama took it into his big head to run Black men down for not upholding their responsibilities.  I think this picture of Usher is great, but until it becomes recognized that not all Black men are out there gambling away the rent it is nothing but a tiny drop in an ocean of racist hatred.  Took notice everyone, sometimes that man that you walk across the street to avoid, or clutch your purse when he is around, is on his way home to his family and could give a damn about you.