As I grow, and learn to be more comfortable in my skin I find that I no longer need to assert the obvious. In fact, it seems that my disinclination is more about defiance than anything else. I liken this new-found approach to self-identification to my earliest years as a father. Folk would say things like, “You babysitting today?” My response was always no. Always. I had babysat my niece, nephew, cousins, god-children and a number of others. Still, with my progeny, I was not the sitter. I was/am the father, and my primary responsibility, as such, is to provide care for my children. So, I would politely correct anyone who made that mistake.

These days, in the pursuit of my mission, I find that blackness or African Americanism needs to be constantly asserted by some; maybe as a show of cultural pride or a reaffirming of identity. If this helps people, I’m with it. Personally, it would be a redundancy for me. I AM of this cultural community that is so rich with history (too often denied) and systemically marginalized. Everything I say and do is by virtue of who I am-a black man. And, if folks don’t get that I bleed my people with word, thought and deed, there is nothing more that I can do. Constantly asserting a cultural descriptor certainly isn’t it. I can’t…