There is so much negativity in our news here in America, especially lately when it comes to Black men. I am very tired of only hearing one story about Black men which is played over and over again on almost every news channel. So when I saw these young Black men hanging out and having fun at Venice Skate Park it struck me how these images aren’t the type you see on TV. These young men weren’t causing any trouble, there were no cops around, and they were just enjoying the sunny day while skateboarding.
As you know, I don’t talk much about what’s going on in the news on my blog, I use this platform to help you travel better. But today I felt it was necessary to show a side of Black men that isn’t shown on TV. I hope you see what I see in these images, happy young Black men enjoying their day without hurting, harming, or threatening anyone. Don’t get me wrong, those negative things aren’t a part of the Black men I know but it’s what is portrayed in the media and these images negate that.
The young man below trying to complete his skating maneuver particularly struck me because of the respect he showed. He was talking to his friend and said a few choice words (as many young people do today). When he saw me he said, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there or else I wouldn’t have used those words. Please excuse me.” The fact that he recognized there is a way to speak in front of a lady shows good home training and the fact that he apologized spoke volumes about his character. Yet we never see young men like this being portrayed on TV.
There is so much more to Black men than what we see on TV and on the news. I hope these pictures exude the spirit of positivity that surrounded these young men and that you can see that there is nothing scary or intimidating about them, they are just having fun.
