So for my boys black affinity group at school they were asked to share who there heroes were. To help them figure out who there heroes are me and there momma talked about our heroes which started with our parents and family members.

When we asked who there heroes were they were.....The Rock and Kevin Hart.

My wife tried to gently suggest someone like Harriet Tubman and Barack Obama and they did add Obama, but the truth is, if you ask me who my heroes are outside of family members, they would be

Prince, Richard Pryor, Spike Lee, Muhammad Ali & Magic Johnson, all entertainers.

There are all sorts of people I admire like Toni Morrison, Paul Robinson, Malcolm X, MLK, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston but not sure I would call them my heroes because they seem so distant, like black gods.

Anyway, there affinity group day came around and I was scared my boys would be the only ones with "lightweight" heroes but there were quite a few Kevin Harts & The Rocks.

Anyway, who would you call your heroes? I say exclude family because for a lot of people that would come too easily.



**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

And that’s it.

In terms of I have unequivocally good things to say about all these people and at various times in my life have gone to them for comfort.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

Jay Z - I'm not the biggest fan of his music but I appreciate his drive and I think hes one of those people who would have been good at anything. Now that hes older and more mature I really appreciate his self awareness, he talks like someone whos done some therapy and self work

Dev Hynes - for just being himself and doing what feels right

Donald Glover - big glow up. he went from nerdy comedian goofball to sexy singer dude to legit rapper, to excellent show creator, writer. His ability to be good in a lot of different areas inspires me and makes me know that it's not about being the best at one thing and letting that one thing dictate who you are.

Tristan Walker - he overcame his start in life, he essentially built his persona and built a solid brand


I have lots of others, but those are the names that come to mind in the moment

ALL of my are problematic except Stevie Wonder and Bill Russel.

Pre 1942 F.D.R.
Pre 1975 Dick Gregory.
Pre 1996 George Carlin.
Muhammad Ali - except the black separatism period.
Cesar Chavez - except the Catholicism.
Bill Gates - post Microsoft period.

Alexi Navalny
Chelsea Manning
Patrice Lumumba
Jamal Khashoggi
Toni Morrison
Malcolm X
Zora Neale Hurston
Frederick Douglass
Edward Snowden
Gareth Jones
Angela Davis
Assata Shakur
Anthony Bourdain

d


"But rest assured, in my luxurious house built on the backs of people darker than me, I am sipping fine scotch and scoffing at how stupid you are." - bshelly

they don't know it. I came to know about him through his photography, but dude was so diverse and talented. Later I was like, 'wait, what? He's the guy who made Shaft?' Dude was inspiring.

Also my old/deceased college professor Bill Donnely

...Carter G. Woodson, James Baldwin and a few others.

I'm an artist, and art ia s how I express myself so most of my heroes are artists.

I have plenty of non-Black non-artist 'heroes' as well, mostly writers/philosphers/scientists/intellectuals/etc.

Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi

folks that inspired me w/ their thought, creativity and their approach to their professions

America has imported more warlord theocracy from Afghanistan than it has exported democracy.