It is challenging to be or try to be a man in today’s world.
There is no road map in the current century. No one can boldly claim what it takes or rather means to be a man anymore.
The former US President, Barack Obama, has come out to try to help young men to know what it takes to be a man.
The President was one of the speakers in My Brother’s Keeper initiative in Oakland, California.
Taking the stage, Barack Obama said that, ’Being a man is, first and foremost, being a good human.’ “That means being responsible, being reliable, working hard, being kind, being respectful — being compassionate.”
In 2014, Obama started the MBK Alliance as a call to action to close the opportunity gaps that had plagued marginalized men and boys around the country. The two day gathering at Oakland California was focused on helping the young people realize their potential.
The former US President was accompanied by Golden State Warriors’ Point Guard Steph Curry along with other young men of color, who came together to influence change in the local communities and on national scale.
The President’s opening remarks on the first night were focused on redefining masculinity and breaking down what it means to be a man “The notion that somehow, defining yourself as a man is dependent on, ‘Are you able to put somebody else down instead of lifting them up, are you able to dominate, as opposed to support,’ that is an old view,” he said. “A view that, thankfully, I see a lot of young people rejecting.”
He went on to add that people have the tendency to react to discrimination by amplifying traditional masculinity traits. He said that this pattern should be broken to realize a free society. “Oftentimes, racism sends a message that you are less than,” he explained. “[As a result], we feel like we need to compensate by exaggerating certain stereotypical ways that men are supposed to act.”
The president ended his speech by encouraging the crowd to rethink what masculinity ‘really’ means and urged them to focus on the power in compassion and kindness. “If you’re confident about your strength, you don’t need to show me by putting somebody else down,” he urged. “Show me how strong you are that you can put somebody else up, and treat somebody well, and be respectful — and lead in that fashion.”