It is not an easy road. If you are a successful and educated black man, some people from your own race start to look at you differently because they assume that you think you’re too good. Some of those people accuse you of not remembering where you came from. There are individuals who call or refer to you as an Uncle Tom and all the while you still have to face the same challenges as any other black man. So the question becomes exactly where in society do you fit in? Some say you’re not black enough, some say you act or talk too white or you don’t act white enough. So then for our young black males and females it becomes a question of do I want to be successful or do I want to be accepted? Seeking acceptance in this regard as a young black person means you have selected the path of least resistance even though you will still face challenges, just not from some people in your own race. Seeking success as a young black male means you run the risk of alienation from some people in your own race, while still being reminded that you are just a black male and facing those same challenges because of your skin color. No matter how educated I am or successful that I become, there will always be people that see my skin as a threat because of the false narrative they have created in their own head and assigned to every black man they may encounter. The scary reality of this is that people with this mentally live and operate in every corner of society. Some of them hold prominent positions where they can utilize resources and take advantage of their status to spread this false narrative. Being a black man is not something you take off, not that I would even want to. It is not something you escape because society has a way of directly and subliminally reminding you of what your place should be in society. Some people will only ever see you as a black man and not as a human being or an individual that deserves respect. The most painful and detrimental threat to our society is that these false narratives are taught and spread to young and impressionable minds in households across our country. Some of those same young and impressionable minds will be leading our country tomorrow. While I am very disturbed by some of the things I have seen in my life regarding being a black man or have personally witnessed myself. I have a greater worry about the things that I don’t or can't see. There are so many times in life where people choose to only pay attention to things on the surface. However, there is a real depth to conversations and actions regarding race. Each one of us has a responsibility to do better and that responsibility starts at home with those young and impressionable minds.