"The Strong Black Man Is Dead"

The strong Black man is dead...While struggling with reality with being a human instead of a myth, the strong Black man passed away. Doctors say he died of natural causes, but those who knew him know he died from being silent when he should've been speaking, calm when he should've been raging, but he did not want to inconvenience anyone so he kept his mouth shut.
He died form an overdose of other people clinging to him when he didn't even have the energy for himself. He died form loving women who didn't love themselves and could only offer him a crippled reflection. he died from not having the resources to arise his children and for not being able to do a complete job of it. He died from the lies his grandfather told his father and his father told him about life, women, and racism He died from being discriminated against as a child and having to take that truth everywhere, he went everyday of his life, exchanging the humiliation for guilt and anger.
He died form being called boy by someone who hated him and he allowed it to break his spirit because he could not defend himself. He died from asphyxiation, coughing up blood from secrets he kept trying to burn away instead of allowing himself to feel the pain he was entitled to feel. He died from being responsible, because he was the last rung on the ladder and there was no one under him he could dump on. The strong Black man is dead. He died from the hangman's tree; he died from sweltering hot sun while working in the southern cotton fields, and the northern streets of drugs.
He died from being a father at 15 and a grandfather at 30 and an ancestor at 45. he died from being dragged down and sat upon by urn-evolved men posing as brothers. He died from pretending the life he was living was a Kodak moment instead of a 20th century, post slavery nightmare! He died tolerating Ms. Pitiful, just to have a woman around the house. He died from lack of trust; he died from not knowing how to assist his brother when his brother needed help. He died from giving up his dream of wanting to be a singer, a dancer, a business man or some significant other.
He died from lies of omission because he didn't want to bring the black man down. he died form race memories of being beaten, dragged, snatched, and sold, whipped and worked to death. He died from tributes from his counterparts who should have been matching his efforts instead of showering him with dead words and empty songs. He died from myths that would allow him to show weakness without being chastised by the lazy and hazy. He died from hiding his real feelings until they became hard and bitter enough to invade his mind and heart like a nasty cancer. He died from not always knowing how to love and respect his women.
The strong Black man is dead. He died from being called a Nigger...He died from verbal, he died from being called a punk because he was assertive. He died form never being enough of what a woman wanted, or being too much fro the woman he wanted. he died from being too Black and died again for not being Black enough. He died from castration every time someone thought of him as an animal or treated him like the dirt on the soles of a pair of shoes. He died from being misinformed about his mind, his body, and extent of his royal capabilities. He died from being locked up because someone thought they had probable cause to lock him up. He died from loneliness because no one would listen to him. He died of shock in courtrooms where he stood, alone, knowing he was innocent, but who the hell cared? He died in allies, shabby hotel rooms, and bathrooms with his veins busting open with self hatred and neglect.
He died in his mind, fighting life for the truth, while his body was carted always and stashed in a human warehouse for spiritually mutilated. Sometimes when he refused to dies, when he just refused to give in, he was killed by lethal images of a Cadillac, drugs, and dead presidents. Sometimes, he was stomped to death by his own people, executed by hi-tech ignorance while he walked away from his family, his community, and the race on his back! The strong Black man is dead! Or is he?

I hope you all enjoyed reading both parts of this piece. The similarity of both symbolizes the fact that although Black men and women have different issues with each other, we face the same issues from everyone else. I think the author was trying to say,
"Black men and Black women are strongest TOGETHER. Cuz apart our problems are parallel but unidentifiable. Apart, we are DEAD."

--Oh, and if anyone happens to know the author, please lemme know. He/she deserves kudos. Please stay tuned for my thoughts and hopefully open discussion!