A Different Kind of Father's Day Gift

I recently experienced chest pains and freaked out...

Freaked out because I don't get sick.

Really.

The last cold I had was 2 years ago and I was "on the mend" within in 48 hours of the onset.

More important than that, I am afraid of the doctor.

There, I said it.

The even more shocking news is that I am not alone.

For all of our bravado and machismo, the majority of men would prefer to suffer in silence and/or simply ignore a medical ailment than face it and make the trek to the doctor's office.

Fact. African-American men among all racial groups are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer at an advanced stage - moreover they are more likely to die from prostate cancer.

Fact. Diabetes is 60% more common in African-American men that in White men, and, get this, limb amputation is higher in African-Americans men than any other group.

Fact. African-American Men have higher cancer death rates than Whites.

Diabetes. Sickle Cell Anemia. HIV. Alzheimer's Disease. High Blood Pressure. Stroke and Depression. While these diseases are color blind and affect everyone, there is a higher incidence among African-American men.

My dad survived prostate cancer and cardiac disease.

His prognosis for both was dramatically positive.

This was, in part, due to early intervention and a willingness to seek the appropriate medical attention.

Father's Day is just around the corner.

Whether you are a mother, grandmother, father, grandfather, uncle, aunt, wife, daughter, son or simply a caring friend, encourage all of the men in your life to make the trip to the doctor's office for a physical exam. If he is reticent or unwilling, threaten him. That is the course of action that got me to the seek treatment.

If "he" is 45+ years old, a PSA Blood test is strongly suggested too.

Much more than a tie, bottle of wine or a subscription to Netflix, the gift of love is one that can only be measured through actions that demonstrate what is most important.

"The Black Boogie Man Shot Me," said the cop

If one "happened" to be a Black male in West Philadelphia in the early morning hours on April 5th, there is a good chance that "they" were pulled over and questioned.

Police Sgt. Robert Ralston claimed to have been shot by "a Black man with corn rows."

He later admitted that the gun shot wound was self-inflicted and that the story was a lie.

This brought to mind two separate cases, both from the early 1990's with eerily similar circumstances...

In Boston, Charles Stuart murdered his seven-months-pregnant wife, but told authorities and the media that the culprit was "a raspy voiced Black man."

What followed was a "Black manhunt," producing an alleged suspect, Willie Bennett. Mr. Bennett was singled out by Stuart from a police lineup.

In an effort to give his story credibility, Stuart, too, had a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Stuart ultimately killed himself, jumping off of a bridge.

The other case involved Susan Smith, the former University of South Carolina Union student who murdered her two sons.

She claimed that a Black man stole her car and kidnapped her kids.

Susan Smith later claimed that mental health issues impaired her judgement.
Smith is currently serving time and will be eligible for parole in the Fall of 2024.

Clearly, all three cases fuel negative and damaging assumptions about race.
The initiation of searches and hunts for the Black Boogie Men do nothing more than raise the bar on racial discord, mistrust and suspicion.

For the full Ralston article click - here