Navigating The World as An African American Male

Part 1 of 3: Broderick

Sometimes a conversation just sparks and I am forever grateful. Broderick was eating at the bar at Sanctuary Bistro the other day while I was serving. We started a conversation about the state of the world, this election season and our quick synopsis on our personal takes on life. Both being in in the 40s age range it is nice to connect in this fast-paced world. What struck me the most about what he said was that everything we hear in the news today - he has experienced his whole life.  On his way out the door of the restaurant, I told him I would like to learn more... I would love to share his story on our blog because change can only happen if people understand the truth. So today... I was so lucky to be able to talk about his experiences and life and thoughts of this world we live in. If we want to create change we have to begin to live with discomfort and we have to ask some very serious and difficult questions. So I asked Broderick what it is like navigating this world as an African American male. - Jennifer

Broderick: "What we spoke about is complex, and my thinking about them are complex. So trying to convey what I mean in a few words is a challenge"

Creating these blogs are challenging and scary for both myself the interviewer and the interviewee... We are both stepping out of our comfort zones and talking to strangers about a very deeply personal and charged topic. They are stories of a life.  It is so hard to capture the deeply complex nature of ones life in a story.  I hope you are able to catch the essence of their stories. I have been moved beyond words.  I hope you are too.Broderick is a yogi, capoeira practitioner, and educator who is passionate about fostering human evolution towards more wholeness, love, kindness, goodness, and beauty. As a dedicated yogi, the overwhelming majority of his energy is employed in the cultivation of these qualities within himself. He feels that his daily, personal yoga practice is the means by which he is able to express his highest self in service to others. Broderick also has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. For more information visit www.broderickrodell.com.

Broderick: "I am about to be 42 years old. It has been an interesting journey. I don’t ever feel totally relaxed. I practice and teach yoga and meditation. I have been, and the world has been, conditioned to perceive blackness as something that is not positive and for that reason, I don’t feel 100 percent safe. I have had to work most of my life trying to transform that with myself and those that I come in contact with. I am constantly confronted with things in the world such as, violence whether it be black men against black men, police brutality, or even as simple as people won't look at you. It is not just because I am black but it has something to do with it. We live in a racist society. It is better than the 60s, but is it where it needs to be? NO.The stress and tension of living in this society is overwhelming. I never feeling like I belong 100 percent and always having to confront my own fears or thoughts on a daily basis. I constantly wonder does this person accept me? Any moment of rejection whether from not speaking to me, or not willing to look at me or energetic vibe I wonder is it because I am a black male. It is because of my social conditioning."

It is important to look at our own social conditioning, question our thoughts, actions and feelings. Recognizing how we enter situations and what our thoughts are will help us recognize our own patterns, biases and learned behaviors. I was thinking about social conditioning and things we saw as children. Take for example, Tom and Jerry. I am now so shocked at how racist that cartoon was. There was a mamie in the cartoons that was always depicted in a stereotypical negative way. That cartoon must have influenced both of our childhoods without us even having realized it.The Center for American Progress states, "According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. Individuals of color have a disproportionate number of encounters with law enforcement, indicating that racial profiling continues to be a problem. A report by the Department of Justice found that blacks and hispanics were approximately three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white motorists. African Americans were twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police." Read more shocking statistics here.

Broderick: "I grew up in poverty and with intensity in the southeast and I am very educated. In my own mind, particularly because of the television, media and news: seeing ... black males in jails, 'high' poverty 'rates' it affects my own psyche. It is challenging in my own healing and trying to share myself with the world. In my conscious mind I am on-guard every time I see a police car. It is not fun. I don’t know if I can ever change that. It doesn’t dominate me but it does it affect me. I have to ask do I feel comfortable wherever I go? You start to challenge your own thinking. Am I threat? I know I am not, but folks won't even talk to you."

According to The State of Working America, "among racial and ethnic groups, African Americans had the highest poverty rate, 27.4 percent, followed by Hispanics at 26.6 percent and whites at 9.9 percent." Read more here

Broderick: "Dating people outside my ethnic race becomes a problem because parents don’t accept me because I am black. It is hard to deal with. I do not regret being a African America male. Sometimes, however, I wonder if I was a white male would it be different. I know the value of love. I know that we can change and treat each other differently. I wouldn’t trade it for the world and yet it is challenging but I have decided to dedicate my life to love."

I want and have always wanted a more equitable world for all people, a world that sees value in good people regardless of the color of their skin. I hope for a world that will begin to look at people and their life experiences and challenge systemic injustices. I don't have an understanding of what that would even look like but I asked Broderick what he thinks needs to change to make this world more equitable for everyone. Broderick believes it starts with each of us on the individual level taking the time to gain these skills to create a more equitable world.  Broderick:

Empathize: As a community we need to be able to put ourselves in another person's shoes and see through their eyes. I want to know what is like to be them. It would help us understand their experiences, pain, joys, suffering.Expand our world view: We need to cultivate emotional intelligence and self awareness by growing up emotionally, cognitively and developmentally in a more holistic way. We have to expand our world view by seeing the world view from a greater perspective.Educate ourselves: Educating our consciousness, not just for a job but to gain stronger critical thinking skills. Rational assessments are needed.Cultivate values: Cultivating these values for yourself and being willing to include others in your values. If you want to see happiness for yourself are you able to see happiness for others.Confront the issues: Daily we are inundated with injustices of the world because of the wealth of information technology gives us. I am grateful for this because we have to confront the issues. The issues have always been there but now you are blasted continuously with these things. They are being brought to light. We need to confront them.Develop spiritual intelligence: We have to develop our spiritual intelligence and connect with ourselves, as well as, transcend ourselves beyond religion. It teaches you that the world is connected. We need to teach that to our kids.Be willing: We need to have will to change or we will not see the change. The whole society can not change over night. I understand how hard it is for me to change and I am dedicated to this change. There is a whole society resisting change and they don’t give a fuck it is going to take time to challenge them; to be willing to listen.Develop interpersonal skills: Relate to people as this will help to transform our narrative. We all live by a narrative. If I am unwilling to include white folks in my narrative, if I consider them the devil, than I am the prey and they are the predator and the narrative doesn't change. If I don’t transform my thinking nothing will ever change.Find common ground: We can change that by finding common ground. If you want to be happier, lets sit down and find common ground that are projected out into the world and recognize that some of it is real. There are crazy people in the world and we need to have compassion and need to understand why people… behave the way they do. What has conditioned them to behave the way that they do.

What do you think would make this world more equitable place? We would love your thoughts in the comments below.To read more about Broderick and his thoughts... check back next week or subscribe down below to receive updates direct to your inbox.  This is the first in a series.Do you have a story to share to help the world become more loving and kind to everyone... please email me at Chefbarry@sanctuarybistro.com with a thought about what you would like to talk about. Cheers - Jennifer