Who am I?

Okay I’ve been blogging for awhile now, and I realized, that I never really introduced myself. So I’m taking the opportunity to formally do so now. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have. Like most people I am somewhat complex but not in that pretentious way. Take my upbringing, I grew up in a single parent home, my mom is highly educated from some of the best schools in the US (Ed.D from Columbia University, Stern (NYU) business school) she opened up and ran the largest all African-American mental health private practice in our area. I went to an all black private school in elementary school. So with that knowledge, you’re probably reading this like oh boy, this bougie ass dude. Don’t be too hasty to judge, I grew up in actually the worse neighborhood in our city, called Huntersville, because my little brother was/is mentally and physically disabled. In order for my little brother to get the services that he needed he had to be on Medicare/Medicaid, for those of you that don’t know you can’t make more than 25k a year. This usually isn’t that bad if you’re a single person, but not if you’re a single mother, with two kids. So I grew up in a sort of weird in-between where my Mom extended herself to be the best mother anyone could ask for, hell I was reading when I was 3, by third grade I was reading AND understanding Plato’s republic. But then when Ii would go outside the confines of my house I was in the hood. Like I remember people being shot on my street, hearing gun shots, seeing crack on the street, girls fighting’ in the street and etc. I was there but I wasn’t of it, like I didn’t really get down with the folks, but then when Ii was in these places where I was around preppy blacks and white, I didn’t fit in.
Not fitting was/has become the theme of my life it seems. I’m always in this weird limbo almost this but not quiet enough. I have bougie tendencies I’ll admit, but I have ghetto tendencies as well. Even in college that was my mode of operation, I started chilling with the international head wrap, we care about the all those in the Diaspora. Which was cool I met like some really good people who I still keep in contact with. But after they all graduated and I was left at college, I think did something that would change my collegiate experience, pledge. Prior to pledging I had been pretty active, I was NAACP, African Student Association, Resident Advisor, on the debate team, interned on Capitol Hill 2 xs. But I can honestly saying pledging NOT intake, was hard. If it wasn’t for my line brothers, I would have dropped, just as fast as my weight. ‘Nuff said.

After college and entering the real world I was really lonely, all my friends were spread out, and I didn’t really get to see anyone except for my cousin, I’ll call her Bookie. So that’s when I really started dealing with dudes, and let me tell you. At best Black Men are some of the strongest, intelligent, and beautiful human beings. At our worst, we fall into all the stereotypes of gay men and black men. Living in the DC area, I’ve experienced far too many examples of the latter and not the former, which has caused self reflection. Which is where I am now, reflecting on my actions and how I can change myself to someone better that I’m happier with, regardless of who else is around. That’s one of the reasons why I started this blog. To share my journey with others, b/c there are many people who are on this journey towards one goal. Let’s help each other out.


P.S. I named the blog Wise and Young and not Young and Wise b/c my name means Wise Old Man.