Kevin Powell > Quotes

“To be sure, I had, and have, spent the better part of my post-college life growing up in the public eye, with my shameful warts, big and ugly, looming there for the world to see; and it has been a mighty battle trying to be a man, a Black man, a human being, a responsible and consistent human being, as I have interfaced with my past and with my personal demons, with friends and lovers, with enemies and haters. As Tupac Shakur once famously said to me, “There is no placed called careful.” On the one hand, Tupac was right: There is not much room for error in America if you are a Black male in a society ostensibly bent on profiling your every move, eager to capitalize on your falling into this or that trap, particularly keen to swoop down on your self-inflicted mishaps. But by the same token, Tupac was wrong: There can be a place called careful, once one becomes aware of the world one lives in, its potential, its limitations, and if one is willing to struggle to create a new model, some new and alternative space outside and away from the larger universe, where one can be free enough to comprehend that even if the world seems aligned against you, you do not have to give the world the rope to hang you with.”
― Kevin Powell, Who's Gonna Take the Weight: Manhood, Race, and Power in America

“Release yourself from the prison of hatred. Forgive”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“The silence of men in the face of sexism is an agreement that it is OK to oppress and abuse and attack women and girls whenever we feel like it.”
― Kevin Powell, My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man.

“Silence is unacceptable in the face of injustice, and being neutral is being a coward and an accomplice to the evil sides of our history.”
― Kevin Powell, My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man.

“Taking time for a self-inventory is a necessary first step toward making the transition from a religion focused on belief to a spirituality based on behavior.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“Displaying good character as a means of avoiding retribution after life is not just problematic but inherently selfish.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“In an effort to reclaim our humanity, let us find new motivation for living by opening our minds to broader concepts of spirituality.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“I could continue with a list of other challenges faced by our current religious institutions, but addressing these three areas would be a great start toward improving the lives of Black males: Stop thinking of divinity as limited to the confines of a building. Stop building our faith on fear of damnation. Stop seeking personal salvation above the good of the whole.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“Our steps toward a more productive spiritual path begin with recognizing the need for change. We can no longer afford to seek analog solutions to digital problems.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“Feelings of alienation, marginalization, and isolation cause some of us to adopt a “me against the”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“most of the work toward empowering Black males must come from Black males. And nowhere is our love of God more evident than through acts of service.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“When we don’t forgive, we trap ourselves in spiritual prisons.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“Some traditionalists may insist there is no redeeming value in “secular” music. But recent history has shown that a steady diet of gospel music does not exempt anyone from making destructive choices. From Kirk Franklin’s pornography addiction to the domestic violence involving evangelists Juanita Bynum and Thomas W. Weeks III, it’s clear that tuning out secular music is not a guarantee of righteous behavior.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“stated, “What you consume is what you will consider.” According to this logic, if one wants to be whole, healthy, and productive, one should seek out and digest information that encourages such attributes.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life

“forgiveness of one’s self and of others opens up the doorway to new possibilities.”
― Kevin Powell, The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life