The Life and Breath of Black Men by Mark Anthony Neal

[image error]   The Life and Breath of Black Men by Mark Anthony Neal | Mic.com

The "Pass the Mic" series showcases voices, perspectives and ideas that spark interesting conversations.

The most timeless trope of black men and boys is that aligned with their perception in the white imagination: black men who possess a level of strength, rage and pure energy that is beyond human. One need only look at the character of Gus in the 1915 film Birth of a Nation to find an image that has been continuously remixed and circulated in American culture as a stock representation of black masculinity: Gus, played by white actor Walter Long in blackface, follows Flora, a white woman, into the woods. Fearing rape by a "black man," Flora kills herself by jumping from a cliff.

Similarly, Darren Wilson described Mike Brown as a "demon" and "Hulk Hogan"-like. Perceptions like these fuel the fear of unarmed black males, as well as the fascination with elite black male athletes.
Yet, as evidenced in the cries from the late Eric Garner, "I can't breathe," such mythology obscures the fragility of black life. Black men and women's vulnerabilities remain largely unseen to the public, except as statistical data reminding us about racial health care disparities. Ironically, these health disparities suggest a crisis as threatening, if not more so, than aggressive policing. Even as we demand an end to state-sanctioned violence against blacks, we must simultaneously recognize that preventable diseases like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes are as deadly as any police officer's chokehold.
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