IRVINGTON, NJ — In communities such as Irvington, young boys have always benefited from male role models who are teachers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, older cousins and mentors.
These days, the black community is under attack. Not only are black Americans suffering from a higher risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19, but many are dying at the hands of law enforcement. The deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others are proof of this.
Addressing these issues was a group panel discussion on Sept. 27 entitled “My Story, Your Story, Our Story.” The panel consisted of Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss; business owner and spiritual leader James Muhammad, from Raleigh, N.C.; James Celestine, director of New York State Common Retirement Funds Real Assets allocation; and Gene Waddy, co-founder and CEO of Diversant LLC. Columbia University lecturer Hassan Abdulhaqq hosted the panel, which was held via Zoom. The five men discussed the importance of black male leadership; viewers were able to tune in and participate.
“Loving ourselves first physically, mentally and spiritually are three ways as to how the African American community can elevate,” Muhammad said during the live discussion, adding the importance of “tapping into the wisdom and knowledge of others and passing the torch to others.”
Solidifying Muhammad’s message of passing the torch was a short video shown during the discussion in which the late Chadwick Boseman, most famous for playing T’Challa, the king of Wakanda, in the record-breaking 2018 film “The Black Panther,” discussed his journey as an actor.
Boseman believed in himself because someone else believed in him. That someone was actor Denzel Washington. At an event honoring Washington, Boseman thanked the veteran actor and revealed, unbeknownst to Washington, that Washington had privately paid for Boseman to attend acting school at Oxford.
Tying into Boseman’s message, another topic focused on how to lead by example.
“How does one lead by example? We lead by example by taking ownership,” Celestine said during the live discussion. He highlighted various types of ownership: “Taking ownership of ourselves, which encompasses the physical, which is the high-risk category of health, mental and spiritual, meaning what is your guiding principle. Ownership of family and being a caring partner, nurturing children and those in our care. Taking ownership of our community in terms of the political by voting this Nov. 3 and submitting data for the census.
“How do we engage in our economic community? Familial people who are teaching you how to save,” he continued. “Indigenous patronization, meaning to buy your own, supporting our own and going to little stores within the communities. Another way is learning to save. That’s important for the future, ourselves and loved ones. Another way is understanding fiscal numbers, fiscal health, and investing in ourselves and our communities. The biggest investments are our homes and ourselves. Another is entrepreneurship. Encourage those who run a business. Equality and equity are when we will have a seat at the table.”
Waddy discussed how the community can do better.
“We have to recognize that we are under siege and are under attack, watch the news and turn our gaze inwards,” Waddy said, discussing helping one another and how actions can come with consequences. “I have to think about how I use the tools I have to benefit my brothers and sisters. ‘Lift as you climb’ is my valued statement; you don’t want to be the only one at the top.
“Embrace the road less traveled, mentor and develop others,” he continued. “It is imperative to reach behind and help others, like how Denzel Washington helped Chadwick Boseman. We have to embrace business economics, teach a curriculum, act better and make better decisions. One other thing we must think about is doing a better job at self-defense. Discuss home protection and the Second Amendment. The world is changing, and it’s becoming very scary.”
For Vauss, just coming together to discuss these issues was an important experience.
“This is the start of something beautiful,” Vauss said during the live discussion. “Each one, teach one. Communication is always key. Communication is sharing, whether they want the knowledge or not. It’s so important that we vote this November. The two valid points in my breakout room were communication and trust.”
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