By Vincent L. Hall
Are you man enough, big and bad enough? Are you gonna let ‘em shoot you down? When the evil flies and your brother cries, are you gonna be around? – Four Tops, Shaft in Africa Soundtrack 1973
Don’t get mad with me, brothers. I come in peace.
In the third saga of the Shaft trilogy, Shaft In Africa, Richard Roundtree ditches his debonair “private dick” persona for the sake of some people he’s been hired to free. Shaft’s job is to break a racket that smuggles immigrants into Europe and then exploits them. Substitute America for Europe, add deportations and it sounds familiar, huh?
Go Google the movie, but when you do, also pick up the soundtrack. One of the songs performed by the Four Tops is the perfect challenge to Black men in this era. Are you man enough? Big and bad enough?
Maybe you ain’t as handsome as the dashing young Richard Roundtree in Shaft. Hell, his good looks gave way to “ Father Time” at some point. But if you’re going to make a difference that matters you need to model the Shaft of 2000! Samuel L. Jackson played was a witty, gritty, bad mutha shutyomouth!! But he handled his bizness!
Once upon a time in the Black community we had pretty women and working men. But the script has flipped, so now we have more working women who are forced to hold us down at home, at work and in the community.
King James says if a man won’t work he ought not eat. My bible, the QP Bible adds that the working woman shouldn’t feed his sorry ass either.
When you reduce the plight of Black America down to its lowest common denominator, the absence of strong Black men is the root cause. There’s no way around the facts. You Negroes may be pretty, but you still play too much, and we ain’t impressed.
First things first, take care of your children. Find a way to stay with the mama, or find a way to stay with your responsibilities. Some of you Negroes change jobs just to keep from paying child support. But I’ve been watching that White man at the Texas Attorney General’s office, and when he hook up with “yo baby mama” you ain’t got a chance.
And let me warn you. If you brag to me about how you shafted your family, I’ll turn you in myself. My tax burden is too heavy. But the burden on my heart as we watch these children, your children, languish in the wake of your irresponsibility has become too much. “Baby Daddy” is cute. But these children need fathers or substitutes.
Seond, stop having all of these kids. And if its too late, stop bragging about how many you got when you know damn well you ain’t contributing to their welfare. And this ain’t just for the young studs, its for them old duds too. Fifty ain’t too old for you to find your “chir’en” and provide for your grandchir’en.”
Oh yeah, for you other Shaft’s who hold your heads high because you are raising or have raised your children; Congratulations! Now that you’ve been high-fived, help with some of these innocent babies who weren’t fortunate enough to have you as their daddy.
Finally, and foremost. Brothers…Go Vote. We come up with more bullshit excuses meant to either exert or protect our “manhood” than the law allows. Sometimes being a man means showing up to take an ass whooping, even though you know you can’t win. I think Spike Lee called it “doing the right thing.”
It’s 2026 and this is no time for your tricks. The Four Tops posed the appropriate question five decades ago; Are you Man Enough? Big and Bad Enough? We will see.
Peace, Shalom, Paz, Frieden, Paix, As Salaamu Alaikum!!
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
