The Making of a Hero

For the past 8 years, there has been buzz about increasing numbers of African-American men and women joining the conservative party. This is obviously good news for the conservative party, but what does this mean for the black men and women who are joining? In the November 2024 election, it was black men in particular (over 90% of black women supported of Kamala Harris) who seemed to be the most enthused about Donald Trump becoming president again. And that's fine, but now that black men have found a hero in Donald Trump, the black community can stand to see a few changes resulting from this political shift.

For little boys, heroes give them something to aspire to. They find something about the hero that they want to mimic. It would nice to see black men do this when it comes to their heroes. If they really view Donald Trump as the successful, no-nonsense, alpha male that they say he is, I would like to see black men channel that same energy so that they can become strong figures and future heroes for young black boys. For far too long, the black community as elevated men and women of times past who made a mark on America, or the world at large, yet somehow, didn't make a big enough impact for black people to emulate them. This has to change.

Being that Donald Trump owns businesses, properties, and been in leadership positions long before the presidency, I can say that Donald Trump has been successful in almost everything he's ever done (business wise). So, how can we get black men to aspire to do the same thing? Are we going to admire yet another figure who's made his mark on the world, applaud him for it, and root for him, but not try to duplicate anything he does?

All great American heroes, regardless of race, all have something about them that is admirable enough to emulate. And if we see how great they are for the country, then surely their greatness can transform our individual lives. I can only hope that black men don't just place Donald Trump on a political pedestal, but examine who he is as a business tycoon and see something there that they can incorporate into their own lives, while indirectly making a positive impact on the rest of the black community.