Lately, I have been growing increasingly frustrated with Stephen A. Smith and his attempts to draw equivalences between the criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump and Black American men. Smith seems to think we Black American men have a propensity for committing crimes, and as a result, we Black American men should be more inclined to identify with Trump’s legal travails. Smith even thinks this perceived affinity should motivate us Black American men to vote for Trump in the upcoming presidential election. But let’s be clear: Donald Trump isn’t being victimized by the American criminal justice system. He spent four years as US President thumbing his nose at American jurisprudence while allegedly going out of his way to break its laws.
Smith wants us to ignore the fact that Donald Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Trump’s inherited privilege is what causes him to falsely believe he is entitled to preferential treatment, even after he allegedly 1) paid off a porn star to prevent her from talking about their sexual affair, 2) stole and then stored classified and top secret government documents at his Florida resort and 3) asked Georgia election officials, all fellow Republicans, to find the exact number of votes he needed to steal the presidential election from the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Joe Biden. And let’s not forget he lit the fuse that turned his MAGA supporters into insurrectionists on January 6, 2021.
Stephen A. Smith seemingly wants us Black American men to forget that the unenlightened (or Un-Woke) segment of White America has been trying to make us Black American men the face of criminality since the general Black American population stopped working for free after then-President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1864.
It seems obvious that Smith is unfazed in making this equivalence because of who he associates with. He has been known to break bread with the likes of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who reportedly is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends. Because of his association with Jones, it’s safe to say Smith has probably broken bread with the former president as well, and has undoubtedly completed 18 holes of golf with him at his Florida resort. So, it’s not much of a leap to surmise that Smith has probably been asked to use his platform to do Trump’s bidding.
Smith has built a reputation for being one of ESPN’s most brash and opinionated sportscasters. Who doesn’t enjoy watching episodes of ESPN’s First Take, where Smith’s topics of conversation center around sports, not racial politics? But Smith’s comments on race are inflated with ignorance and insensitivity, for it shows he is possibly working with the Trump Reelection Team to get more of us Black American men to vote for Trump in November.
My Black American brothers, it’s not about him (Donald Trump), it’s about us, our ability to remain the default leaders of the movement to inject unconditional love and neighborly compassion into the hearts and minds of the living. It is our Black ancestors’ exercise of these superpowers before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s that have allowed us, their contemporaries, to develop and display reconciliatory excellence in the present age.
Donald Trump is not deserving of our time, attention or votes. Unlike us, he is not committed to creating a more perfect union.
Affirmative action as we knew it was eliminated by a conservative Supreme Court that Trump’s Republican Senatorial minions corruptly seated by first preventing the first Black American president, Democrat Barack Obama, from making more progressive appointments.
He denounces and supports the elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
He equates Black history with Critical Race Theory.
And he supports the banning of books written by Black authors.
As men, we are called to stand in the gap for our women and children. As Black American men, we are called to stand with our closest constituents – our Black American women and Black American children – while pressuring the country’s duly elected leaders, both Democratic and Republican, to do right by all its people, not just a select few.
Stephen A. Smith seemingly wants us to deviate from this purpose, even as he enjoys the perks of being associated with the wealthy, influential and powerful. What I hope he realizes, though, is the conquering oppressors that he chooses to associate with have no desire to develop authentic relationships with us, their more compassionate neighbors.
While our Black ancestors established the longstanding tradition of demanding that this country live up to its ideals- that all men (and women) are created equal, and have been endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – the fact still remains that it has not. And when Black celebrities like Stephen A. Smith float false equivalencies to get a criminally indicted former president re-elected, it confuses matters. We Black Americans are wired to be compassionate and neighborly because lashing out violently only makes things worse for everybody. We must get in each others faces and share truthful and heartfelt stories that speak to where we were, where we are, and how much further we have to go as a people and as a nation.
We will know that our nation is starting to become defined by unconditional love and neighborly compassion when more of us are seen hugging it out with people who look different than us but share the belief that our union can be perfected.
Stephen A. Smith would have us Black American men embrace a man who wants us to hate more and love less.
Throughout the pages of Young Achiever Playbook: Planning To Achieve, J. A. bares his soul, recounting how an arthritic hip condition, and the end of his collegiate track and field career, fostered a newfound appreciation for what he calls the Four Pillars of Prosperity – Nurturing, Learning, Working and Leading. After coming to terms with this career-ending diagnosis, J. A. vowed to be the kind of man who:
J. A. Faulkerson is a Strategist, Author and Speaker with Culturally Coded Content, a Northern Virginia-based creative writing and nonprofit management firm. A Master-level Social Worker who has worked on behalf of disadvantaged and disenfranchised children, youths and adults for over 20 years, he is committed to producing creative works that don’t just entertain, but educate and enlighten as well.
Here’s what I learned about Lordship from Crossover Church Pastor Tim Seay on Sunday, February 10, 2019:
J.A. Faulkerson 