Whoooo! Where do I start? I have been in love since the 7th grade…maybe even before. It is just something about these men that make my face light up. Now not for all of them, but for the ones I do find attractive….this post is for them. This post is about the regal handsomeness, professionalism, compassion, and admiration I have for Black men. I like All men, but I have a special spot in my heart for Black Men. Now every black men I have ever met in life has not lived up to this list, but note this is solely my opinion, and this is a generalization based on my own experiences.
1. They are attractive!
We all find different people attractive, but Black men are some of the finest men on the planet! This is part of the reason why Black women have a problem with women of other races “stealing” our men. But, can we blame some of them? We have to admit that for some of our men (cough: Idris) who wouldn’t want to take a look?
2. They come in many shades and styles!
Caramel, mocha, latte, caramel, butterscotch, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and the list goes on! Whatever your preference there is something to meet your interest. And whether you like them tatted, dread locked, beared, low cut, big, skinny, small, muscled, urban, suburban, country,etc you name it—they got it!
3. They admire Black women
Not all of them but the ones who do…boy oh boy! It is fine for them to like all women, but to hear a Black man discuss his love for Black women just speaks volumes. It brings a breath of fresh air to the room because sometimes it can be rare. In essence, when they show a love for Black women it speaks to their connection to their culture heritage.
4. Their voice is easily recognized
You can easily pick up on a brotha’s voice without even seeing his face. Hearing them take charge or step up as a leader adds to my appreciation for them.
5. They are educated and cultured in many ways
The formal education system may not have been set up for African Americans, but there are many “hidden intellectualisms” among Black males and Black culture that I value the same as formal education. Being able to recite and analyze Shakespeare and knowing how to freestyle in my mind hold similar weight. They both have to be learned and are skills one must learn. Additionally they bring a culture to the table laced with intellect not valued by mainstream society, but nevertheless can cause one to think deeply and make connections to academia and the world.
6. Their swagger is undeniable
Everyone wants to cop their style…everyone! Since Black men emerged in America it has been a struggle for them to keep their swag in check as they combat many trials and tribulations daily. But, still they rise. The elegance and sophistication of Black men has always been around. In college I read ‘Towards A Black Aesthetic’ by Hoyt Fuller in an African American Lit class. Hoyt Fuller spoke of a white man’s commentary on the style that Black men posses that he didn’t notice as much in white men. Discussing “the Negro’s immense style, a style so seductive that it’s little wonder that black men are, as Shakespeare put it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, ‘pearls in beauteous ladies’ eyes.’
The white writer, George Frazier continues, “is not that there are no white men with style, for there is Fred Astaire, for one, and Cary Grant, for another, but that there are so very, very few of them. Even in the dock, the black man has an air about him—Adam Clayton Powell, so blithe, so self-possessed, so casual, as contrasted with Tom Dodd, sanctimonious, whining, an absolute disgrace. What it is that made Miles Davis and Cassius Clay, Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore and Ralph Ellison and Sammy Davis, Jr. seem so special was their style.…” 
I’ve never forgotten this article because it struck me right there in the classroom that Black men’s worth and value were noticed by others contrary to popular belief. Not only is their physical worth valued (as we know both positively and negatively), but it is important that we note what our Black brothas are bringing to the table as a whole being! We usually discuss Black men in contexts of deadbeat fathers, baby daddies, drug dealers, rappers, athletes, less then, etc but there comes a time when we should also look to those Black Men who are defying the odds and stepping into new visuals and definitions of Black masculinity in the 21st century.
Regal Realness 