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ENGL 1102 31 March 2014 Round Table Paper When watching TV or scrolling on twitter, how many positive images of black men are promoted? For me its slim to none. It is always something about someone being killed, doing the killing, or going to prison/jail. Talking about African American men in media, the older generation of men at age 50 or above, the parents of teens who were killed and exploited, and present day celebrities and athletes are all at the table with different views. Im not here to argue what is right or wrong but to present the facts that have been found from countless hours of research in an unbiased way. Through history, black men were never treated as equals compared to their white counterparts. Civil rights activist such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X used the media of their time to promote their message of equality. These two influential public figures were well spoken in how the handled themselves in the eye of the media regardless of the situation. Bringing times to present day, hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons held a conference in New York along with other big named hip-hop artists such as Big Sean were in attendance promoting the image of successful African American men. They spoke how personal image can affect success. INSERT QUOTE EXPLAIN QUOTE HERE Saying that we control the image of our self and what would it be like to be without media for a day, how would the world function? Transition into talking about other celebrities and athletes When mentioning black culture a few names have to come up in conversation, Michael Jordon, Kobe Bryant, Kanye West, and

Daniels 2 Lil Wayne to name a few. These individuals are some of the most well known black men in the world. They have worldwide recognition. With many endorsements from Nike and their own notable brands such as TrukFit, they influence the youth and are seen as role models for many teens. Throughout many of their songs and commercials they try and overall promote black men to take control and empower themselves to be better men. At times it is hard to see behind vulgar language but when asked not just these few names mentioned but others have said they want to give a positive image out to the black males of tomorrow. Find some type of interview promoting black youth and being a role model. Close it out with something inspirational Lastly when it comes to the parents, everyone has a different background in what type of home they were raised in. Studies show that influence from the environment one is raised in has everlasting effects on personality and social skills. Find something to back this, some study about nature vs. nurture Parents such as the Martin Family raised a young black men in American who was unarmed and shot by George Zimmerman who was later charge but not found guilty of murder. With the death of their son, and no peace found in the fact that the shooter was not put in jail, they turned to the media and social protest to get their message out to the world. Through different interviews and Older generation black men- Russell Simmons words from blog, how mlk and Malcolm X had publicity, being well spoken Parents like trayvon martin- Facts from cause from blog, how they have found peace in promoting their sons death, how Zimmerman got off Present day celebrities and athletes- Article from blog, find something else maybe