Redefining Masculinity Can Move Us Forward
What remains brutally clear? The important conversation and investment from five years ago is only scratching the surface of what’s possible. As more scholars, elected officials and change agents have looked at the root causes that stifle boys from becoming productive men, we have to face the question of what defines masculinity. The impact this can have depends on just how much government and philanthropy at all levels continues to invest in culturally relevant research and evaluation. Breaking the cycle of community and interpersonal violence requires solutions that are both general to gender but also specific to culture, neighborhood and time.
Helping people – young or old – become the best versions of themselves ultimately means creating spaces that are safe for them to grow and explore within. Spaces that are actively accessible, no matter how they define their personal relationships or their gender. That’s where our elected officials and policymakers can be most helpful. By ensuring that children and adults have safe social, economic, educational spaces with resources they need to prosper.
Despite a lot of time and money spent on programs and coalitions, more work remains. That is not a sign of past failure. It speaks to the enormity of the original task. The challenge was a heavy lift even with the support of a President who was personally invested. It’s an even harder one now.
Is the Latino man dying? It depends on who you ask. What is certain is that he is far from living the way he is meant to be.