Author: Damon K. Jones

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39In a society obsessed with performance, perfection, and people-pleasing, the idea of loving yourself can feel almost rebellious. But make no mistake: self-love is not vanity. It is not self-centeredness. It is foundational. And for those of us who claim any moral compass, especially a faith-based one, it’s a mandate—not an option.In Matthew 22:39, Jesus makes it plain: love your neighbor as yourself. We talk plenty about loving others, yet we rarely stop to examine the condition of the love we’re offering. If we’re honest, many of us don’t know how to love…

The recent election has illuminated the persistent challenges Black men and fathers face in securing fair access to jobs and justice. Yet, amid these challenges and despite mainstream media’s limited recognition, Black men continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience in confronting systemic inequities and economic disparities. This resilience is not just a statistic, but a testament to the strength and determination of Black fathers. Research consistently validates what we’ve always known: children with actively involved fathers achieve better outcomes in education, emotional well-being, and social development.As we approach 2025, Black fathers are actively dismantling outdated stereotypes and reshaping the narrative of…

As a Black community, we are suffering from a lack of leadership and unity that is holding us back. Several complex issues plague us, from a broken Black culture that promotes ignorance, lack of unity, love, and toxic, tense gender relations. Healing these divisions requires a special kind of moral guidance – that provided by upright Black men.The scriptures provide many verses extolling uprightness and integrity as crucial virtues for Black men to be leaders in their families and communities. As Proverbs 11:3 states, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Upright…

In today’s society, the role of Black fathers in the lives of their daughters often goes underestimated and overlooked. In modern Black culture, there has been a concerning trend where Black men are sometimes perceived as merely fathers who have children but are not actively involved in raising them. Statistics show that a significant portion of Black children, around 80 percent, are born out of wedlock. This trend has significant and long-lasting consequences, particularly for young girls, who are the focus of this discussion.When a young girl grows up without a positive and nurturing Black male figure in her life,…

Black America was already struggling with historic levels of mental health problems amid the coronavirus pandemic. Black America paused for eight minutes and forty-five seconds and witnessed George Floyd’s killing. It co-signed all the stress and anxiety that exist in the Black Community.According to data from the Census Bureau, within a week after George Floyd’s death, anxiety and depression among Black Americans were shot to higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group, by 41 percent. That is approximately 1.4 million more people.A 2018 study in the journal Lancet found that Black Americans suffer higher levels of psychological distress…

There has been a concerning lack of attention to the health and well-being of Black men, and it’s crucial that we raise awareness about improving their health and addressing the health disparities they face. This realization struck me when I heard an artist speak at the BET Awards, urging Black men to support Black women in the fight for women’s rights and reproductive health.While this cause is undeniably important, it’s disheartening to see that Black men remain largely invisible in the national conversation about health, both to the broader public and even within the Black community’s efforts to promote mental…