Anyone is free to agree or disagree about Kevin Samuels' messages.
I feel like in the realm of public discourse there is room for varied points of view.
No one is 100% right all of the time and to some extent "right" is subjective, anyway. So of course, Kevin Samuels was not always right.
However, Kevin's was an important and necessary voice. He spoke out loud what Black men want and don't want from women. He spoke the uncomfortable truth about what things we give value to and what we don't value in a woman. The dominant society has always tended to more readily find fault with Black men and give more of a platform to Black women to air their grievances about us. It benefits the divide and conquer aspect of white supremacy if the image of the Black Man, the protector and provider of our race is tarnished and weakened. Oprah Winfrey many times assisted white supremacists in the character assassination of Black men.
Kevin provided a forum and acted as a spokesman for the airing of OUR- Black men's grievances. But I don't see it as hateful. "Tough love", for sure, but underpinning it was always love. He preached an ongoing sermon of wanting to see Black men and women give each other a chance, that for a Black woman a man who was of the status of the father that she loved should be more than worthy of being a fitting partner for her. He taught that "average" is not bad. In fact, it's perfectly fine and two average people could lead a fulfilling life together. As he would declare women to be of average looks, he put his own looks in the same category. Those women whom he was harsh with tended to be those who were entitled and who looked down on the average Black man and those who lashed out at or overtalked him. Considering that the average Black man whom they called themselves rejecting comprised the 96% of all of us who statistically earn south of 6 figures, correction in the form of a reality check was imperative.
Did he go overboard on occasion? Certainly. Was he blunt? Very. But on his show, Kevin Samuels held up a clean mirror to Black people- to men AND women and not just to women only as popularly misconceived. I believe he wanted to see US ALL succeed.
Peace, blessings and shelter to his mother, daughter, family and loved ones.
Rest In Peace, Kevin Samuels
