Mel Hopkins

Sorry to read that some black men only know their role or how to lead if they can subjugate other humans i.e, women. That doesn't seem like leadership at all. If it was possible to lose those leadership abilities it was actually never theirs in the first place. For you can't lose what is yours by divine right. Further, this crisis you speak of, seems to be a challenge that afflicts the lower socio-economic class. This doesn't seem to be a challenge in other other western cultures. In other cultures, including the prevailing 'ruling class' it seems as though men seek out women who come from equal or higher socio-economic classes and standing in an effort to advance in this society. As for the equal rights for women side of this argument; the civil rights act of 1964 didn't actually give women equal rights but rather it made it illegal to discriminate against women in the workplace. The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) proposal is still in the works and has been since 1923. So far ERA has not been ratified therefore it is still not law. Which brings me to this; there is an axiom in the military which is - in order to lead you must first learn to follow. It seems with the strides that women are making in the workplace, entrepreneurship, finance, family, education etc, sans having a man in the home, I believe we women have learned this lesson very well. For those men who are having a hard time finding their footing in this 'new age', I suspect it is time to follow the leader. AGAIN.