Why Black Men Aren’t Allowed To Cry

Contrary to what you learned, you don’t have to suffer in silence

“When is it all right for Black men not to be all right? The answer appeared to be never. I grew up in a gendered world that rendered me defenseless against the guidelines for people with my genitalia. Still, the silver lining in that folly was that I’d been afforded permission to feel, and feel freely I did. On the other hand, my brothers were permitted to think, because, well, that’s what boys were born to do. It’s a concept that we here in the West borrowed from ancient Greece.” —

Arah Iloabugichukwu

Read Iloabugichukwu’s story in its entirety below.

Why Black Men Aren’t Allowed to Cry