Successful Black Men and The Shortage of Good Black Women

Meet Mario Johnson. He is a Black man in his mid-thirties. He is different from many other Black men and any man regardless of race. He dresses like an executive. He has on a well-tailored suit, an expensive watch, a leather brief case, and black shoes so polished you could see your reflection. All this is just the surface. What people do not know is that Mario is the General Counsel of a major corporation. He is well educated, with a BA, JD, and a MBA. He is tall, in great shape, and handsome. He volunteers with troubled youth and plans to become politically active. By anyone’s standards this brother has his act together.

Meet Sam Watson. He is a Black Man in his mid-twenties. At first glance he may seem like any other young male. He wears stylish baggy clothes. He has dreadlocks and an earring. He only has a high school education. On the surface it looks like Sam does not have anything going for him. That is just the surface.

People don’t realize that Sam owns three stores specializing in clothes for a young urban crowd. As early as high school Sam was always selling something. After graduation Sam decided to start a business selling T-shirts he’d designed. This business eventually grew to the point that he was able to move from a street corner stand to a small store. He expanded his business to include clothes from other designers. One store became two stores. Two became three. With all the energy he put into his business he simply did not have time for college. Despite this he has a large collection of books on a variety of subjects making him a well-read and well-informed individual.

Meet James Abraham. James graduated college and has a job working as an analyst in a government agency. To his co-workers he is content and average. James’ co-workers do not realize he is a different person away from work. James has an entertainment company that produces parties, fashion shows and other functions. In another year James will have saved enough money to quit his government job and pursue his business full-time.

These three brothas are fictional, however, they represent several types of successful men. These men have several things in common. They are all men who worked to get where they are going in life. They have all attained a measure of success. Each one, however, lacks one thing: a special lady with whom to share his life. Someone may look at the examples above and say that men like these should not have any problems finding someone special. Black women greatly outnumber Black men. These men should have literally dozens of women at their beck and call. The reality is that this is not the case. The reality is that for the successful Black man there is a shortage of good women.

The term “good” is relative. What one person considers good another person may consider bad. In this case I use the word “good” to mean women who are good for successful Black men. A successful Black man in most cases will not grab any woman he sees. There are several issues to consider when he chooses a mate. The biggest issue is compatibility.

When people talk about how many women there are for each man, it is never taken into consideration that a man is only going to be compatible with a few women. For example, Phil has college and graduate degrees. He makes six figures, lives in an upscale neighborhood, and drives a late model car. As a result of the supposed shortage of “good” men Phil has several women he can choose from.

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