Essence Magazine

This month's Essence published the "Do Right Man 2007". I began to look at what was considered a do right man and I got so into it. I thought about the men in my life and wondered if I ever had a do right man. There was my biological father, who divorced my mom and I guess you can say he took care of us but he was never there. Then there is my step-father who stepped in and took up the slack but he and my mother fought like cats and dogs. Still do and they have been married over 30 years. There was the ex-husband (See blog Parenting or the lack of...). So, I started to think about my do right men and those who made the list. Warning: I am judging these people based on what I see in the media. I don't know there deep dark secrets or what goes on behind closed doors...

1. Kadeem Hardison I have loved this man since he wore those nerdy glasses on "A Different World". I loved his character more than him but I watched him grow up. Then he married that woman and I was truly hurt. What made him my do right man is that I never heard anything about his marriage or divorce. All I hear is that he is a good father. If he is to show up at my door then I am all his.


2. O'Shea Jackson (Ice Cube) This man is da bom (and I don't even talk like that) He is hard, funny, serious, cute and down. But he is a family man. No matter how big he gets on the big screen he still makes music.


3. Courtney B. Vance Have you ever heard of someone graduating from Harvard and Yale with degrees in fine arts? Brother knew what he wanted. He was not going to be denied. What makes him my do right man, is he married his best friend and they behave more like friends than a married couple. I want that in my life. And I am patient enough to wait on it.
4. Don Cheadle Another brother who has it all together. He is a hardworking man. Always in something. He has a family and the funny part of that was I did not know it until I started looking into this, which means he keeps his family out of the media. I have never seen a movie that he played that I did not like. I even liked it when he plays Will's best friend from Philly on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ice Tray. He has played every type of character known to man and he does it so well.
5. Dante Terrell Smith (MOS Def) Last but not least. The most intellectual rapper I have ever heard. He is so cool until it is unreal. I have a lot of favorites from him but I truly loved seeing him in Something The Lord Made. That was truly a great movie. He could give Kadeem a run for his money if they both showed up at my door.

Well, these are my do right men. They may not mean a lot to others but to me they are most impressive.