Avery Brooks is DA MAN.

You may have heard or seen icons like Blade or Luke Cage and I KNOW you’ve heard of Shaft, John Shaft that bad mother—(shut yo mouth!) But have you ever had the pleasure of meeting Avery Brooks’ Hawk from the Spenser for Hire novels and eventually the popular 1980’s tv series and then his own show A Man Called Hawk? No? Well, let me be the one to introduce you because this brotha right here is an OG. Sure he technically came after Shaft but he somehow managed to surpass Johnny boy on every level, including his on point fashion choices. This character was a black man but he wasn’t solely defined by it. He wasn’t simply a good guy or a bad guy he always walked that fine line of gray by being able to assist his good friend Spenser on a case while still being a gun for hire and making that paper. A very complex brother because while being raised on the streets and not above speaking street language he was still a dude with superior intellect and can turn a phrase as well as any poetic historian. This was an Afro American character in an action series that paved the way for the likes of Blade or TC from Magnum PI, Luke Cage etc. It may have been done before and has been done since but it has NEVER been done better than the role of Hawk, and Avery Brooks’ portrayal is so legendary that even the author of the Spenser books Robert B. Parker said that Brooks was perfect and embodied the character he created. So yeah, if I had to choose between any of the other cool, badass anti hero brothers to watch my back i’d say Hawk is my first choice by far.

Wear your friggin’ masks! (again for emphasis)

Come on, people! I know it’s not fun what we’re going through but it’s never gonna end if folk wanna keep being stupid and not gear themselves up and protect yourself while you’re out in public and protect your family, friends or fellow human beings too. Don’t be an ass and wear your masks!

This has been a PSA by your friendly neighborhood blogger.

A spoken word by a grateful son.

First off Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful and devoted men who actually know how important it is for their children (especially a son) to have a male role model as much as they need a female one. My father Mitchell Rivers taught my brother Cameron and I a lot about not only how to be a man but also how to be a genuinely good person and a strong Christian with values, heart, intelligence and courage to go for your dreams no matter how hard it may be to get there. My father isn’t perfect he has his flaws and vulnerabilities like everyone else but his imperfect is better than perfect because his humanity makes him easier to relate and talk to rather than an almighty superman and I can learn from his mistakes as much as I learn from my own. All this to say, Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Lending people money is always a debatable thing. On one hand you want to be the “good guy” who thinks you’ll somehow get a VIP ticket to Heaven and on the other you could be a prime “sucker” whose act of kindness was used against him. Well, I’ve lent plenty of people money, of course only those I love and trust to give it back but the one time I actually might’ve played the sucker to someone who I thought I knew may have just proved that you gotta listen to instinct. ALWAYS. Just food for thought.