Abstract

This hermeneutic phenomenological exploration of identity, and ultimately the experience of being, is propelled by the researchers desire to contribute to the understanding of what it means to be a Black man. This study explores and reflects on the lived experiences of seven men whose lives are directed by the mutual influence of race, gender and other diversities in the development of personal and collective being. The researcher undergirds the explication of identity through African and German philosophical approaches to hermeneutic phenomenology. The works of Serequeberhan , Cabral and Heidegger provide the framework for exploring the metaphor of channels which inform an understanding of seven Black men's experiences of being Black and being a man. Through the use of the channel metaphor, and the meta-themes of "growing up in Black and White" and the "shadow," the reader will come to understand how these men experienced oppression as a subsuming aspect of life. ;The paths that direct the lives of these Black men include experiences with families, interactions with elders, fathers, mothers, other family members, peers, and teachers who bestow and reinforce the meaning of being Black and being a man. Throughout this study the researcher explicates the essences of Black men's identity through engaging in authentic sharing and disclosure with these men. Through each step of the research process a rich story is communicated that seeks to illuminate pedagogical responses for improving the life world of Black men. ;The pedagogical implications of exploring identity goes beyond the ontological explication of the surface identity of race. As such, the researcher discussed the diversity of Black men through an exploration of a pedagogy for consciousness that seeks to create hope. Finally, a treatise for being in alliance with Black men is offered through eight steps of progressive action toward redefining pedagogical praxis