Introduction: Boyhood

From the moment you step outside your house or apartment, your neighborhood says, “This is where you are from”. Take a moment and think about the messages you received from the neighborhood you grew up in.

Neighborhoods are urban, suburban or rural. Some are comprised of diverse groups of people, while others are more segregated. Neighborhoods can be identified by race, economics, culture, religion, and class. There are many neighborhoods with a stigma attached to them while others are viewed as the most desirable places to live. The neighborhood we come from can have a tremendous impact on who we become as we transition through the different “hoods” (Boyhood, Teen &” Young Adulthood, Brotherhood, Fatherhood and Manhood). The question is, “What impact does your neighborhood have on your development and view of manhood?” Do the street corners, stores, schools, housing types, people, culture, music, style, language, food, etc… play a role of who and what an individual becomes, or not? When you think about your neighborhood, how did it shape the man you are today? There are some people who represent their neighborhood to the fullest. This is true all throughout the socioeconomic ladder. It’s like these individuals understand what it means to be from where they are from and they want to preserve it. Their neighborhood has given them a part of their identity that makes them feel proud and eager to fight for what they believe the neighborhood should be. Interestingly enough, we usually don’t get to choose the neighborhood we live in as a child. We get what we get and we have to navigate through that world. As we grow, get older and begin to make our own money, we can identify what we believe is the right neighborhood for each of us. Take a moment and think about where you live now. Is your neighborhood shaping you or are you shaping it?