GOLDEN is a black mid-20s-year-old man, who is sensitively aware of the world around him. Raised by a stoic and overbearing black father whose views on masculinity are determined by his own stoic and unrelenting definition and a sensitive, loving but old-fashioned mother. Golden finds his ideas of manhood at war with this reality. He constantly questions if his black manhood allows him to be a joyful, sensitive, and vulnerable human being. Along the way, he meets "Bill" a lovely, young, and artistic man like himself. Bill is comfortable in his skin, and unlike Golden has the ability to embrace his sensitive disposition. Golden, is a story about the concept of black male joy and manhood and how black men in America can find and keep their joy.
Brandon C. Smith performing
“What Makes A Man A Man Monologue”
From “Golden: Black Boy Joy Conceptualized”
It is at this point where Golden begins to question all he knows about what it means to be not only a man but a black man in America. It is here when he realizes that he does not fit that “mold” and upon gaining this understanding he must decide on what he is going to do about it.
