The myth of the scary Black man

By Myra Flynn

Published August 22, 2024 at 2:18 PM EDT

Kris Brown is a 6-foot-2 Black man with a deep voice who has been stereotyped as “scary” and “threatening” his whole life. But Kris used this bias as motivation to catapult him into a career that surprised even him. And his stereotype became his number one asset on the job.

“Stereo-anti-types” is a special series from Homegoings examining some of the most troubling, most profound and most dangerous stereotypes that apply to Black men. In part two of the series, “The myth of the scary Black man” host Myra Flynn speaks with Kris Brown, a 6-foot-2, former drug dealer who was nearly fated to become a life-long statistic in the prison system, until his life took a turn that surprised even him.

This is the latest episode of Homegoings, a podcast that features fearless conversations about race, and YOU are welcome here. Follow the series here.

Sign up for the Homegoings email newsletter for updates on new episodes, events and more. Sent every other week on Fridays.

“Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.” That is a stereotypical thing people tend to say about stereotypes. Why not just say: “Stereotypes suck. They’re typically based on assumptions rather than information, they’re pretty negative, stunting and can be self-fulfilling prophecies in a way.”

(Wouldn’t it be great if all that caught on)

Despite all the harm they do, stereotypes are here for a reason, but that reason might not be what you think.

For the better part of 2024, we’ve been chatting with four Black men about the stereotypes that have been applied to them, their whole lives. Stereotypes like: Black people are stupid. Black men are a threat to society. All Black men all have huge — (yup, we’re going there). And today’s stereotype:

Black men are scary and dangerous.

All of these men have stories of both demystifying these stereotypes and falling into their snares entirely. No matter their story, as it tends to be on Homegoings — each journey is pretty darn nuanced.

So, settle in. Today, on part two of “Stereo-anti-types,” a special series from Homegoings, Myra Flynn sits down with Kris Brown, a big, Black, formerly incarcerated man, who’s life pivot surprised even him. Kris is living proof that stereotypes can be motivating fuel to prove people’s perceptions of you wrong. And sometimes stereotypes can be a trap you fall into and spend a lifetime trying to get out of.

“Everybody gets caught up in problems. I don't want to say some stereotypes ring true, but sometimes they do. But sometimes in order for a seed to grow it has to go through a lot of s___! Some people weren't afforded the opportunity to have all this good stuff given to them. They had to come from the bottom and I'm lucky to say that I came from the bottom twice.” - Kris Brown

Kris Brown, is a voice-over artist. He hosts a podcast, voices commercials and even offers audiobook voicing as one of his services. But his job wasn’t always this cool. In fact, life before now, for Kris, was a little scary.

Deep listen

On the show, we do our best to save time for a deep listen. Today, we’re sharing Kris’ personal and moving answer to Myra’s last question from their interview together.

Myra (on tape): My final question to you is, to the people out there who stereotype people like you – Black men; “All Black men are threatening.” “All Black men who have been incarcerated are never going to make anything of themselves.” “All Black men are dangerous.” “Once you have participated in something illegal, you're always going to be that way. You're never going to get better.” What do you say to those people now?

Kris: I understand why you feel that way. But imagine if it was your child who made a mistake and he was that felon. I mean, and I say that on the white side, imagine if it was your child that made a mistake, became a part of the quote/unquote drug world. It would be more so of, “But he's a good kid. He just got caught up with the wrong people.” Why is it different between your child and my mother's? Me!

Everybody gets caught up in problems. I guess I don't want to say some stereotypes ring true, but it sometimes kind of, they do. All, even white people have stereotypes. But at the same time, all flowers don't bloom when you think. Sometimes in order for a seed to grow it has to go through a lot of s___, essentially. That fertilizer that are those chemicals that you can't intake in yours, but it helps you grow. And once you get to where you realize you need to grow where that sunlight is at, it's off to the races and now you're more than what you knew, but you had to start at ground, below ground level.

Some people weren't afforded the opportunity to have all this good stuff given to them. They had to come from the bottom and I'm lucky to say that I came from the bottom twice.

Credits

This episode was co-reported by Myra Flynn and our associate producer James Stewart with help from data journalist Corey Dockser. James also mixed this episode. Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. edited this episode and Myra Flynn composed the theme music. All other music is from Blue Dot Sessions. Elodie Reed, Zoe McDonald and Laura Nakasaka are the graphic artists behind this episode’s Homegoings artist portrait.

See you next week for part three of “Stereo-anti-types”, a special series from Homegoings.

To continue to be part of the Homegoings family:

Sign up for the Homegoings newsletter
Write to us at: hey@homegoings.co
Follow us on Instagram @wearehomegoings
Make a gift to continue elevating BIPOC storytelling
Tell your friends, your family or a stranger about the show!
And of course, subscribe!