The office of New Student Programs at N.C. A&T held its second King’s Talk session for the community to discuss the topic of men in relationships.
The King’s Talk is a series for open discussions to occur primarily focused on men; however, any gender could attend.
“The goal is to empower and uplift the men of N.C. A&T. We want to encourage and initiate discussion around social and political issues that not only affect the African-American man but ultimately all of the minority men that enter,” said Darious Lawson, a senior psychology student, and ASL.
All participants were able to express all ideas and opinions on the topic of men in relationships. The three focal points included commitment, communication, and consistency.
The entire discussion on commitment tackled the definition of the word. A conversation centered around why cheating is never justified in any relationship also took place.
The communication discussion focused on the effectiveness of the practice. Based on a unanimous opinion of participants, it was decided that communication is a significant part of any relationship. Majority of attendees agreed that without effective communication, a relationship can become a mystery and eventually become a burden that neither party will want anymore.
In terms of how men and communication are viewed in society, the point was introduced that men are taught not to express emotions or display any sign of weakness. Each student that spoke on this subject felt as if men have to break the generational curse that displays this.
During the conversation of consistency, everyone came to a general consensus that consistency is not only ensuring the same energy is reciprocated in a relationship, but adapting to relationship changes and keeping the love consistent.
Adapting in a relationship turned the audience’s attention back to effective communication and also commitment. Subtopics included sayings such as “What gets a woman, does not always keep a woman” as well as “Couples should be able to accept each other in their worst conditions.”
One participant also introduced the point that people should refer to others as men or women instead of female and male as these can refer to anything on Earth, not just humans.
The purpose of this series is to allow Aggie men to understand that it is fine to express their emotions.
During the discussion, the audience discussed how in a lot of cases men usually have a sense of pride or are accustomed to an introverted expression of emotion, which causes a lack in platforms for men to uplift one another. The King’s Talk Series’ goal is to defy these odds and open doors for those men who are in need of a deep conversation.
“This particular program was to get young men and women together to consider our roles in relationships,” said Victor Solomon, ASL number three and sophomore music performance student.
