It might seem strange to solicit praises for an individual saddled
with a job title fraught with negativity. We have come to think of
"hustle" in the pejorative sense. That's so unfortunate. Unfortunate
indeed. Hustle is an adverb and hustler is a noun. You hustle in the
morning when you get yourself ready for work and the kids out of the
door and on the bus stop. You hustle when someone is coming over,
with 15 minutes notice, and your front room could use some sprucing.
You hustle when you're working in a restaurant desperately trying to
optimize your tips. In none of those examples do we see any elements
of criminal activity. All are necessary to simply undertake this job
called life.
Going further. When one is employed one has a hustle. And although
you may not know it the doctor who works in private practice and the
plumber who is on call 24 hours a day – they are one and the same.
How so? Nothing comes to them. They have to go out and seek their
daily bread. So, one who has a hustle is a state of being where there
is a job to be done autonomously – without directions from any other
individual. A man or woman who has a hustle is the boss. They are
the captains of the fleet and truly, on a daily basis, determine
destiny.
Let's go to examples of hustlers. These examples do not include
criminals or evildoers. A pimp or a dope dealer or a corner clocker –
these beings are parasites. They can't make a dime unless someone is
sick, misguided, left alone in the world, or in pain. They take and
give nothing in return and for that matter they don't give anything to
themselves because everything they do is situational. They have no
end game, no set point, and no goals. An example of a hustler comes
in the form of James Evans (the father on "Good Times"). He was
working on the docks when he could get work in the cold Chicago
climate. He was beating pavement with Smitty and if memory serves me
he might have done odd jobs for Bookman. James Evans had the weight
of the world on his shoulders. His world which consisted of Thelma,
J. J., and Florida. It was his sole responsibility and there was no
dispute in that fact. All of his outrage and his outbursts went
towards that aim.
The entire history of Black men in America should bear witness that a
hustler is a very good thing. There are people who wouldn't have
eaten, lived in a warm home, or even gone to the best schools in the
land if it hadn't been for a hustler. This individual for whom no
work is to low. The hustler's anthem is as follows: A check beats a
blank. They are not of the fabric of these New Negroes who will let
folks starve, bills go unpaid, because they didn't feel comfortable
with available means of employment. The hustler will shovel shit in a
torrent of snow and sleet to make sure his child has shoes to wear to
the prom. That's the essence of a hustler, he's the tough talking
angel who hardly ever says he loves you, and more than likely never
will. He shows you. He shows you with the sweat on his brow and the
stoop of his back. She's also the woman who works three jobs and
magically leaves fifty cents under your pillow when your tooth comes
out.
A hustler is not the sole property of Black America or America
itself. The hustler is a universal occupation. If it wasn't for
hustlers so many of us would not be the "firsts" of our families and
too many of us forget the calloused hands and feet which led us to our
seats in towers of ivory and steel. But not today. Today we should
take a moment in quiet reflection on hustlers and when our minds
recognize the calamities which would have befallen us had we not been
the recipient of such hard fought largesse – let's praise him. And we
also praise her. Praises due to the hustlers of this world and the
love they bear which cannot be put into some sad, sorry, tired and
tawdry words. Just feel it. Look around and see it. It abounds and
resounds in our everywhere. We are blessed with the presence of a
hustler. Amen.
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