Heavy is the head: men, crowns and feelings

Most of the men I have taught were raised on one rule: do not let them see it. Not the hurt, not the fear, not the grief. Strength meant a closed face.

That rule kept a lot of us alive in certain places. It also cost us. When you spend years not showing a feeling, you eventually stop being able to read it at all. That is Emotional illiteracy, and it is where many destructive coping mechanisms begin.

We put crowns on our New Nubian Fashions hoodies for a reason. A crown is heavy. A real king does not pretend it is weightless; he knows exactly what he is carrying, names it, and decides how to carry it. That is emotional literacy. The same goes for queens, and for the young kings and queens watching us.

Start small. One trusted person. One honest sentence: "I'm not good today, and here's why."

See also

• Emotional expression
• Emotional illiteracy
• Emotional literacy for athletes

Cite this entry: Samual Nathaniel Brown. “Heavy is the head: men, crowns and feelings.” The Emotional Literacy Encyclopedia, 10P Program, 2026-10-10. https://emotionalliteracy.org/journal/heavy-is-the-head/