Squires: The NAACP wants black men to follow Dwyane Wade up 'Broke Buck Mountain'

The trailer for a new political drama debuted last Saturday at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. The civil rights organization didn’t give it a title, but as someone who understands the priorities of the modern left, I know exactly what it should be called: “Broke Buck Mountain.”

The “black buck” was an ugly racial stereotype used to describe defiant, physically imposing black men who defied white authorities. He was seen as quick-tempered, violent, and unintelligent. An internet search of the term “buck breaking” will return blog posts and YouTube videos describing slave owners whipping and raping male slaves to weaken their rebellious nature.

Much like the “Willie Lynch” letter on controlling slaves, it is hard to detach the twisted logic of “buck breaking” from the historical prevalence of the practice. That said, the entire purpose of buck breaking is to make everyone watching the humiliation obey the master’s plan. Breaking the will of the biggest, strongest, most influential man makes it easier to control the masses.

This is why the film "Brokeback Mountain" was such a cultural flash point. The plot revolves around the relationship between two cowboys who meet as young men in Wyoming and have a complex sexual relationship that spans two decades. The film wouldn’t have had nearly the impact if Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal had instead played two hairdressers who battled homophobia and AIDS in the 1980s. Their traditionally masculine work was a major part of the plot.

“Broke Buck Mountain” is the hill Dwyane Wade has been climbing as a LGBTQIA+ ally for the past few years. The NBA legend has talked openly about the journey he’s been on to help his son Zaya – born Zion – achieve his dreams. Wade has been described as the type of father every LGBTQIA+ child needs. Zaya was granted a legal name and gender change by a Los Angeles County judge one day before the NAACP Image Awards aired.

This is the reason Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade received the NAACP President's Award Saturday night in front of a room full of black entertainers, journalists, and activists. The couple gave a five-minute acceptance speech. Wade talked about his desire to support Zaya in his “transition,” and his wife spoke passionately about the threats black trans people face in America.

It was the perfect speech for an event dedicated to showing the world exactly what kind of image the NAACP is promoting.

The organization knows that men like Dwyane Wade, a retired NBA champion and surefire Hall of Famer, play a critical role in the left’s identity politics transition. Wade’s appearance on “Ellen” reached a mainstream audience, but his discussion with fellow professional athletes on “I Am Athlete” about how Zaya “educated” him on trans issues is what will change the hearts and minds of men who want to be less “toxic” LGBTQIA+ allies.

This is exactly what the NAACP is hoping, largely because it sees the LGBT community as a growth market. The black population has hovered at 13% for half a century – partly due to black leaders who vocally support abortion – but 20% of young people in Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2004) identify as LGBT.

The NAACP understands that “rainbow” is the new black. Shifting the organization’s focus to issues concerning sex, sexuality, and gender identity allows the group to turn a triple play: align with current Democratic Party priorities, continue to reach and promote the party’s black female base, and paint itself as a champion for the oppressed and marginalized, no different from when it was winning desegregation cases in the 1950s.

But this is a very different NAACP from the one that had the support of many black Christians in the 1960s. The NAACP of Brown vs. Board of Education is dead. The organization that fought for human dignity by standing against the color line is now undermining the imago Dei by working to destroy the sex binary.

In fact, it is not even the same organization that the Baltimore Sun described as a “secular organization with a heavy religious overlay” in a 1996 story about its national convention and new president Kweisi Mfume. One section captured the religious nature of the event this way:

Invocations and benedictions at NAACP events are not mere formalities. They often are mini events in themselves as preachers reach for heights of eloquence and inspiration. The annual convention includes a Saturday night gospel extravaganza, a Sunday morning memorial service and late-night revivals.

Today’s NAACP nominated Lil Nas X for Entertainer of the Year at the Image Awards in 2022. It is unlikely someone like Tony Dungy, a Christian with biblical views of sexuality and the human body, would be honored by the NAACP or any progressive “pro-black” institution.

Instead, the NAACP and its peer organizations in the civil rights industry are leading the charge to bring “backward” black people – especially men – into the light regarding LGBT issues.

Every country, culture, and community has to decide what type of beliefs and behaviors it promotes publicly and which ones must be practiced privately. This is a critically important distinction, because punishment (e.g., social, criminal, economic) awaits those who move certain practices from the living room to Main Street without social approval. Every society has a “closet”; the only question is what – or who – has to go inside. In the NAACP’s mind, men who think they are women should be free to tell our children that they too can change their sex, while people who believe in Genesis – or genetics – are forced to keep their “hateful” views to themselves.

I have compassion for Zaya Wade and every other person – young and old – who feels their bodies are at war with their minds. Their distress shouldn’t be ignored, but that doesn’t mean we should lie to them about reality. No amount of surgery, medication, or linguistic gymnastics can change who they are.

Instead of treating his mental health issues as a private matter, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are using their son to completely transform society, all with the full support of one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the nation.

The NAACP’s Image Awards were a clear signal of how the organization sees – and plans to lead – the black community in the coming years. The NAACP wants straight black men to follow Dwyane Wade up the mountain to complete the “transition” from LGBT antagonists to allies. Anyone who refuses should expect to be compared to Bull Connor or George Wallace.

It is no surprise that Michael Strahan, NFL Hall of Famer turned television personality, introduced the world to a “drag kid” on "Good Morning America" in 2018. Likewise, former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson was the "CBS Mornings" co-host who introduced the Wades winning the NAACP Image Award as well as the trans activist who came on to “educate” viewers.

The people looking to subvert the natural order and pervert the minds of our children are betting millions of black men will follow black athletes who have been compromised and humiliated.

The pressure is on, but we cannot allow ourselves to be broken.