To all young Black men; to all fathers, mothers and sistahs locked with young brothers who wear their pants on or below their butts; here is a truth Afromerica thinks you should know about the sag style. Prison inmate intimacy is the root.

From the mouth of a brother recently release from one of the northeast most hardcore prisons comes this truth. No longer concerned about his own dignity but more concerned about the dignity and reputation of young Black men everywhere, this brother reveals the secrets of prison intimacy among young men.

He tells us that when a new inmate has resorted to wearing the pants of his blues around the middle of his butt, it is a prison message for his manhood is ready for breaking, and when he wears it down below his butt, he already belongs to someone inside.

The myth that this trend came from having belts confiscated from inmates, which caused their pants to sag is not accurate, but have only help further glamorize the image of prison apparel among today’s urban and suburban youth.

They believe it a ‘hard’ image to portray among other youth in the hood, never even having been behind bars. However, once the truth gets out about the meaning of the sag, more youth should reconsider how they wear their pants or the wrong message about them will be taken.

Please pass this message along to someone you may know who has a young son that wears their gear like so. Tell them they must reconsider the trend and make an effort to change. Their manhood is at stake.

© Aug. 2007 by C.R. Hamilton