Stand On Principle

To My Family, My Community, My People,

My name is Eric Murdock. Many of you may know me as Umar.

Today, I come to you not as someone who has it all figured out, but as a man who is growing, learning, and awakening. A man who has made mistakes. A man who has been absent. And most importantly, a man who is ready to take Moral Responsibility - for the destruction I've caused.

First, I want to say this clearly:

REAL MEN...Stand On Principle. 

So, I apologize.

I apologize for the pain I've caused through my absence.

I apologize for not being present the way I should have been.

I apologize for the times I turned my back instead of standing firm - financially.

There is no excuse for that. Only growth beyond it.

Through my journey—through struggle, through incarceration, through deep reflection—I began to understand something bigger than myself. I began to understand that what we are dealing with as a people is deeper than just bad choices. It is generational. It is psychological. It is something rooted in trauma that has been passed down, often without us even realizing it.

What I now understand as BTSD—Black Traumatic Stress—is something I have lived. Something many of us have lived.

We see the symptoms every day:

Broken homes.

Single-parent households.

Young men growing up without guidance.

A divide between Black men and Black women.

We point fingers at each other—men blaming women, women blaming men—but very few of us stop and ask:

“What happened to us?”

I am asking that question now.

And more importantly, I am stepping forward to be part of the answer.

I have committed myself to learning, to growth, and to healing. Books like Breaking the Chains of Psychological Slavery helped open my mind, but this journey is bigger than any one book—it’s about rebuilding ourselves, our families, and our community.

So this is more than an apology.

This is an invitation.

To the mothers raising young Black boys without support—you are not alone.

To the fathers who feel lost, disconnected, or pushed away—your presence still matters.

To the men in our communities who have wisdom, experience, and strength—our young boys need you.

I am calling on us to come together.

Not to judge.

Not to divide.

But to rebuild.

If you feel the disconnect…

If you see the struggle…

If you want to be part of the solution…

I am here.

Let’s build something that our children can stand on.

You can reach me:

Email: "EricMurdoch215@gmail.com" (mailto:EricMurdoch215@gmail.com)

TikTok: UMAR

Instagram: Eric Murdoch

This is not about me.

This is about us.

With humility, accountability, and purpose,

Eric Murdoch

(Umar)