Black Self Help Information

Historically Black Fraternities Introduce Mentoring Brothers in Action

Big Brothers Big Sisters and its African American fraternity partners are marking National Mentoring Month and the January 16 Martin Luther King Day of Service with the launch of Mentoring Brothers in Action, Phase II of their two-year collaborative partnership. The goal of the program, which will include support from popular nationally syndicated urban radio host Michael Baisden, is to engage more African American men in fraternal, social, faith-based and professional organizations to get involved in one-to-one mentoring to change the odds for African American boys.

“Like so many of our young men, my father also abandoned me so I understand the importance of mentoring. I was fortunate to have uncles and other men in my community to set the right example and to correct me when I was out of line,” Baisden, who is challenging other influencers, donors and celebrities to support the effort. “If we want to see different results in our young people we have to invest more into them and show them what is possible. I became a successful writer because I saw successful writers; I became a successful radio personality because I saw successful radio personalities, and so on. If we want to create more successful children we need them to see an example of success and integrity. Success is not an accident, it’s something you practice every day in the way you live your life and the way you treat people. Become a mentor today and be that example!”

“With Mentoring Brothers in Action, we are working with our fraternity partners, bolstered by the support of Michael Baisden — one of the most prominent and passionate proponents of mentoring — to bring together our best resources to tackle one of the nation’s most urgent crises. Our goal is to have a positive impact on high school graduation, juvenile justice and economic equity,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Co-Chief Executive Officer Max Miller.

More at the link provided.

On MLK Day, 62 Students Given College Scholarships By 5000 Role Models

On MLK Day, 62 Students Given College Scholarships By 5000 Role Models

Curby Sneed didn’t quite know what was going to happen to him.

“When certain situations happen, it pushes my buttons and my blood starts to boil and I just snap,” the high school senior says.

His self-esteem was low and he came very close to getting into altercations with his instructors – a move that could have led to real trouble.

“When I would end up getting upset, I would end up having conflicts with my teachers,” Sneed says.

The 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project has helped steer Curby and other youngsters in a different direction. The dropout prevention intervention program focuses on minority young boys who are at risk of leaving school or choosing a life of crime, in 82 Miami-Dade public schools.

“It gives me the opportunity to actually succeed in life and be someone in life,” Sneed said. That is not always easy in the neighborhoods where Sneed, who lives in Overtown, and other students in 5000 Role Models come from – a concern for his parents and State Senator Dr. Frederica S. Wilson.

She founded the program, which matches students with business and civic leaders to inspire them.

At a Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast, 62 students, including Sneed, were given college scholarships by 5000 Role Models to pay for their education next year.

“We’ve sent thousands to college and spent over $10 million on scholarships,” said Wilson, who founded the program while on the Miami-Dade County School Board. “You can imagine how wonderful I feel and I’m sure that Dr. King can think of no other way that he would want us to remember his holiday than by helping these young men.”

Sneed said his dad got him out of the neighborhood by sending him to Coral Park High School, where he has excelled on the football field and kept up his grades. His next stop: the classroom and football field at Florida International University.

Concerned Black Men: CBM Cares

CBM Cares ®

The CBM CARES ® National Mentoring Initiative is a program that provides middle school boys with responsible and caring adult male mentors. Created in response to the high dropout rate among African American males, as well as persistent truancy and low academic achievement, the school-based effort offers one-to-one and group mentoring to boys enrolled in public and charter schools across the country.

MIssion & Vision

We, the members of the National Organization of Concerned Black Men, Inc., (CBM) have committed ourselves in support of the social, emotional, academic and psychological development of African American youth. We offer ourselves as role models and pledge to help our children aspire to lofty goals and expectations. We pledge to protect, instruct, nurture and discipline —to trust, share, honor, and above all — to be there when needed. We will teach our youth that men and women build institutions and do not engage in self-destructive behavior. We will show our Nation’s youth how to direct their energies to positive activities of benefit to all, and remind them that respect for self and others is expected of men and women of distinction. We will provide community leadership and encourage this society to place our children’s needs first. In caring for our youth, we take our responsibility seriously, and will remember that the future of our children depends on our success. Our motto is “… Caring For Our Youth.”®

Charter School Students Closing Achievement Gap

Charter School Students Closing Achievement Gap

Students at charter schools are making significant strides narrowing academic achievement gaps — between poor and affluent students, between urban and suburban schools and between minority and white students — according to a new analysis of the 2011 Connecticut Mastery Test released Wednesday.

A report from the Connecticut Charter School Network says that black, Hispanic and low-income students in charter schools far exceed state averages for their demographics, cutting the math achievement gap in half for black and low-income students and reducing it by two-thirds for Hispanic students.

On average statewide, students who receive free and reduced price lunches — a measure used to identify poor students — are 22.75 percentage points behind their more affluent peers in math proficiency.

However, low-income students in charter schools are only 13 points behind the more affluent, average students.

More at the link provided.

"Why Murder?"

 

 

 

Donnie Andrews' life is one that David Simon and Ed Burns would have had to invent if he hadn't already lived it.

"I am the real Omar," Andrews tells me by way of introduction, referring to how he was the inspiration for the ruthless yet moral stickup man in the Simon and Burns HBO series "The Wire."

Omar Little didn't make it through "The Wire's" five-season arc. He was shot to death in the final season — as was a member of his crew, Donnie, who was played by Andrews himself in a bit part.

In real life, Andrews managed to survive the kind of street justice so accurately depicted in "The Wire." At 57, he seems grateful to be alive, speaking repeatedly about "blessings" on Thursday evening to a group gathered at the University of Maryland Law School to launch and raise funds for his new nonprofit organization targeting urban youth.

The law school is just a half-mile away but worlds apart from Lexington Terrace, the since-demolished public housing complex where he was a part of a notoriously violent drug trade. To a crowd that included Burns, former congressman Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Law Dean Phoebe Haddon and Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree, Andrews spoke of his hopes for the group Why Murder?

The name stems from 1986, when Andrews, then a drug dealer and stickup artist, was paid by a drug lord to kill a rival. Just before Andrews fired the fatal shot, the victim looked him in the eye and said, "Why?"

"To this day, I'm still trying to find that answer," he said.

Wow.

The Growth In Black Business

Census Bureau Reports Massive Growth in Black Business

While the results are not yet in on how well they are doing, the creation of Black-owned businesses surged upward on the eve of the economic recession. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2002 to 2007, the number of these firms increased by 60.5 percent to 1.9 million, tripling the national growth rate of 18 percent.

According to the Census Bureau’s “Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Businesses: 2007,” the receipts produced by Black businesses also increased 55.1 percent to $137.5 billion. The survey, conducted by the Census every five years, provides in-depth information about Black firms’ sales, receipts, paid employees and payroll.

“Black-owned businesses continued to be one of the fastest growing segments of our economy, showing rapid growth in both the number of businesses and total sales during this time period,” Census Bureau Deputy Director Thomas Mesenbourg said in a statement.

The Census defines Black-owned businesses as firms in which African-Americans possess nearly 51 percent or more of the equity, interest or stock of the business.

The data is broken down by U.S. metropolitan areas, industry and size of business.

According to the report, New York holds the top spot for African-American firms, with nearly 204,032 Black-owned businesses. The state also accounted for 10.6 percent of all Black-owned businesses in the nation.

Georgia followed with 183,874 Black-owned firms, while Florida came in just behind with 181,437.

In the Washington-Maryland-Virginia metropolitan area, the number of Black businesses increased to 95,526 in 2007 from 67,213 in 2002.

Black businesses accounted for 34.6 percent of all businesses in Baltimore City in 2007, while in Washington D.C., they accounted for 28.2 percent of all businesses that same year.

The report also found that nearly four in 10 Black-owned businesses in the U.S. in 2007 were in the healthcare and social assistance; repair and maintenance and laundry services fields.

Other findings include the number of Black-owned businesses with receipts exceeding $1 million or more increased by 35.4 percent to 14,507 from 2002 to 2007. Also, out of the 1.9 million Black-owned businesses in 2007, 106,824 had paid employees, up 13 percent from 2002.

United Black Men of Queens County

United Black Men of Queens County, Inc

United Black Men of Queens County, Inc. (UBMQ) was incorporated in the state of New York in 1974 as a Domestic Not-For-Profit Corporation. It is a Federal tax exempt corporation under Section 501(1)(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. UBMQ was founded by a group of professional and civic minded men to serve residents in the borough of Queens, with a special interest in promoting the welfare of at-risk black high school-age youth through its Mentoring Program.

The fundamentals of the Mentoring Program is to get to know our youth in a meaningful and personal manner and expose them to positive activities and persons that will help them reach their full potential. The activities that take place under the program include college campus tours, trips to government offices to meet with elected officials, law enforcement persons, and other professionals. The program includes tutoring in math, science, language, technology, SAT preparation, and community service projects. We monitor student academic performance and intercede as needed. We train the mentees to mentor their peers and set positive examples for everyone to see. The program also includes exposure to the Arts through excursions to cultural centers and theatre events.

The United Black Men of Queens County, Inc. is dedicated to serving our at-risk youth to bring out the best in them and to foster positive growth for them and the community they live in. This has been our unyielding mission and we are dedicated to this cause.

Charter school for black boys a hit with parents

Charter school for black boys a hit with parents

It bothered the Rev. Henry E. Green that, for some African-American boys, going to jail before they reached the age of 20 seemed to be an accepted rite of passage. He watched sadly, correcting wherever and whenever possible, the young boys walking the street with their pants hanging below their buttocks.

Green, then the senior pastor of Mt. Hermon AME Church in Miami Gardens, had a dream.  He wanted to build a school where boys could be taught, at a young age, how to grow up to be responsible men.

Before he could bring the dream to fruition, Green was appointed presiding elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Tampa District of Florida.  But before he moved on, Green shared his dream with the Rev. John F. White II, who succeeded him at Mt. Hermon, 17800 NW 25th Ave.

White accepted the challenge to make it possible.

“We praise God for Rev. Green and his vision,”  White said. “We've tried to pick up the mantle and carry it forward.”

He and his congregation organized the Mount Hermon Community Education Corporation in 2007 with the mission: To save the children.

Salvation would come through developing and mentoring urban youth by providing quality education and educational support programs in economically disadvantaged communities.

“The vision was to focus on early education," said the Rev. Paul Wiggins, an associate pastor at Mt. Hermon and executive director of the corporation.

More at the link provided

'Boys to Men' mentoring program makes a difference

'Boys to Men' mentoring program makes a difference

Their name reminds many of the once-popular group of singers, but this band of brothers is more about teaching success than singing.

Boys to Men was founded at Aurora East High School in 2002, a year that saw 25 people in that city killed by violence. The mentoring group's founder says the idea was spurred by emotion and anger.

"We realize that no matter what race you are, no matter what side of town you live on, every boy wants to become a man," said Clayton Muhammad. "We got so tired of going to funeral after funeral of young people, we should be going to graduation parties."

In about eight years, Boys to Men has spread to a dozen suburban area schools and about 200 young men have been through the program. All of them graduated high school, and the majority went on to college or the military.

Meliton Chaidez is a Junior member. Boys to Men helped him get a poem he wrote about his father into the Library of America. The soon-to-be seventh grader said his mentors have taught him a lot about what's life is like as an adult.

More at the link provided

Silver Spring mentoring program helps guide youth

Silver Spring mentoring program helps guide youth

At 13, Shawn Harrison knew he needed help.

He was fighting at school, experimenting with drugs and had seen people shot and stabbed. Still, he would drag himself out of bed on weekends to attend a young men's mentoring program at his church.

"I would do all this in school, and yet, for some reason, I was still drawn to the program," said Harrison, 23. "I would wake up Saturday and go in there and they'd say, ‘Hey, how you doing?' ... and I would tell them what happened."

Harrison credits the program, Rites of Passage, for helping him make it through that part of his life. A member of the first class, he is among more than 80 people who have attended the program since it began in 2000.

This week, the three-year program for black teens, offered through the People's Community Baptist Church in Silver Spring, celebrates its 10th anniversary. It was created to instill long-range values in its participants, said program Cofounder Norman Jones.

More at the link provided.

Michael Baisden Launches Mentoring Program

Michael Baisden Launches Mentoring Program

*Nationally-syndicated radio host Michael Baisden has created a campaign to encourage one million Americans to sign up as mentors for children in need through a national outreach effort.

The One Million Mentors Campaign to Save Our Kids will launch with its first event in Dallas on Feb. 17 and hit the road to visit 72 cities in a campaign-themed bus.

At each tour stop along the way, Baisden will host mentoring forums in partnership with local mentoring organizations and affiliates of Big Brothers Big Sisters, National Cares Mentoring Movement and 100 Black Men.

“The videotaped beating of Chicago teen Derrion Albert was truly the final straw for me,” said Baisden. “After seeing it broadcast repeatedly on national news I knew I needed to step up and get involved personally in the effort to save our kids. My hope is that by touring across the country, this national mentoring campaign will have an impact on some of these young people who need caring adults involved in their lives.”

100 Black Men of Chicago Mentoring Blog

100 Black Men of Chicago Mentoring Programs

Welcome to the 100 Black Men of Chicago Mentoring Blog. This Blog is to showcase our mentoring sites and the wonderful mentees that are involved with our programs. Our mentoring sites include 100BMC Westside, 100BMC Southside, and 100BMC Aurora.

More at the link provided

African-American male teachers try to be role models

African-American male teachers try to be role models

At a church service Sunday to honor African-American male teachers, the talk turned to the mentors who had made a difference in the lives of some black educators.

For George Maxey, the new principal at Raines High School, it was John Fox, a white teacher who inspired him in third grade, when Maxey lived in a housing project in Brooklyn, N.Y.

For Julius Paden, principal at private Lighthouse Christian School, it was the late Bernard Wilkes, basketball coach at Ribault High School for 30 years.

For Dwayne Thomas, assistant principal at Mandarin Middle School, it was Bud Hicks, who worked as a custodian at his school in Detroit.

The custodian encouraged Thomas, the son of a single mother, to go to school and keep up his grades. He took him to a Detroit Red Wings game. He nicknamed him "Slick" because he tried to slide out of work.

Mad Dads

General Background
The MAD DADS Organization...

MAD DADS is an acronym for Men Against Destruction-Defending Against Drugs and Social-Disorder. MAD DADS, INC. was founded in May of 1989 by a group of concerned Omaha, Nebraska parents who were fed up with gang violence and the unmolested flow of illegal drugs in our community.

We present ourselves as positive role models and concerned loving parents who are a visible presence in our neighborhoods against the negative forces destroying our children, our families and cities.  We started out of pain -- the pain of our children dying in the streets of their own communities. We were -- and still are -- tired of looking into the eyes of hollow youth who lacked hope, and who had ceased to dream. We realized that we could hold no one responsible for this but ourselves: we allowed it to happen. So we united as a handful of community fathers who now know that WE MUST BE THE FORCE BEHIND THE CHANGE.

From a genesis of only 18 men in Omaha, MAD DADS has grown to over 75,000 men, women and children nationally, with 60 plus Chapters in 17 states.  Chapters have been started in the following states: Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa, Ohio, Texas, Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Illinois, California, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Some Chapters also have divisions of MOMS and KIDS.

More at the link provided.

Fort Pierce Chapter of Mad Dads to Honor Those Who Completed FAMU Program

Fort Pierce chapter of Mad Dads to honor those who completed FAMU program

Abelard Cesar is now a confident 17-year-old boy who plans to be a computer engineer and expects to attend Florida A&M University in a few years.

He credits that confidence to the Mad Dads Fort Pierce chapter, which sent him, along with six other high- and middle-school teens, to an intensive summer study program at FAMU.

Those teens are being recognized by Mad Dads for completing the Black Male College Explorer program at a ceremony Sept. 19 at Lincoln Park Community Center on Avenue M.

Mad Dads is a nonprofit organization mentoring boys with an eye to help them succeed in school and in their personal lives.

The Explorer’s college program is designed to keep black male students on track for college and give them a chance at success. Students who do well receive an all-expenses-paid first semester at FAMU, along with mentoring and assistance in applying for financial aid.

More at the link provided.