Brother II Brother Saving 'At Risk' Black Males

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Danny Bennett (left) and Jeremy Johnson were the among the 200 boys and teens at the Brother II Brother event held recently at UCR.
Danny Bennett (left) and Jeremy Johnson were the among the 200 boys and teens at the Brother II Brother event held recently at UCR.

Day of Mentoring at UCR stirs hope and change

by Chris Levister Special to the NNPA from Blackvoicenews.com

The statistics are alarming. One out of every three young Black males in America today is in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole. Eighty percent of those dropping out of high school today are boys of color. In California the graduation rate for young Black males is below 40%. The U.S. Education Department tells us these boys represent 80% of those nationwide who misbehave in the class. Sixty-nine percnet of Black male dropouts are boys in fatherless homes.

Veteran LAPD officer Stinson Brown, Sr. knows something about the heart-breaking demise of Americas young Black males. In July 2009 his only son, 21-year-old Stinson Ameer Brown, a solid Christian, good student, accomplished athlete and dedicated community servant was gunned down at a party in Baldwin Hills. Thus, his inspiration to create Brother II Brother, an organization dedicated to eradicating generational curses and strongholds that prevent at risk children from achieving their full potential.

Stinson, along with a host of community leaders and more than 70 mentors from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. teamed up with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., to corral 200 Black boys ages 11 to 19-years-old for a full day of mentoring on the campus of UC Riverside.

Our mentors come from a myriad of socio-economic and professional backgrounds said Stinson. We are physicians, attorneys, police officers, journalists, civil servants, construction workers, teachers, truck drivers, engineers, military veterans, sales professionals, and entrepreneurs. All are leaders. We all share the common desire to make this world our communities, our neighborhoods a better place for our children.

It was a powerful moment when Stinson and the elite professionals stood in a receiving line. Mentors placed a reassuring hand on each boys shoulder committing to motivate, encourage, and give the support needed for a bigger and brighter future.

Young Danny Bennetts eyes lit up, like Christmas lights, full of hope, he nodded, eagerly.

Many of these kids come from fatherless homes. Many have never been on a college campus. Most of them have never seen as many well-dressed accomplished men in one room, said Kenneth Simons, director of African Students Programs at UCR.

You can see their faces light up. You can see the curiosity. Sadly behind some of those smiles, said co-chair Terry Boykins, there is deep pain, loneliness, and anger. Its very powerful to witness this.

Fatherhood; incarceration; health and mental wellness; How to Treat a Lady; How to be Strong without Being Violent; money management; effective speaking and faith-based involvement were repeated themes voiced by the panelists during a series of group workshops and break-out sessions.

Boykins admitted the church must be more transparent to meet the needs of youth today. He challenged Day of Mentoring participants to begin within your own community and work outward to enrich all.

Think of us as surgeons in an operating room, said project director Kevin Hall. The goal is to eradicate the disease that prevents our children from achieving. With the help of love, leadership and guidance, we get to know family history. We identify the wounds. We listen to aspirations, dreams and frustrations. We earn trust. We empower. Little by little we see the disease replaced by healthy physical and mental wellness.

Rialto High School teacher and U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Commander Sandy Jones said as in the case of one young participant, mentors are rarely surprised to see the deep pockets of distress cloaked in disguise.

I had to pull this kid out of one of the sessions today because he was being disruptive, recalled Jones. He was not receptive to any guidance I tried to give him.

His response disguised in humor and aggression, unmasked woundedness, disappointment, a sense of despair and hopelessness.

Hes had so much anger and hurt in his life authority is meaningless to him because hes been let down so many times. When I hugged him and said whats hurting you son, he dropped his eyes and said, How did you know that. I said it helps to have 43 years of life in front of you. His eyes lit up. Thats the power of what we do here, said Jones.

I learned not to let obstacles get in your way, said Tyler Thomas, 14 of Culver City. Also, we learned that we should not use any excuse to hold us from our dream.

I wish I had a father. I would get him to help me with my homework and go to soccer games, said Jesse from Victorville.

Kishaun, from Pomona, said the workshops were helpful. They let us talk about stuff you cant talk to your mother or sister about.

Jacoby ONeal said he was surprised that almost all of the mentors had gone through the same struggles he and other the mentees are going through now when they were young men.

With all of the problems they had during their childhood, they did not let any of those issues hold them back from reaching their goals, said ONeal. I learned - always have a positive male role model in your life that will always lead you the right way, said Darryl Turner, 13.

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