Black History 101: The Young Black Male
They billed the evening as an “informative and entertaining lesson on The Young Black Male,” but the men of the Malcolm X Institute for Black Studies could have called it “Event Organizing 101.” Rarely has a program drawn so well on the gifts of its members to inform and inspire—through poetry, gospel music, humor, and informative, challenging, inspiring, and honest talks—as this session devised by Tyler Griffin ’13 and emceed by “Professor” Rashaan Stephens ’13 (in photo).
Photos by Steve Charles
Brandon McKinney ’10: “Pay homage to those who walk this broken path before me/their struggle was not in vain, and their accomplishments are many… Black history is our history/it is America’s history, and we must fight to preserve it…As we embark on our daily journeys/we are blessed with the strength of ancestors.”)
Coach Clyde Morgan: “You see our track guys walking around wearing that [motto] MOW—NBU (Men of Wabash—Nothing Breaks Us)? I believe that in my heart. Nothing breaks us. I’ve been through it. You’re going through it. But you don’t let it break you.
“Keep working. Get that degree. It’s worth it. My million dollars, my NFL contract—that’s working with people like you.”
“Athletics saved my life,” Head Track Coach Clyde Morgan told the students. “You hear these stories all the time from the guys who make it to the pros. But you never hear about the people like me—who have their degree, who are working and enjoying life. That’s my million dollars. When I go back to my neighborhood, I feel like Lebron and Kobe, ‘cause what I’ve got is unreachable, still unreachable, in my neighborhood."
Tracey Salisbury: “I don’t need to say positive things about the young black men here, because you show me everyday. I need to see you reach and stretch for the stars that are out there in front of you. Make your place. Let’s decide that tomorrow is a new day, no matter what happened yesterday. We have a future, and it is bright.”