100 Black Men of America

100 Black Men of America
Motto "What they see is what they'll be"
Formation 1963
Type Service club
Headquarters Atlanta, GA
Membership
10,000
Chairman of the Board
 Curley M. Dossman, Jr.
Website 100blackmen.org

100 Black Men of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African-American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and more than 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world. The organization's mission statement is "to improve the quality of life within our communities and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans."[1] The organization’s mottos "real men giving real time" and "what they see is what they’ll be" describe the organization's goals of providing positive role models and leaders to guide the next generation of African Americans and other youth. The members are predominantly African-American professionals, businessmen, civic leaders and administrators, educators, as well as people from other walks of life.[2]

History

The initial idea for 100 Black Men of America was conceived in New York in 1963 by a group of African American professionals who wanted to improve the quality of life and economic opportunities for the black community by fostering better education and youth development. Elements of the organization’s creed that date from this era (“e.g. no member shall be without transportation, no member shall be without legal representation, etc.”) provide some insight into the challenges faced by many African American organizations during the height of the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s. Some of the early members were David Dinkins and Jackie Robinson.[3]

By 1976 a separate chapter was formed in New Jersey and before 1983 other chapters formed in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area, Nassau/Suffolk, Alton, and Sacramento. Between 1983 and 1986 these chapters held several national conferences with the aim of forming a national organization. 100 Black Men of America was officially debuted in Atlanta, Georgia on May 27, 1987. The first international chapters were chartered in 1987. As of 2009 the organization had grown to over 10,000 members.

In 2012, Curley M. Dossman, Jr. was elected the fifth President/Chairman of the Board, along with Dr. Joshua W. Murfree, Jr. (Vice Chairman of Operations), Dr. Howard Rasheed (Vice Chairman of Programs), Marvin Dickerson (Vice Chairman of Development), Milton Jones (Vice of Finance), and Dr. Mark Alexander (Secretary).

Organization and membership

100 Black Men consists of over 118 local chapters (each named after their respective region, e.g., 100 Black Men of New York, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, etc.) 100 Black Men of America is the overarching organization that provides a national governing structure, charters new chapters, and provides for inter-chapter coordination. 100 Black Men is a non-profit 501 c3 organization and has no political or religious affiliations or ties.

Membership procedures vary by chapter; generally speaking members can apply to a local chapter at specific times of the year. Candidates are screened and then interviewed by a panel to ensure that individuals have the character and standing to serve as community role models and youth mentors. Members generally refer to the organization simply as “The 100.”

Programs

100 Black Men has four principal program areas: Mentoring, Education, Health and Wellness, Economic Development. As of 2009, 100 Black Men has roughly 100,000 students enrolled in its mentoring and outreach programs.

Recent activities

In 2015, the 100 Black Men of America became an active partner of the Celebration Bowl held in Atlanta, GA.

In 2009, several leaders of the organization were interviewed by CNN’s T.J. Holmes to discuss their views on President Barack Obama’s first 100 days as US president.[4] 100 Black Men’s Health and Wellness programs were the subject of a news story feature by CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta About how former Surgeon General David Satcher is leading a charge to promote healthy eating among African American youth.[5] CNN also featured a video article on 100 Black Men of Atlanta’s youth “Robotics Team” that is competing on a national and international level.[6]

According to an August 27, 2007, article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 100 Black Men of Western Pennsylvania teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University to provide a 14-week summer program for teenagers to learn about computer science. During the program, which was free to participants, the teenagers learned the basics of computer science, information technology, and the World Wide Web. This is the seventh summer that this program has taken place.[2]

According to a July 9, 2006, article in The New York Times, the 100 Black Men of Long Island Development Group purchased a building that takes up an entire city block. The building used to be a bus terminal. The organization has proposed converting the building into affordable housing, and housing for people with disabilities. Questions about the organization's ability to fund such a project have been raised, however.[7]

According to a May 24, 2004, article in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Bay Area (San Francisco) chapter signed a pledge not to accept funding from tobacco companies.[8]

Partial list of prominent members

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mission Statement from 100blackmen.org.
  2. 1 2 Dyer, Ervin, 100 "Black Men links teens to high-tech", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, August 2007.
  3. ↑ 100 Black Men About us
  4. ↑ "100 Black Men on Obama’s 100 - AOL Video". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  5. ↑ "CNN.com". CNN.
  6. ↑ Administrator. "CNN Video". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  7. ↑ DEVELOPMENT; 2 Visions Vie in Hempstead For Former Bus Terminal Gibberd, Ben for the New York Times, July 2006
  8. ↑ Black groups reject big tobacco's largesse Local chapters sign pledge to break free of donors' 'hypocrisy' Johnson, Jason for the San Francisco Chronicle, May 2004
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