“Greatness is an Endless Journey: A Systematic Response to Saving African-American Male and Rebuilding the Village”
The Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia conducts seven distinctive programs to enhance Black male educational participation, including most notably: The African-American Male Initiative Learning Community, a first-year academic experience program; and Black Men With Initiative (BMWI), which develops African-American male student leaders.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
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Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Year the initative began (yyyy)
2001
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Project URL (include http://)
Plot your innovation within the mosaic of solutions
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Culture of no accountability: Neither society nor men at risk act accountable to each other
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Change surrounding cultures to create a society that values and enriches young people’s transition to adulthood
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic:
This field has not been completed
Name Your Project
“Greatness is an Endless Journey: A Systematic Response to Saving African-American Male and Rebuilding the Village”
Describe Your Idea
The Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia conducts seven distinctive programs to enhance Black male educational participation, including most notably: The African-American Male Initiative Learning Community, a first-year academic experience program; and Black Men With Initiative (BMWI), which develops African-American male student leaders.
Innovation
Describe your program or new idea in one sentence.
The Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia conducts seven distinctive programs to enhance Black male educational participation, including most notably: The African-American Male Initiative Learning Community, a first-year academic experience program; and Black Men With Initiative (BMWI), which develops African-American male student leaders.
What makes your initiative uniquely positioned to create change in your community?
For years, UWG has been lauded for its innovative educational programs that address specific academic challenges of its student body. The Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership continues in this tradition by addressing the retention, progression, and graduation rates along with the decline in ethical leadership of the most challenged group at the university: African American males. Since 2001 this Center, which is the only one of its kind in the nation at a majority public institution, has as its mission to address the challenges faced by African-American men in the academy by focusing on three main areas: research, modeling and training, and programming. The primary goal of the Center is to draw attention to the challenges facing African-American males. The secondary goal is to expand the conversations among African American male faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents, and community leaders about various initiatives that address these challenges at UWG. The third goal is to create a formal framework for working with African American males on a predominately white college/university campus. The fourth goal is to formulate and implement initiatives that address the societal, cultural, psychological, spiritual, economic, and historic challenges of African American males both inside and outside of the classroom. The fifth goal is to develop a stronger brotherhood/bond among African-American men at the University and throughout the nation.
Describe how you organize and carry out your work?
The Center’s work is met in the following ways: Developing and expanding educational, cultural, and social models, such as the BMWI program; Training African American males to be successful in college and in life as well as on ethical leadership; Creating a living/learning community which allows African American male students to live, interact, and learn in a supportive environment; Implementing meaningful programs and activities that educate/address critical needs of African American males; Creating a climate that fosters healthy mentoring/social relationships between African American faculty/staff and African American male students outside of the classroom; Enhancing and expanding training opportunities regarding leadership in all spheres; Convening a series of conversations between African American male students and other scholars to assess and address the barriers to, issues to, African American male success.
What is your plan to scale and expand your innovation into your community and beyond?
The Center is fortuate to have a yearly impact on nearly 250 African-American boys and young aged men. It is our desire to expand our efforts to every African-American male student at the university as well as the carroll county area. We realize that the challenges that beset African-American boys and young men are great and varying; as such, we are constantly modifying/assessing our current initiatives as well as developing innovative programs to continue our goal of rebuilding the African-American Village.
What other resources, institutional, or policy needs would be necessary to help sustain and scale up your idea?
The Center, having recently completed a year long assessment of our efforts over the past six years, discovered that there are several areas that would be necessary to sustain and expand our work. A permanent structure, support staff, curriculum review and development, publicity, and additional revenue. Overall, there needs to be a deeper commitment to increasing the recruitment and graduation of African-American males throughout every high school and college in the nation. Our work has shown to have measureable and sustained impact mainly because of our commitment and dedication to get involved as oppose to ignoring the problem. In addition, it is imperative that local, state, and national policy makers along with community and civic organizations work together to change various policies that hinder African-American males from succeeding, such as "The No Child Left Behind", the misplacing of black boys in special education classes, the over glamorization of sports, and the systematic entrapment of them in the criminal system.
Impact
Describe your impact in one sentence, commenting on both the individual and community levels.
We are making a differnce the world by rebuilding the Villiage one African-American man at a time.
What impact has your work achieved to date?
In brief, BMWI and the African-American Male Living/Learning Community students’ GPA for the fifth consecutive year were higher than the average African-American male at the University. The majority of them are carrying 3.0 or better (five members had 4.0). They also have summer interns with various Fortune 1000 companies and nonprofits. African-American males for the last five years, lead the majority of the student organizations on campus. We adopted an entire class of 7th and 8th grade class of boys at the local middle school. To date, all of passing their classes with a B average as well as showed a substantial increase on the Georgia standardized CRCT test . We have exposed students, faculty, staff, and the general community to lectures with world-class African-American male leaders/scholars, such as Dr. Cornel West and Mr. Richard “Dick” Gregory. These free lectures on campus have averaged more than 1,800 individuals in attendance.
Number of individuals served
CAAMRSL is please to acknowledge that it serves all students at the University of West Georgia and Carrollton Public Schools indirectly and approximately 300 African-American male freshmen through seniors as well as 50 junior high school African-American boys annually.
Community impact
Through our mentoring efforts at Carrollton Middle School, the Center via its students have logged over 1000 contact hours with our mentees. We have exposed them to several cultural events, such as a performance by the Alvin Alley Dance Company (Fox Theater in Atlanta), a tour of the Apex Historic Museum and the Martin L. King, Jr. Historic Center for Nonviolence (Atlanta, Georgia), as well as a lecture by Dr. Cornel West, noted scholar, author, and professor (Carrollton, Georgia). It has been reported by the middle school officials that there has been a decrease in the disciplinary problems and an increase in the academic performance of the young boys. The Rev. Dr. Martin King, Jr. Distinguished Lecture Series, which is apart of the Center , is designed to expose students, faculty/staff, and the general community of west Georgia to lectures/public conversations with African-American leaders. Our lecture series has impacted over 4,000 community individuals.
Society at large
In Georgia, African American males in post-secondary institutions have the lowest retention rate; the lowest graduation rate; the lowest G.P.A. over a four year period; the highest overall drop out rate; the highest percentage to lose the HOPE Scholarship after their first year; and the highest percentage to be dismissed from college due to disciplinary issues. The Center's efforts have increased the retention, graduation, and progression rates as well as leadership and civic engagements by African-American males at UWG.
What measure do you use to gauge your impact and why?
A project evaluation team coordinated by the Center and the Office of Institutional Research will consist of representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Services, and the project management team. A variety of outcomes/impact evaluation techniques designed to assess strengths, weaknesses, and growth with the program will be employed. Objectives are written in measurable terms. The evaluation team will review program outcomes constantly.
1. Pre and Post attitudinal tests will be administered to each participate at the beginning and at the end of each academic year.
2. Student enrollment, grades, disciplinary action and extracurricular participation will be tracked after each semester.
3. Focus groups will be conducted at the end of the year
4. The Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory Assessment is administered to all persons of the African-American Male Learning Community
5. Satisfaction surveys are administered to all participants of the Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Lecture Series and the W.E.B. Dubois Summer Empowerment Conference;
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative currently being financed and how would you finance further expansion and/or replication?
Initially, the Center's work was financed out of my personal resources. However, partnerships with Walmart, Atlanta Gas and Light, UPS, Georgia Humanities Council, the West Georgia Founation, and the Community Foundation of West Georgia has provided resources in recent years. Two years ago, we were fortuante to recieve a two year grant from the Lumina Foundation for $25,000. I am currently working with the University's Sponosred Operations Office in applying for grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Department of Education in Georgia as well as other national foundations who have an interest in post secondary education, african-american males educational success.
Provide information on your current finances and organization:
Revenue: -Georgia Humanities Council $10,000.00,-Atlanta Gas and Light $10,000.00, -Lumina Foundation $25,000.00,-Carrollton Community Foundation $11,000.00, -Walmart.com$ 4,000.00
Total $60,000.00
Expenses:
Programs:
-WEB Dubois Summer Empowerment Conference $ 5,000.00
-Black Men With Initiative (BMWI) $10,000.00
-MLKing Distinguished Lecture Series Fall/Spring $10,000.00
-Bayard Rustin Community Outreach $ 5,000.00
-African-American Male Learning Comm. $10,000.00
-Study Abroad $15,000.00
Personnel
-student tutors (i.e., math, science, and English) $ 3,000.00
-student worker (2 students) $ 2,000.00
Total $60,000.00
Who are your potential partners and allies?
The Arthur Blank Foundation
UPS Foundation
Coke Foundation
Pew Foundation
Mellon Foundation
Bellsouth Foundation
Who are your potential investors?
Will and Jade Smith
Dr. William "Bill" Cosby
Oprah Winfrey
Ted Turner
Tavis Smiley
The Story
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story.
In 2001, I was walking on the campus and saw an African-American male walking on campus with an over-sized white T-shirt and jeans below his knees. I walked up to him, after introducing myself to him, I asked him to lift up his shirt. Hesitatingly, he followed suit only to reveal that along with his jeans he had on a pair of boxers and two pair of shorts. I asked him if it was comfortable to walk around holding up his jeans, and he replied yes. I then asked him what his intended major was, and he responded "Banking." I made a pact with him that if he could find any banker that dressed like him, I would take him to lunch the next day. Admittedly, I did not think he would come to my office. To my surprise, the next day, he stopped by the office noting that he could not find anyone; thus, beginning a conversation about how to change the African-American male images and academic success at UWG. It was from that initial conversation that we along with seven other African-American males at university began to meet weekly. Not having any formal experiences in working with African-American males, I felt ill-prepared for such a calling until the biblical story of the Gadarene Demoniac came to my remembrance. It was the salient ideas of this story that became the principles of a high structured program which has evolved into the Center for African-American Male: Research, Success, and Leadership.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material.
Said Sewell III, Ph.D., is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Planning at The University of West Georgia and Director of the Center for African-American Male: Research, Success, and Leadership. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College, M.P.A. in Public Policy from Texas Southern University and University of Texas, and his Ph.D. from Clark Atlanta University in Political Science. Dr. Sewell, who has done post-graduate work at Harvard University, has researched, lectured, presented and published in the area of the black church and politics, urban and small city development, and African-American Male success
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Comments
The Black Men with Initiative program, a program of the Center for African American Male, Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia, has without a doubt molded me into the man I am today. My name is Braxton Calloway and I am a senior marketing major with dreams of attending a prestigious advertising school or beginning a career at a top advertising agency in Atlanta, Ga upon graduation this May. The BMWI program taught me the power of dreams and having great expectations for yourself and others. Believing in myself and using the heartbreaking statistics about Black male success in post-secondary education as my motivation, I have been able to achieve things society thought were impossible. The achievements that I am most proud of are the attainment of an internship with Nissan North America, Inc. through the INROADS Internship program, being elected to serve as the president of the West Georgia American Marketing Assoc iation, and carrying a 3.82 GPA as a senior at a predominantly White institution. The BMWI program has also enhanced my cultural awareness through its study abroad program which took BMWI members to Canada last spring. While in Canada we toured Montreal and Toronto, attended the oldest African church in Canada, exchanged experiences with the Black Student Alliance at York University, met with the faculty and students of the Indigenous Studies program at Trent University, and met with the executive director of the Canadian Fulbright program. The overall experience was priceless and greatly expanded my knowledge of the Canadian culture. The Center for African American Male Research, Success, and Leadership has exposed me to successful African American male role models from UPS and Southern Company through its Executive Enrichment program which is designed to expose outstanding African American male students to successful African American corporate executives. I was given the opportunity to head this initiative and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity. The insights I’ve gained from the executives are invaluable and will benefit me greatly in my future endeavors. The BMWI program has molded me into an independent thinker, a leader, and a positive role model for other African American males at the University of West Georgia and across this nation. The BMWI program has created a no excuses culture for African American men at the University of West Georgia and has shown us all that African American males can achieve against all odds. Greatness truly is an endless journey.
My name is Joshua Copeland and I am a junior at the University of West Georgia. My time spent here at the University has been aided by the Black Men With Initiative program, headed by Dr. Said Sewell. Joining the Black Men With Initiative program has placed me around other African American males who wish to not just be complacent and content with being in college, but who wish to reach the outer limits of their capabilities and strive to change the stereotypes that seem to plague us as Black men. Up to this point while at the University of West Georgia and with my continued involvement in BMWI, I have become the Vice President of Student Government Association, which has opened up doors for me to participate in a Leadershape conference in Illinois; currently serve as the coordinating chair for Retention Progression and Graduation for the Board of Regents; and have the pleasure to be apart of history in signing a bill to erect a stadium for the University of West Georgia. Dr. Sewell, understanding my passion for personal protection, has appointed me head of security for our Distinguished Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Series, and in this capacity I have overseen 3 notable speakers: Mr. Dick Gregory, Dr. Eddie Glaude, and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. I currently have a 3.71 GPA, which I can attribute to my involvement in BMWI. Not only have we been able to accomplish great things in Georgia, but we have had the honor and priviledge of participating in the Million More March in Washington, D.C., going to Canada where we toured Montreal and Toronto, met with the executive director at Fullbright (Canada), tossed around ideas with members of the Black Student Alliance at York University, and visited Niagra Falls. This journey has been filled with its ups and downs, its successes and disappointments, but with my Brothers who help to serve as role models to other African American men here on campus and abroad, I b elieve we are blazing a trail to greatness.
My time spent as a member of Black Males with Initiative (BMWI) has been priceless. BMWI is a program dedicated to first-year African-American male students and the improvement of their success skills. From public speaking engagements to enrichment sessions, BMWI has helped me develop leadership skills, communications skills, and most importantly, showed me the importance of community. I have been able to intern through networking, study abroad in Canada and meet with some of the most profound thinkers of our time including Dr. Cornell West, Kwame Jackson. Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., and Dr. Dick Gregory. This program has encouraged me to read books and to lean more about my history and who I am as a Black an in America. We are a group of students striving to change the stereotypes about Black Men. We are showing the world that Black Men can achieve in post-secondary education and go on to bigger and better things in life.
Braddon Calloway
My name is Beheruz N. Sethna; I am Professor of Business and President of the University of West Georgia. The Center for African American Male, Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia is an exceptional program -- or set of programs, really -- which are directed towards increasing success for African American Male students. I am very supportive of the work that Dr. Sewell and the Center is undertaking, and of the great success in helping our young Black men. The program consists of research, modeling and training, and programming. We have multiple initiatives, such as Black Men With Initiative, the African American Male Initiative Learning Community, the King Lecture Series, and the Dubois Conference, to benefit African-American male students at UWG and other institutions. I wish the program all success -- in general and in this competition.
Sincerely,
Beheruz N. Sethna, Ph.D.
Professor of Business, and
President of the University of West Georgia
The Center for African American Male Research, Success, and Leadership is nothing short of incredible. I was first introduced to the Center as a member of one of its many initiatives, the African American Male Learning Community (AAMI). This program consisted of myself and twenty-five other African-American freshman who through the program were enrolled in the same classes and all lived in the same dormitory. There were structured study sessions and events that we attended together which created a strong bond and support system within our group. We were exposed to an innumerable amount of powerful and successful figures of whom we were able to identify with and realize that we too could achieve greatness. This program built a type of “academic village”, a brotherhood, an environment which was a strong fortress upon which we ricocheted our dreams, hopes, successes, failures, struggles, and our glorious breakthroughs. As a result of my participation in this program I was able to achieve a 4.0 both semesters of my freshman year. I am now a junior with a major in psychology and a minor in marketing. Shortly after “graduating” from the AAMI freshman learning community, I joined the Black Men with Initiative program which is also part of the center. Through this program I was able to refine my leadership, interpersonal, as well as communication skills which have been a great asset to me as I now strive toward greatness. I am the current Student Government Association President at the University of West Georgia and NAACP Community Service Chair; I am also a member of Phi Sigma Pi Honors Fraternity, University Ambassadors and United Voices Gospel Choir. I currently intern with one of the top global companies, Procter & Gamble as a Customer Business and Development Intern. It is undoubtedly the training and the support that I received and still receive from the Center that has been a crucial factor in my success in academics as well as in life. A quote that has resonated with me from freshman year in the learning community which originated from Dr. Elijah Benjamin Hayes states, “I've only just a minute, only sixty seconds in it. Forced upon me, can't refuse it, didn't seek it, didn't choose it, but it's up to me to use it. I must suffer if I lose it, give an account if I abuse it, just a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.” I can honestly say that my eternity has been changed through the short minutes and seconds that I have had the opportunity to be a part of the center at the University of West Georgia. Greatness is and endless journey, but I can say that it is through CAAMRSL that I was able to strap up my boots.
Hello My name is Courtney E. Johns. I am a graduating senior at the University of West Georgia. I am the 2007-2008 Vice President of Black Men With Initiative, the Leader of the Men's ministry for Zion Campus Ministries, and CEO/Founder of Christian music & entertainment group - Reel Life Entertainment.
I am honored to get a chance to express my personal feelings of the Center for African American Male Research Success and Leadership (CAAMRSL). My affiliation with this organization dates back to Fall 2004, that being my freshman year of college. Before even my first day of class, brothers from CAAMRSL greeted me and exposed me to the pitfalls of school and gave me brotherly advice to successfully navigate through college. Dr. Sewell introduced himself to me with an extraordinary essence that I had never seen in any black man that I'd known. He was confident and cordial, but most of all, he expressed compassion. He had a compassion and a zeal for the betterment of young black men. That is what drew me to want to make a difference in my own life, with the help of CAAMRSL. I knew that I had a charge to keep, which was to help my fellow brothers. Of course, in order for me to meet the call of duty, I myself had to be changed for the better. These past four years, my involvement in CAAMRSL has prepared me for leadership and responsibilty. I have gained opportunities to help change my environment and instill better characteristics in my African American cohorts. With Dr. Sewell as I great mentor I have been able to travel to various locations and see the impact of black men and women. From the Million More Movement in Washington D.C. to the Pan-African ancestry of Toronto, Ontario in Canada. My experiences have been more than meaningful , they have been motivating. Through CAAMRSL I have been motivated to make a difference and be a positive leader to our youth.
CAAMRSL has been a great program at the University of West Georgia. Under the able leadership of Dr. Said Sewell beginning with the Black Males with Initiative Program, a number of Black males have been exposed to experiences and ways of thinking and acting that were new to many. Week before last as I was entering a building three BMWI participants happened to be entering a building before me. One grabbed the other two and pointed to me. They all then waited until I went through the door. Teaching his CAAMRSL participants respect for one's elders is only one example of the type of training that CAAMRSL participants receive. I also taught an introductory psychology class to a group of CAAMRSL learning community students last fall. This was a great experience for myself and them. This year Dr. Sewell and his BMWI students have increased the grade point average for entrance into their program. Dr. Sewell recently won an award from the University System of Georgia for what we already knew, that under his leadership UWG has the best BMWI program in the System.
Dr. Sewell has somehow found funds to sponsor outstanding speakers the past three years inlcuding Dr. Cornell West and Dick Gregory.
As a member of the CAAMRSL board I have been impressed with Dr. Sewell's leadership. I also work with him in other capacities such as organizing Black History month events.
In summary, I sincerely hope that CAAMRSL can be helped by your organization. It is definitely the kind of program that is worthy of support and recognition.
Jack Jenkins
Special Associate to the President
for Minority Affairs
My name is Joshua Almond. I am currently a sophomore at the University of West Georgia and the Center For African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership (CAAMRSL) has positively affected my life in a such a great way and saved me from becoming another African-American male who has failed at living a decent life. As a freshman at the University of West Georgia, I was accepted in to CAAMRSL's African American Male Initiative Learning Community which is aimed at united positive African-American males on campus, uplifting their GPA's, and terminating the negative stereotypes that exist about African American males on college campuses all over the nation. As a result of this learning community, I was able to stay out of trouble my freshman year and achieve a 3.53 GPA the first semester of my college career. Thanks to Dr. Sewell and CAAMRSL, I started my college career of with a bang and now I am hungry to maintain a high GPA throughout the rest of my college career and to become a productive and resourceful young man as I graduate from college and attempt at doing something beneficial to the world. CAAMRSL is definitely making a huge difference in the lives of African-American males and is shaping the campus of the University of West Georgia into a production factory of intelligent, resourceful, and great African-American males.
In 2001, a visionary by the name of Dr. Said L. Sewell III, gathered a couple of young men on the campus of the University of West Georgia together and shared a aspiration of hope, greatness and change for the success of African American males holistically. During this time, the developing stages of what we thought then,were just meetings of a couple of African American brothers on a college campus, turned into a powerful movement of change through the leadership of a brotherhood; BMWI. BMWI, known as Black Males with Initiative, has done a tremendous amount of work in the five years it's been in existence. In fact, it has helped reshape the lives of many on the campus of UWG not just African American, but all walks of life. BMWI has produced the foundation and birth of several student organizations on campus including the NAACP, PRAYER Campus Ministry and UWG Students United, a organization that helped raise $10,000 for Tsunami victims under the leadership of BMWI leaders. BMWI has also produced three African American male SGA Presidents, myself being the first since 1976 and the third of the university's existence of 100 years. The first African American male Homecoming King and SGA Secretary were all members of BMWI as well as the university's first NASA receipt, African American male, nationally recoginized came through the BMWI program. This initiative has done more than just change the academic status of black males on UWG's campus but it has changed the mindset and helped erase negative stereotypes of African American males through the state. In fact, there are schools that are modeling their own initiatives after BMWI at UWG. Our work in the local schools in Carrollton and through Meriwether County, Georgia, has triggered a massive desire and yearning for the leadership of BMWI within different areas. Just from one meeting, the sharing of a desire to change the lives of young black men, who statistically have been deemed as troublemakers, unsuccesful, and hopeless, has caused a great movement of progressive change and inspiration to revive the strength, dignity, and rightful place of our men within society. How grateful we are for such a program as BMWI and it's powerful effect.
The Center for African-American Male Research, Success, and Leadership at the University of West Georgia in many ways has advanced my career path while stimulating hidden potential to come out and serve a difference within the communities we service. I would like to say that I would have never decided to choose the University of West Georgia to continue my education, if it wasn?t for this program that is in place to sponsor the growth of individuals. Since my tenure at the University I have been dealt the honor to introducing nationally recognized entrepreneur Kwame Jackson, to hosting an informational session by prestigious alumni of the University. The center sponsors several initiatives; two have affected me the most. One initiative that caught my initial interest for the University of West Georgia was the African-American Male Initiative learning community. This initiative is comprised of 15-20 African-American males that are first year students, taking classes together, mandatory study sessions, and community service involvement. On comparison black males who are enrolled into this program for the last year have a higher retention rate as well as great rapport with their professors, involvement on campus amongst the individuals within the community or high as well. The Grade Point Average tends to be higher as well ranging from five to ten points. The second initiative that further increases the retention and community involvement is the Black Male With Initiative program. Students in this program are transformed into brothers through a process. The main goal of this brotherhood is academic excellence and being a great role model for all students at the University of West Georgia?s campus. With the hard work and dedication that previous members have vowed to bestow for many years to come with the center, is the reason why I can say that my time at this University has been the utmost beneficial thus far. I recommend this program to every student and parent that I come across from my community.
Kenneth Jackson, UWG
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