About 20 teenagers and 10 mentors gathered early Saturday at IUPUI to kick off a conversation about the teens’ futures.
(Photo: Cara Anthony/ The Star)
In a quiet room filled with mahogany-, brown- and almond-colored faces, the men and boys — most younger than 18 — discussed their worth.
Elected officials didn’t speak at this conference. No police officers showed up with facts and statistics.
And the pastor charged with leading the conversation, the Rev. Shaune R. Shelby, listened more than he spoke.
That’s the way he wanted it.
No one knows more about the black experience than black men, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church said.
He organized the conference in an effort to “change the conversation.” Discussions about dropout rates, unplanned parenthood and crime don’t lead to productivity, Shelby said. Change comes when people talk about life skills, achievement and goals.
His Near-Northside church is near the Harding Street home where Indianapolis police found four people fatally shot March 24. The quadruple homicide left community members stunned, but their grief isn’t Shelby’s only focus.
Instead, the pastor said he is trying to stay positive.
“I want to create a national movement,” Shelby said Saturday during his “Black Men Matter” conference at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “We think black is strong. It represents power. It represents strength.”
Ten mentors from business, academia, intercollegiate athletics and college-student leadership explained to about 20 teen boys from throughout the city what it takes to succeed. Topics included leadership skills, career choices and financial literacy.
The teens were dressed almost identically. T-shirts stamped with the slogan “Black Men Matter” united them before the conference began. Bow ties, a gift from Shelby, will keep the mentors and boys united until they meet again.
One of the mentors was Eddie Journey, an Indianapolis counselor who specializes in mental health therapy for minorities and clergy.
Journey wanted the boys to understand that they don’t have to apologize for existing, that black men have a purpose, that they shouldn’t be ignored.
“The whole idea of ‘matter’ is to take up space,” Journey said. “That’s a very powerful dynamic for me. We are often times taught to excuse ourselves from taking up space.”
Taking up space, Journey said, is a continuing struggle for many black men.
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SOURCE: IndyStar
Cara Anthony
