Now in its fifth year of delving into issues facing black men with the intention of informing, educating and proactively seeking solutions, the student-founded and run Wisconsin Association of Black Men (WABM) hosted its annual Black Men’s Initiative Forum and continued to mentor young scholars from Chicago Urban Prep Academy on Friday and Saturday.
“You Have the Right To Remain Educated: Black Male Interaction with The American Legal System” featured keynote speaker Dr. Ivory Toldson, research scientist for the Congressional Black Caucus, an associate professor at Howard University, and the editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education, an historic national higher education publication. Dr. Toldson told the audience of more than 150 faculty, staff, students and community guests much of the information describing black males in the context of contemporary American society — and therefore forming public opinion on the status and condition of black men — is wrong. However, the public and few Americans question the source of widely-accepted “facts” and whether they are true or accurate. In small group discussions, participants shared how misinformation has impacted their self-perception, the perception of black males and the impact on black male potential and success.
On Saturday, WABM hosted a second year of expert-led workshops to further discuss and educate participants on civil liberties and legal processes impacted by social perceptions and misperceptions. Guest experts included Pastor Alex Gee and Jerome Dillard, who presented a workshop on the challenges and obstacles of returning home from prison; Madison Police Lt. Wayne Strong, who delineated the civil rights every person should know in their daily interactions with authorities; Ananda Mirilli, who explained restorative justice, a new method of justice designed to stop the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as ensure alleged perpetrators and victims find closure after an incident; and Attorney Joshua Hargrove, who discussed the societal politics, environmental factors, social disparities and police procedures to explore how to change the culture of distrust for law enforcement.
The WABM leadership team developed this year’s topic around one of the major impediments to black male achievement and full citizenship based on recent happenings on the UW-Madison campus and the statistics on black male incarceration for Madison. In the words of this year’s WABM President Shawn Harris, “we felt as though this topic was relevant and that it would be beneficial to educate ourselves and others on these issues, it’s a matter of being a leader and a role model for our communities.”
Under the guidance of the Madison Chapter of 100 Black Men, leaders in the community and campus mentors, WABM has grown into an organization which is developing student leaders, reaching out to other campuses in the Midwest and mentoring high school students across Dane County, said UW-Madison Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Damon A. Williams. The young men of Chicago Urban Prep Academy, a school particularly focused on the educational needs of African-American males, are the traditional annual forum guests. “Since inception, the members of WABM have been leaders on a mission to develop themselves and their colleagues into men who are
prepared intellectually, educationally and morally to serve at the helm of our organizations, institutions, community and their future families,” Williams said. “Their success in convening meaningful and well-thought annual problem-solving discussions on the issues facing the men of our community grew into the Saturday workshop component last year, and I’m very proud of the outcome of their event as well as the personal growth I see all year long among WABM members.”
Nearly 30 scholars from Chicago Urban Prep Academy were introduced to the opportunities to study STEM-related majors at UW-Madison through sessions led by School of Pharmacy Professor Henry Young and Dr. Gloria Hawkins of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The students spoke with current students, faculty and medical residents and staff while touring pharmacy training and research laboratories and the UW-Madison Trauma Center.
