Trayvon Martin makes the headlines because black men are often portrayed as burdens, rather than assets to their communities. The Knight Foundation worked with Context Partners to help change this script, starting with Detroit and Philadelphia. In talking with dozens of black males across these cities, the everyday stories of unsung heroes were uncovered—forming a shared positive identity for black men across the US. Learn how the Black Male Engagement (BMe) network was built to engage, identify and publicly celebrate black men who are giving back to their communities. These stories include Shaka Senghor and Yusef Shakur who met in prison and together vowed to change this fate for boys in their community. As members of BMe, Shaka and Yusef got the support they needed to scale their programs and reach more youth in underserved Detroit neighborhoods. Learn how aspirational networks are built through co-designing with your community.
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official listing on sxsw.comhttp://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP22236
