For The Sake Of Aaron
Celebrating Our Black Men

"Men for All Seasons" by Charles Bibbs

MCJ and local agency creates project aimed at Black male youth

Dr. William G. Rogers

"We Can’t Change Today, But We Can Change Tomorrow!"

Time brings about changes and intergenerational values typically differ. Adolescents always believe their parents and grandparents are old timers, and they seldom value the wisdom of age.

However, if you ask adults about their most cherished relationships in youth, most will invariably mention grandparents or an older adult who took time, taught, listened and encouraged.

Statistics support the assets attributed to mentoring young people, guiding them, encouraging them and sharing knowledge, influence, contacts and exposures. In fact, the Dr. Terence Thomas Memorial Scholarship applicants consistently describe teachers, ministers, aunts, and uncles, grandparents or neighbors who took special interests in their achievements and applauded them as they grew.

The college graduation rate for Dr. Thomas Memorial Scholarship recipients is 98%, with postgraduate matriculation now averaging 80%. Successful students encourage other successful students, strengthening one another, and those who soon emulate them.

This theory has worked with high school graduates from Milwaukee schools. Will it not work for middle school students? We believe that it will. And, so does Dr. William Rogers, C.E.O. of Nirvana Ministries, a nonprofit institute that specializes in creating educational alternatives and support services that strengthen children, particularly African American children.

We are delighted to have the expertise, confirmed successes, and impassioned commitment to positive change for inner city children, through Nirvana Ministries directed by Dr. William Rogers.

Dr. William G. Rogers, is a lecturer in the Department of Afrocology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and assistant director of education at Holy Redeemer Educational Complex.

Rogers, who at one time was director of special projects for the "Community Journal," is a long-time educator and activist with a long litany of accomplishments and service in the upliftment of the community.

Rogers is on the board of Blyden Delany Academy, the Wisconsin Black Historical Museum and Society, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the editorial review board of the "Journal of African History and Thought."

He has been honored by the former OIC-GM, 100 Black Men of Greater Milwaukee, Alpha Phi Theta Historical Society, North Carolina Central University and elected to Who’s Who of American Educators 1996-2004.

Rogers has written several articles on African American males, the state of Black Milwaukee and Apartheid.

The "Milwaukee Community Journal" plans to sponsor 10 boys, ages 10-12 years, for one year, in Dr. Rogers’ "What Is A Man" project. We need 40 additional sponsors to support this yearlong project. Those interested in sponsoring a youngster, volunteering to chaperone on exposure field trips, or share their experiences, are asked to call the newspaper office for more information.

Fifty boys will be provided knowledge and understandings of what it means to be "a man for all seasons." The project will raise the consciousness of participants as it relates to self, success in school, in their family life and their community. The project will help participants make productive decisions as they move toward manhood.

Dr. Rogers’ project synopsis has as its mission that of providing a yearlong curriculum of manhood training and mentoring. Boys will be carefully selected and provided a trained mentor. The mentors will be trained from a researched based curriculum designed by Nirvana Institute called "They Don’t Know Who They Be."

The 7R’s Program has been successfully used in other mentoring projects. Respect, responsibility, restraint, reclamation, reorganization, reasoning and redemption are taught with related activities and field trips designed to reinforce the lessons learned. The boys will also participate in an economic development program called CASTE.

To the question, "but what can WE do," we believe that we can begin small but build upon success. When the "Milwaukee Community Journal" began its annual scholarship awards, we had $2,000 and awarded $l,000 to two applicants.

One of the first applicants did not return, the next year, but the other graduated with honors, attended Tulane University and graduated with a post graduate degree and continues to grow professionally.

Her success was the impetus for continuing to isolate dollars for that project. Soon other corporations joined us, and a major donation from one of the community thought leaders enabled us to increase the number of awards.

This year, with broad community support, 13 students received $2,000 awards. Over $240,000 has helped successful students continue in accredited universities throughout the United States.

Those students will long remember what the dollars meant to their matriculation, but they will remember even longer the community support extended and the knowledge that the community had expectations of them and it was important that they succeed.

These same values will drive our 50 young men in the "What Is A Man" project. And, ultimately their success is the community’s success. Dr. Rogers has promised to weekly apprise us as the project evolves. We do this "For the Sake of Aaron: Celebrating Our Men." What can you DO? Join us!