BMe Community is accepting nominations for the 2014 BMe Leadership Award. Do you know a few good black men?
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If you’re reading this article then chances are you know a few good black men, you may not acknowledge them as such, but they exist. Everyday they’re working to make their communities stronger as coaches, mentors, activists, religious leaders, artists, barbers and block captains. Their service, so readily and consistent, becomes such an institutional part of our livelihood that most times we forget to say thank you and tell them how much we appreciate their presence in our communities.
An opportunity exist, now moving into its third year, to do more than just tell the black men in your lives that they inspire you and that you want to one day be like them, you can actually show them – and at the same time, the world – that they’re assets to communities by lifting up their story.
Backed by several of the world’s leading foundations, BMe (pronounced Be Me) announced this week that they’ve begun accepting nominations for its 2014 “BMe Leadership Awards,” which are presented, along with a $10,000 grant, to inspired black men in Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore who are committed to helping others and improving their community.
“We all personally know men like these – our fathers, co-workers, mentors and friends. Here’s a chance to honor them because their contributions are so often overlooked. Everyone nominated will have a chance to be recognized,” says Trabian Shorters, BMe’s founding CEO and Techbook Online’s 2013 Man of the Year.
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Shorters left his high profile position at the Knight Foundation in June of 2013 to apply is whole genius to building caring and prosperous communities led by inspired black men. Since his exit from the billion dollar foundation, Shorters, who penned the foreword to the critically acclaimed The Black His-Story Book: A Collection of Narratives from Black Male Mentors, has had a national impact in the space of improving life outcomes for black men and boys – most recently placing as an integral part to President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. And as the White House seeks to identify “evidence based solutions” and scale them for greater impact, Trabian is pointing to his BMe Leadersas real-time example of brothers on the ground making a difference.
In each city, 10 BMe Leadership Award earners, called ‘BMe Leaders’, will receive public recognition, a $10,000 grant to apply toward their community work and the opportunity to be networked with other black men like them. BMe promotes BMe Leaders as examples of inspired black men locally and nationally.
Nominees must be at least 18 years old and their contributions to the community must benefit those in their respective cities of Detroit, Baltimore or Philadelphia. Since 2012, BMe has presented 70 Leadership Awards to black men who continue to make a significant and lasting impact on their neighbors and city.
Nominees, as well as their nominators of any race or sex, benefit from gaining access to the BMe Community, its local community-building events, news and web offerings. For example, in honor of March being National Women’s HERStory month, a Tweetchat, celebrating the good women and girls are doing in their community is scheduled for Thursday, March 27th, 2014, beginning at 3pm.
On April 7th nominees will be asked to submit a short application detailing what they would do with the $10,000 grant if selected.
CLICK HERE to nominate yourself or someone you know.
CLICK HERE to pledge to see the good in black men and share their stories so that others may do the same.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
DOWNLOAD NOW: The Black His-Story Book: A Collection of Narratives from Black Male Mentors, presented in part by GoodMenProject.com.
Source: TBO Inc®
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