The Power of Brotherhood: Does Mentoring Work for Black Male Adolescents?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Diversity and District Dilemmas: Gender, Sexuality, and the Politics of Difference

Abstract

At the Academy for Justice (AFJ), young Black men were trailing behind young Black women on every measure: they were failing more classes, had worse attendance, and were punished more. Although AFJ was achieving success on many measures, to counter the pressures that male students face to violate rules, cut class, and ignore academics, AFJ needed more male-specific support services. A Men’s Initiative was developed to address some of these issues, in part through a mentoring program whose mission was to provide students with Black male role models and to build a sense of community pride amongst this population of students. This study analyzes how students perceived their participation in the program, during the program and five years later.

Author

• Nicole S. Simon, Harvard University