Meet Wilmington's Black male role models encouraging students to teach, thrive and believe

What they see is what they’ll be -- that’s the motto of 100 Black Men of Coastal North Carolina.

The leading mentor group is increasingly playing a larger role supporting youth in New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick County by providing confidants, counselors and in many cases -- friends. A key to their success, these role models look like those who are looking up to them.

And they’ve succeeded – boasting former mentees who have gone on to attend universities across North Carolina and the nation, from a student who received a $100,000 scholarship to the University of Alabama to another accepted into the Northwestern University in Chicago.

“We really emphasize that (motto), and that's why we tried to present a good image for these young people and have them look at what success can be like as they mature and as they move on with their lives,” said Nick Rhodes, vice president of operations for the organization.

The group has existed since 2010 in southeastern North Carolina, but is a chapter of a national organization founded in New York City in 1963. The goal is to mentor and educate Black teens, especially those coming from low-income backgrounds.

Today, the national 100 Black Men organization is considered one of the country's top African American-led mentorship programs and is serving more than 125,000 students in the United States and beyond.

In the Wilmington area, 100 Black Men has more than 30 members and reaches around 80 students.

The group has two main programs it offers to students eighth through 12th grade: school-based mentoring and a project entitled Success Academy.

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School-based programs take place in middle schools including DC Virgo, Williston and Leland Middle School, where mentors meet with the participating students once a week to do activities and encourage them in their education.

The men said they want to start reaching students while they’re in middle school so they can reach them before they head to high school and build lasting relationships.

“We're trying to be role models, basically, for young African American males who they can turn to be advocates for them should they need that kind of direction and consideration,” President Jerry Jackson said.

Success Academy is a program for eighth-graders and high school students that meets twice a month on Saturdays. The program, which runs throughout the school year, includes seminars, webinars and workshops to prepare students for two- and four-year universities, and the group also takes trips to tour colleges and historical sites.

Through the Success Academy, students have opportunities to learn life skills like shaking hands, making eye contact, and public speaking. They teach them proper table manners, how to golf, and other skills to help them in their future while also building lifelong relationships with then.

Students also have the chance to hear from local and national professionals in a variety of fields, from medicine and business to the military.

The men help guide students to find careers they are excited about and universities they hope to attend. One of their most recent initiatives is creating a module to introduce students to the possibilities of the teaching profession.

People of color, especially Black men, are largely underrepresented in classrooms, and teaching allows them to be another mentor or role model for youth, said Vice President of Administration John Battle.

“That image is very important to youngsters growing up in this area,” Battle said. “I thought it was important that we be within the school system so they could see some positive images of black men.”

But one of the most exciting parts of the year for the students and their mentors is the 100 Black Men National Convention.

The mentors have the chance to take students to different cities around the country, like Las Vegas, New Orleans and Atlanta, to participate in the national gathering, compete in activities and hear from speakers. This year, the coastal North Carolina chapter will take five students to the 2022 national convention in Hollywood, Florida.

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Many of the men involved in the program had their own mentors growing up, Black and white, and said they see the need not only for young people to have a guiding figure but more specifically for more Black men who are willing to act as that figure.

Stan Hixon, for example, grew up in an affordable housing project in Florida, where he played football and basketball throughout his youth. His coaches acted as mentors to him and helped him play football in college. Eventually, he became a coach and teacher for 40 years, and now dedicates his time to his role as vice president of programs for 100 Black Men of Coastal North Carolina.

They said it’s vital for students to see people in professional careers who look like them because it invokes the idea they can also achieve that. The men said oftentimes, the only place students see successful Black men is in professional sports, and participating in 100 Black Men gives them a chance to see other opportunities they have through education.

“I say to them when I speak to these young people, pursue your dream. If you want to be a professional athlete, pursue that dream, but have a solid backup plan, and that backup plan is called education,” Rhodes said. “That's where we come in and try to influence these young people to spend as much time studying math as they do on their crossover dribble.”

Reporter Sydney Hoover can be reached at 910-343-2339 or shoover@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 100 Black Men provides mentorship, opportunities to local students