10 Black Men Receive $10,000 Each For Their Community-Building Efforts; Public Recognition Events Set For June 28
DETROIT – BMe Community announced its selections for the 2014 BMe Leaders Award, aimed at providing recognition, funding, and networking opportunities to Black men who take action to help build prosperous cities across the country.
The 2014 BMe Leaders are comprised of 30 men, 10 from the three cities where BMe operates (Detroit, Baltimore and Philadelphia). Each will receive $10,000 totaling over $100,000 for Detroit to help support and launch programming that includes: education, youth development, violence prevention, strategies for successful re-entry, and entrepreneurship.
The 10 BMe Leaders Award Recipients include: Greg Anderson, Jacob Rayford, Odis Bellinger, Bryant George, Brandon Jackson, Darlyn Redmond, Sid Taylor, Willie Wood, David Nelson Jr., and Dr. Lloyd Crews.
According to BMe CEO and Founder Trabian Shorters, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the ‘extra’ that brothers like these put into this city and the lives of its people. Their everyday contributions make Detroit an extraordinary place to live.”
Each year, the BMe Leader Awards are presented with the notion that everyday Black men should be acknowledged as assets, who regularly do something to improve the lives of others. They are owners, builders and doers who quietly make a substantial positive impact on society.
Shorters remarks, “Discounting their contributions makes the city itself seem less valuable “If you’re trying to build a more prosperous Detroit you have to build upon the great assets of Detroit. BMe men like these are all over Detroit.”
About the BMe Leader Award
The BMe Leader Award was born out of the recognition that black males already play key roles in building community well being. Telling the stories of their contributions puts a more inclusive and welcoming face on the city’s future. The BMe Community is made of a dynamic mix of people and organizations including over 6,000 members, local business, nonprofit, and government leaders; and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Skillman Foundation and Open Society Foundations.
For more information about the 2014 BMe Detroit Leaders program, please contact Dr. Truman Hudson, Jr. attruman@bmecommunity.org. or visit www.bmecommunity.org.
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