*On this date in 1963, we affirm 100 Black Men of America. They are a men's civic organization and service club aiming to educate and empower African American children and teens.
100 Black Men has 110 chapters in different cities in the United States and worldwide. The mission statement is "to improve the quality of life within our communities and enhance educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans." The organization’s motto, "real men, giving real-time," and "what they see is what they’ll be," describe the organization's goals of providing positive role models and leaders to guide the next generation of African Americans and other youth.
The members are predominantly African American professionals, businessmen, civic leaders and administrators, educators, and other occupations. The initial idea for 100 Black Men of America was conceived in New York in 1963 by a group of African American professionals who wanted to improve the quality of life and economic opportunities for the Black community by fostering better education and youth development. Elements of the organization’s creed that date from this era (“e.g., no member shall be without transportation, no member shall be without legal representation, etc.”) provide some insight into the challenges faced by many African American organizations during the height of the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960s.
Some of the early members were David Dinkins and Jackie Robinson. By 1976, a separate chapter was formed in New Jersey. Before 1983, other chapters were formed in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area, Nassau/Suffolk, Alton, and Sacramento. Between 1983 and 1986, these chapters held several national conferences to form a national organization. 100 Black Men of America officially debuted in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 27, 1987, with businessman Nathaniel Goldstein as its first president and chairman of the board. The first international chapters were chartered in 1987. In 1994, the organization approved creating and establishing the Collegiate 100 as an auxiliary to its national chapters.
The Collegiate 100 members support the chapters and receive mentoring from the chapter members. In 2012, Curley M. Dossman, Jr. was elected the fifth President/Chairman of the Board, along with Dr. Joshua W. Murfree, Jr. (Vice Chairman of Operations), Dr. Howard Rasheed (Vice Chairman of Programs), Marvin Dickerson (Vice Chairman of Development), Milton Jones (Vice of Finance), and Dr. Mark Alexander (Secretary). 100 Black Men has four principal program areas: Mentoring, Education, Health and Wellness, Economic Development, and Leadership Development. As of 2017, 100 Black Men has more than 100,000 students enrolled in its mentoring and outreach programs. As of 2017, the organization had grown to more than 10,000 members, some 36 chapters of the Collegiate 100 at colleges and universities nationwide.
