Trained in Rites of Passage, Now They’re Training Black Male Youth

By Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware | Word In Black (WIB) – It’s no secret that America has long promoted a narrative of inferiority about Black boys and men. It’s a steady drip of poison that parents, caregivers, and community members have to counteract vigilantly. And that’s where rites of passage programs — rituals that transition a person from an old way of being and thinking to a new, more mature, and advanced state  — make a difference. Indeed, in Baltimore, the& Baltimore Rites of Passage Initiative& has been hard at work raising up a cohort of 16 men who will, in turn, mentor Black male youth ages 11-13. RELATED:& Helping& Black Boys& Heal From Violence, Trauma& BROPI is an innovative, multigenerational model, which empowers Black men to embrace positive masculinity and expand their capacity to engage with adolescent Black male youth effectively. The program aims to bolster the ranks of highly skilled Black men equipped to address the pressing challenges confronting Black male youth. “We’ll talk to them about who we are, about our African connections and traditions, and about how these ties and traditions became severed during slavery,” says David Miller, the co-leader of the program.& Miller is a...