BLACK MEN: Lighting The Path to Inspire Young Black Men and BoysThomas Robert Simpson, the founder and artistic director of the AfroSolo Theatre Company cordially invites Black men to inspire, uplift, and motivate young Black men and boys to achieve beyond their expectations. Simpson asks Black men to simply write a letter. These letters will become part of an anthology entitled "LIGHTING THE PATH: Letters From Black Men to Young Black Men and Boys." We want our young men and boys to know that they are valued, cared for, and loved. "We are soliciting letters from a diverse section of Black men (politicians, academics, businessmen, entertainers, clergy, formerly incarcerated, etc.) addressed to young Black men and boys. We would value having your thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned that you feel will best galvanize and help our youth advance successfully from adolescence to adulthood,' said Simpson. The contents of your letter will be of your choice, including any personal experiences, advice, and other inspirational words you wish to share. Or, what do you know now that you wish you had known as an adolescent? The suggested length for the letter is up to 750 words. By April 15th, we need your letter to prepare for our Fall 2022 book release. You will retain copyright ownership of the letter, but with your permission, we will make it available in as many forms and media as possible to support our youth. "LIGHTING THE PATH..." will be distributed free to juvenile halls, schools, libraries, and community organizations. Our initial goal is to distribute 500 books. Although each letter will be different, they will share the same goal: to inspire, motivate, give hope, and uplift our young men and, most of all, let them know they have support from their community. The AfroSolo Company has a history of connecting with and focusing our programming around the issues and concerns of our community members. Although many of our male youths are doing well, it is evident via homicides, crime, deadly encounters with police, poverty, school dropout rates, etc., that this population needs our attention. We are honored to be working with Dominique Broussard, Ph. D., Director of the University of San Francisco (USF) 's Marshall-Riley Living Learning Community (MRLLC). The MRLLC allows first-year and sophomore students to live together on campus; share an interest in Black Americans' historical, intellectual, and political traditions, and engage with the Bay Area Black community through service-learning classes. With additional contributions from USF's Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good and Prof. David Holler, "LIGHTING THE PATH..." will be their project for the spring semester. Contact AfroSolo Theatre Company Thomas Robert Simpson, Artistic Executive Director trs100@yahoo.com 4157712376 Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ End
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