Brooklyn Borough President

BOROUGH PRESIDENT WELCOMES 100 BLACK MEN ORGANIZATION TO BOROUGH HALL

Photograph by Kathryn Kirk

(Pictured – 100 Black Men President Paul Williams, Jr. (3rd from left), New York City Comptroller William Thompson (center), Borough President Markowitz (2nd from right), other officers and board members)

On January 28th, Borough President Marty Markowitz welcomed 100 Black Men, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for African Americans and other minorities, empowering young people through mentoring, education, health and wellness and economic development programs that emphasize creativity, academic achievement, and social responsibility, to Borough Hall. This chapter is the original group of what has become a nationwide organization. This is only the second time since its founding in 1963 that 100 Black Men has held a general meeting in Brooklyn. There was a panel discussion on the redevelopment of lower Manhattan, with an emphasis on minority involvement in the planning, followed by a discussion of low participation of black men in higher education.

“In today’s world, higher education is essential to having a full range of choices in life,” Borough President Markowitz said. “While it’s true that not everyone must go to college to live a satisfying or successful life, it is equally true that higher education offers opportunities that we want to see available to all of our residents. When there is striking evidence of under-participation in higher education among a particular group, that is something we must not ignore.”