For the first time in Beautillion history, alumni are welcome to celebrate alongside the newest class.
In honor of the program’s 40th anniversary, Beautillion alumni are invited to celebrate during a reception held on April 11 at Newfields. Hosted by The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, the Beautillion Militaire Alumni Reception will honor the 2026 class through scholarships while also celebrating four decades of Beaus, Corey Wilson, program chair for the Beautillion Alumni Reception, told the Recorder.
The Indianapolis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America introduced the Beautillion to the local community in 1986. The organization enlisted the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis as mentors before eventually handing the program over to the nonprofit entirely, Kraig Kinchen, executive director for the 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, said.
“I think it gives people a sense of meaning and purpose,” Kinchen said. “I think we all want to do things where we feel like we’re making a difference, and the men who come out and the women who come out to participate, they’re very committed.”
The purpose of the program is to prepare young men for life after high school through a series of weekly sessions over a six-month period. Beaus — or the young men in the program — meet with mentors and community volunteers on Sunday afternoons, October through April, to learn about post-secondary education opportunities, financial management and mental health.
The program also features opportunities to raise money for scholarships and “Things a Beau Ought to Know,” where volunteers come in to teach the young men how to cook, wash and iron clothes, change oil or a tire, tie a neck tie and take care of their personal hygiene, James Duke, chairperson for Beautillion, said.
However, one of the biggest parts of the program is the “Man Plan,” Kinchen said. Created by Willis K. Bright Jr., “The Man Plan” requires Beaus to develop a roadmap for their future based on who they are, what they’re interested in and what they want their lives to look like five, 10 or even 30 years later.
Over the course of the program, Beaus will revisit their “Man Plan,” and make tweaks based on what they’ve learned during the sessions. Plans are presented to parents during the final session; however, parents aren’t allowed to comment or ask questions till the end, Duke said.
“It’s great in terms of the topics covered, the bonding experiences and the commitment of the mentors over long periods of time,” Kinchen said. “The other thing that’s neat about it is the number of people who participated who come back to help. … They’ll either be a regular mentor on Sunday or they’ll come back to do specific sessions or come back for the Beautillion career day.”
Celebrating 40 years
As the Beautillion celebrates 40 years, Duke said the program is now at a point where people who went through it as high school students have grown up and are now sending their own sons through it.
“We get a chance to see firsthand the impact that is made,” Duke said. “Being able to witness that just kind of validates the energy, effort and time that I and the many other volunteers have put into the program.”
Wilson, who has been with the program for 20 years, said it’s always special to see former Beaus grow up and be successful in a variety of different ways. The Alumni Reception provides an opportunity for men of each previous Beautillion to come together to network and build relationships while celebrating a shared experience.
During the final ceremony, the young men of the 2026 class will be presented and present their motto, life goals and plans for next steps before performing the rite of passage. There will also be a mother-son dance, and scholarships will be awarded before a representative from each past class will give a short presentation.
“They saw us as mentors, and now they themselves are deciding to mentor new young men,” Wilson said. “We think it’s very vital that they see positive examples of what success can look like in different capacities. So, this is really a living testament to that, that you have a 40-year track record now of young men that are being successful.”
To this day, Duke still has Beautillion alumni who are grown with families of their own, who call him up from time to time to ask for advice or update him on their lives because “mentoring does not end when Beautillion ends,” he said.
After 25 years of mentorship, Duke will be moving on from the Beautillion. However, he said this isn’t work he can “just quit.” Instead, he’s allowing the future to come in and the people he’s mentored to take the helm just as the men who led the program did before he took over.
“I’m not looking for accolades … that’s not the reward, the reward is just seeing them do the work themselves and thriving and impacting and leading others,” Duke said. “What makes me smile and feel that my effort is worthwhile is seeing the works in action that I’ve built and put in place for the future.”
The Beautillion Militaire Alumni Reception takes place from 2-4 p.m. on April 11 at Newfields. The Beautillion opens registration for its next class beginning in August 2026. For more information, visit 100blackmenindy.org or email beautillion@100blackmenindy.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
