More than 200 young African-American men stepped into the Statehouse and into history, meeting with leaders including State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, as well as officials from the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males (ICSSBM) during the inaugural Black Male Youth Day.
“We want young Black males to know their lives really do matter, and when you say that to yourself, you have to be able to convey that to others so here at the Indiana Statehouse, we want them to convey to state legislators and other elected officials,” said James Garrett, executive director of ICSSBM.
“They are here to better understand the legislative process and to learn how they can advocate for themselves.”
ICSSBM’s mission is to study the social conditions of the state’s Black male population, develop strategies to remedy or assist in remedying serious adversities, and make recommendations to improve the educational, social, economic, employment, and other circumstances for Hoosiers.
Garrett explained that the Statehouse program, to nurture and educate leaders of tomorrow, was long overdue— many other groups such as women, Latinos, senior citizens and veterans have already enjoyed a day at the Statehouse dedicated to them.
Marcus Payne, a Prince Hall Mason, added that the program was in the works for several years.
“It was put on the board to try, but we ran out of time. Then it was a matter of security, then policy, then it was election year. We got it on the books way before (Gov.) Mike Pence was in office,” said Payne, whose organization assisted the Democrat National Party in registering the young men to vote on site.
The group found most of the 18-year-olds in attendance were already registered, which helped them focus on pre-registering those 17-year-olds who soon will turn 18.
“We try to grab them early and get them accustomed to waking up on the first Tuesday of May and the first Tuesday of November. Get your breakfast, and go vote,” said Payne.
“Election day has now become a day we know because we’ll drive past schools and see the line or our kid is at home and say ‘we don’t go to school because it’s Election Day.’ We as African-Americans are not preparing ourselves for elections.”
The young men in attendance came from all over the Hoosier State, including Gary, Merriville, Anderson, Bloomington, Ft. Wayne, Evansville and other areas.
They enthusiastically participated in the planned events, which included a motivational speech by keynote speaker Rev. John Jackson, a tour of the Statehouse and a chance to observe the Legislature in action.
Jackson’s speech theme was dedicated to “Young Black Males Matter,” where he instructed listeners to chant the message loud and proud multiple times throughout the day. He also encouraged young males to boldly share their leadership, perspectives and ideas.
“Black lives matter means no matter where you come from or where you are, you can impact other lives,” commented Braxton Hervey,16, from Michigan City High School. “One of my favorite parts was the chant because it was very powerful and motivating to have us all in the statehouse giving our message.”
He also added that witnessing firsthand how the legislative process works was very important.
“It will be very helpful in the future to know how the legislative process works, especially in today’s age. We can go back to our own cities and towns and explain the process to those who never learned.”
Pastor John Edwin Girton Jr., the father of three children, said it is his responsibility to educate his children about the legislative process.
“The only way to truly know it, is to see it,” noted Girton. “It’s being exposed to something most young people aren’t exposed to. As a father, I would be remiss, if I didn’t ensure my children are exposed to something their ancestors were not exposed to.”
His son, 12-year-old Edwin Girton, said he found the motivational speech exciting and motivating.
ICSSBM chairman Eddie Melton urged the young men to use their time at the Statehouse to take their community to the next level.
“I have children and I recognize all lives matter, but over the last couple of years, we had to see the significant impact taking place upon young Black men,” noted Melton. “When we sat down and had a discussion about this event it was about awakening and giving that call to action. Their life matters, their education matters, their voice matters and their leadership matters.”
Rep. Melanie Wright, D-Yorktown, said she teared up while hearing Rep. Smith speak to the young men.
“It’s always a great day at the Statehouse when we have our young people here. They’ve truly set themselves apart by coming here and participating in this program,” she said.
Not only were youth participating, volunteers from the Mozel Sanders Foundation Inc. donated their time and parents and mentors joined the day of action.
The program by any measure seems to be urgently needed. For example, Gallup’s Healthways-Well-Being Index found “Black men under the age of 35 have a well-being index score that is at least one point lower than all other groups, a deficit statistically significant.” As a whole, young Black men have high unemployment rates, lower graduation rates and less access to health care.
ICSSBM say leaders claim the day as a success and hope to continue the tradition.
For more information on the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, visit In.gov/icssbm.
