2 minute read
What They See Is What They Will Be
25 Years of Broadening the Horizons of Local Black Youth
In Nashville’s fast-paced, ever-changing landscape, the businesses, places, and people that are community staples can come and go in months. But for 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee (100BMMTN ), 2022 marked more than three decades as an organization and saw the 25-year milestone of its endowment fund at the Community Foundation.
An endowment fund is more than a way to provide for the preservation of the fund capital and annual stable cash flows for a nonprofit, it signifies an organization’s commitment to donors and its community to be a stalwart force for change in perpetuity.
For the young Black men in Nashville, 100 Black Men and its 100 Kings, Collegiate 100, and College Kings programs are exactly that. 100BMMTN believes “... Student access and engagement with The 100 is essential to fulfilling our motto of “What They See Is What They’ll Be.”
In the past 25 years, the young men in the programs earned $100,000 in scholarships from 100BMMTN, which provided nearly $10,000,000 in academic enrichment, experiential learning, and leadership development training, all at no cost to the participants.
The alumni from these programs continue to excel long after they exit graduating from schools all over the country like Tennessee State University, Full Sail University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Middle Tennessee State University, and Morehouse College, securing jobs with companies such as Disney and Ford, as well as remaining local at Vanderbilt and Metropolitan Government of Nashville.
“I think the coolest thing that we hear from our alumni is when they talk about the lifelong brotherhood that formed with other participants,” says Lee Mollette, current Board Chair at 100BMMTN. “When I hear stories from our alumni about how they benefited from the program and overcame various obstacles because of our members’ commitment, I often tear up.”
Across 25 years, these milestones aren’t simply the organization’s accomplishments; they represent much more. Each one represents the life of a young man that was changed for the better, a future that was molded with caring hands. The near 200 young men currently enrolled in the programs are Nashville’s future educators, leaders and community. Nashville’s future is bright.
