Local black male leaders recognized

When Matt Herndon, then a junior at Bloomington High School North, first found out from his mother that she had nominated him for the Outstanding Black Male Leaders of Tomorrow Award, he had no idea what she was talking about.

But when he found out he was chosen as the inaugural recipient, he said he felt honored.

Bloomington’s Commission on the Status of Black Males has given the Outstanding Black Male Leaders of Tomorrow Award annually since 2006.

The commission recognizes young African-American community members who have contributed to the city through their service or leadership, according to the commission’s website.

“The title of it carried so much weight,” Herndon, now a senior theater major at IU, said.

Herndon said he thought the commission selected him because of his involvement in improving the Cougar Leaders freshman mentor program at BHSN and because he was the only black male in the school theater program.

“At the time I was just revving up my time in theater after a period of dark years in middle school,” Herndon said.

The commission was started in 2001 to “address some of the challenges faced by African-American males in America,” said Craig Brenner, the commission’s staff liaison and special projects coordinator for the Bloomington Community and Family
Resources Department.

Specifically, the commission focuses on employment, health, criminal justice and education.

“They really serve a need,” said Rashawn Ray, who was given the 2010 award and graduated from IU with a Ph.D. in sociology. “They are the unsung heroes of the community and the surrounding area.”

Members of the commission work on solving common national problems within the city.

“Some of the main issues they deal with are helping black males graduate and go off to college,” Ray said. “They also help black males stay out of the criminal justice system.”

Before being honored, Ray worked with the commission in his role as the outreach coordinator for IU’s Office of Women’s Affairs. He also taught a class for at-risk IU freshmen.

“I think service is something you do out of the goodness of your heart because someone did it for you or because it’s something you see as important,”
Ray said.

Since receiving the award, Herndon has been involved in numerous theatrical productions at IU and works for the New Student Orientation program in
the summer.

“I feel that the trust that was put into me with the award was lived up to,” he said.

NOMINATIONS

The commission is seeking nominations for the 2011 Outstanding Black Male Leaders of Tomorrow Award recipient, which will be awarded at the city’s Black History Month Gala on Feb. 26.

Nominees must be black males between the ages of 14 and 30 who have lived in Monroe County for at least the past year.

Applications are available on the commission’s website at www.bloomington.in.gov/csbm. The deadline is Feb. 15.