Bloomington commision focuses on status, wellness of black men

The Commission on the Status of Black Males is seeking nominations for the Outstanding Black Male Leader of Tomorrow awards, which will be presented at the annual Black History Month Gala to a high school age student or a young adult, 30 years or younger.

Since its establishment in 2001, the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Black Males has worked to have a positive effect for black males in the areas of education, health and criminal justice, said Craig Brenner, special projects coordinator of the Community and Family Resources Department.

Under former mayor John Fernandez, a group of concerned individuals requested the creation of a commission more specifically targeted toward black males. Brenner said the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission had already been in existence for about six years but was too busy with its own programming to handle the request.

Instead, Fernandez recommended the commission to the city council, which approved the initiative.

Since then, the commission has worked with individuals of varied expertise to tackle its four focus areas, said Brenner.

One of the commission’s projects is a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters. BBBS pairs black boys with black men that can help them with schoolwork and home life. The pairs meet at the school and do some kind of academic improvement activity.

“After one year of being matched with their mentor, over 90 percent of kids belong to something outside of school,” said Mark Voland, director of community programs at BBBS. “They’re developing useful skills.”

To focus on the health and wellness component, the commission organizes an annual health fair in the spring. The fair allows locals to receive health screenings.

The screenings are targeted toward black males, who may have higher rates of heart
disease or shorter life expectancies, said Brenner.

The commission is also involved in a New Start program, which seeks to reintroduce kids and young adults back into society after spending time in a juvenile facility, Greg Turner, chair of the commission said.

The program pairs a child with an adult while the child is still institutionalized so the two can begin bonding early on.

“The goal when they come out is that (the children) have somebody to help them on their feet, help them reenroll into school or find a job, so that they can survive when they reenter the community,” Turner said.

Brenner said the commission has not been able to make as many improvements in the areas of employment and criminal justice as it hoped. He said commission members have been trying to invite experts in these areas to speak at gatherings, such as the Bloomington sheriff.

The commission has also had difficulty working with schools on the city of Bloomington level to promote diversity in an effective way, Brenner said.

“We’ve met with pretty much every school superintendent,” Brenner said. “There’s been quite a turnover in that role, five different school superintendents in the past 13 years. So it’s hard to get the school system to agree to something and then implement it, because there’s a change in leadership every two to three years.”

However, Brenner said schools have been working on hiring full-time personnel to work on diversity issues.

The Outstanding Black Male Leader of Tomorrow awards will recognize two individuals who have been leaders in volunteer work and academia and who show potential to be future leaders in the community, said Turner.

The gala will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Follow reporter Kate Starr on Twitter @kastarr7.