HOUSTON – Community activist Deric Muhammad, along with Houston Mayor Turner and sponsors held the annual “SMART’N UP” Black Male Summit to address issues faced by black men and boys.
The event was held at St. John’s Downtown.
This year’s program included a special tribute to rapper Takeoff who was murdered in Houston last month. Organizers also provided critical resources and workshops to attendees.
Educate, empower, and inspire; those are the goals for the Black Male Summit says community activist Deric Muhammad.
“We keep a specific focus on the Black male. Black men and boys who face certain challenges every single day,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad says the challenges are found in the statistics.
“When you look at the Black dropout rate among Black males, it’s way too high. When you look at the amount of Black men who are killed by police officers, it’s way too high,” he said.
Several other community leaders joined Muhammad to speak to the crowd about topics such as entrepreneurship, building confidence, positive role models, and gun violence prevention.
Mayor Turner says it’s important to talk to the youth early, provide them with guidance and be in front of them.
“Because people can be what they can see. They need to see other brothers, people that look like them that have navigated through life make a decision that impacts their lives,” Turner said.
The Houston Health Department, The My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, and the Community Re-entry Network Program were some of the sponsors who passed out brochures and provided helpful information.
Anthony Smith is 21 years old and says it was important for him to attend the Black Male Summit.
“One thing I learned today was accountability and thinking about the things you’re supposed to do in life. I feel like you have to do those things and you can’t procrastinate or make no excuses,” Smith said.
To learn more about the organization, click here.