Allow Us to Introduce Ourselves:

Meet The 2022 “I Too Am America” Fellows

Hope you’re enjoying a fruitful Fall! While it’s been a minute since we last reached out, the Corporation for Black Male Achievement has been very busy behind the scenes and we’re excited to finally unveil one of the amazing projects we’ve been working on.

Early on when I first began writing I Too Am America: On Loving and Leading Black Men & Boys alongside my dear friend and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Nick Chiles, I dreamt of creating a fellowship program that would bring young Black men together in inspiring and safe spaces. It thrills me to now be able to share that this dream has finally come true.

Continuing CBMA’s practice of building beloved communities with and for Black men and boys, the Corporation for Black Male Achievement has officially launched the I Too Am America Fellowship — a year-long initiative that will offer educational, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to 13 Black youth ages 18-24 from around the U.S.

I starkly remember the transformational experience of reading Claude Brown’s Manchild in the Promised Land with my basketball teammates as a young man and what it seeded in me as a reader, writer and publisher. For this reason, we’re honored and excited that I Too Am America: On Loving and Leading Black Men & Boys will serve as a foundational text for the Fellows to craft their own “where do we go from here?” mini-manifestos to be published in 2023.

See all of their names below:

In early October, the Corporation for Black Male Achievement partnered with the Beloved Community Center and the Center for Creative Leadership in historic Greensboro, North Carolina to include the #ITAA Fellows in their gathering of leaders from across the country. We also welcomed longtime friends and collaborators to join us to meet and experience our inaugural cohort first hand. Check out a few images from our inspiring and productive time together:

Please look out for future e-newsletters to follow along with us on this I Too Am America Fellowship journey and learn about opportunities to support and get involved. In the meantime, we encourage you to follow our Instagram page @corpforbma for real-time news, updates and an occasional word from one of our bright young Fellows!