ATLANTA — It started in 1986, when Atlanta-based entrepreneur, Nathaniel R. Goldston III, created an 18 person organization to help underprivileged youth in his city. 36 years later The 100 Black Men of Atlanta has expanded to 100 chapters worldwide with more than 10,000 members.
Its new Executive Director, Louis Negrón, is working towards continuing Goldston's legacy of providing educational and economic opportunities to its members.
“We're able to go back in and help the students and families and show them a career path. Our motto is, if you see it, you'll be it,” said Negrón.
The 100 BMOA mission is to bring positive change for challenged communities in Atlanta. This means sharing their knowledge with students and their families by showing them a career path.
“We have the pillars of health and wellness, mentoring and social-economic empowerment, and also just really bridging the gap of racial diversity,” said Negrón.
The organization is currently offering its members entrepreneurship opportunities through its partnership with The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs aka The RICE Center. Negron hopes to bring more opportunities to the Westside of Atlanta with this partnership.
"It’s been a vacuum for a really long time and for the reinvestment that is happening in this community. That’s definitely something we want to uplift and have people have this social mobility and economic powerhouse to move from to be successful for themselves and their families, and for the community," said Negrón.
Apart from offering entrepreneur opportunities, 100 BMOA is also in a partnership with The B.E.ST Academy, an all-public boy's school. The 100 BMOA aids B.E.S.T by providing “leadership development services, on-site support, mentoring programs and financial assistance to the young men.”
Members of 100 BMOA also have the opportunity to join their 100 Scholars Robotics Program Alliance, a program designed to inspire members interested in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
The importance of providing these opportunities is paramount to Negrón.
“It's important for young people to be exposed to these types of skills because it's the 21st century. Actually, the jobs of tomorrow are being created today in the programming that we're doing with them today. So they'll have the skill set to survive in a 21st-century economy,” he said.
To learn more about 100 BMOA visit their website here.