Black Success Stories Plan Next Chapters

Dozens of successful African Americans gathered Saturday to compare notes on mentoring and other programs that help disadvantaged youth at a regional training conference for the national organization 100 Black Men.

Sponsored by the group’s Orange County chapter, the meeting at the Hyatt Regency Irvine hotel drew representatives from as far as Sonoma County and Phoenix. The conference, which combined inspirational talks with nuts-and-bolts advice on such matters as insurance, record keeping and fund-raising, was the first in a series of events leading up to the group’s national conference in June.

Marian Bergeson, state secretary of child development and education and a former county supervisor, applauded the group’s efforts during a luncheon address in which she also plugged Gov. Pete Wilson’s education initiatives that encourage mentoring programs.

“The Wilsons have volunteered to be mentors themselves,” she said.

“Kids need two things, support and opportunity,” said Bergeson, in endorsing mentoring programs, which pair young people with successful adults who can encourage and guide them.

Bergeson made it clear that she does not support the teaching of Ebonics as a way to reach black students.

“I think you will see that our [teaching] standards will be very stringent,” she said. “We want to make certain that all children are capable of attaining English proficiency.”

Although the men in attendance Saturday--including bankers, attorneys, engineers and college educators--stood as examples of strides made in the last few decades, statistics showed a grimmer picture.

Out-of-wedlock pregnancies, high school dropout rates, imprisonment and violence rates were all high and rising among young African Americans, according to a presentation by members of Futureforce, an Atlanta-based school program.

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“We really need to start with kids early on, developing habits of mind,” said Leroy Ervin, the group’s national education chairman, who outlined an educational program that started by teaching personal economics to kindergarten students.

The organization was started in New York by 100 community leaders following race riots in 1967. It has grown to 68 autonomous chapters, and has gained national recognition for programs that help young African Americans focus on long-term goals and steer clear of violence and drugs.

National president Thomas Dortch came from the Atlanta headquarters to exhort members to continue their involvement in troubled areas.

“After the civil rights movement, many of us thought that we could move on out to the suburbs,” he said. “We left our communities without role models. But now we’re here to give back.”

The Orange County chapter, which has 43 members, was formed four years ago, but already has developed a model mentoring and education program known as Passport that focuses on high school students.

The program begins with a “Rite of Passage” ceremony that includes instruction in African cultural history and continues into mentoring and apprenticeship programs. Each program graduate is to receive a $1,000 check toward college tuition or supplies. There are currently 35 students in the program, said chapter vice president Richard Norwood of Los Alamitos.