Student leaders from Rice University’s Black Male Association (RBMA) hosted an opening day event Sept. 14 to welcome local Black, male high schoolers and their parents to campus and introduce a new student-led mentorship program. The RBMA — built upon the principles of service, leadership and brotherhood — aims to mobilize the voices of Black men at Rice and build bridges between RBMA and Houston as well as catalyze change in the greater Houston community.
“Even though race is a construct that is not real, the effects of racism are real,” said Nathaniel Boateng, Hanszen College junior and RBMA member. “Overcoming it through mentorship programs and through education is key to breaking the cycle of generational poverty and setting people on a path towards success in the future.”
The Rice students, with help from staff in the Center for Civic Leadership and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, partnered with M.E.N. Incorporated (Mentoring, Educating and Nurturing), a local youth organization devoted to creating minority leaders, to build the communication skills, emotional intelligence and confidence of the participants.
Many of the participating Rice mentors shared that they are motivated to give back to the greater community, “open doors” and proliferate the powerful experiences they themselves had with mentors.
“I do not want to close the door behind me,” said Wiess College junior Thomas Witherspoon, who is majoring in health sciences and psychology. “I aspire to become a physician, and the road to becoming one is, in a word, long; it is a journey of stepping through new doors and accepting new challenges. While I have worked hard to get to the point I am currently at, I also know with absolute certainty that I would not be here if not for the mentors, teachers and advocates that have held open many of these doors for me. Ultimately, I want to continue this act by helping the mentees grow their critical thinking and interpersonal skills.”
“These students who may have never envisioned themselves on Rice’s campus will now have the opportunity to explore and see the benefits Rice has to offer,” said Lovett College junior Shungu Zimbwa. “Our mission is clear: to enrich the lives of RBMA mentors and M.E.N. Inc. mentees by boosting their emotional intelligence, societal awareness and interpersonal communicability.”
Each month’s main activity will feature a creative exploration of topics and concepts that can “polarize and plague the world” such as political discourse, romantic or platonic relationships, cultural importance, role models and leadership, Zimbwa explained.
“Not only do we hope to see measurable, observable differences in communication by the end of the year in our mentees, but we also hope to see the same growth in ourselves,” he said.
“In 2018, I met my big brother, D’Andre. Starting as my mentor in the Sigma Beta Club, a program aimed at connecting young Black boys with positive male role models, he became a significant influence in my life ever since,” said Brown College junior Spencer Rembert. “We’ve had the tough conversations, the life lessons, the silly disagreements and laughs that could last a lifetime. Our relationship has fueled my determination to give back what I’ve received. I don’t expect the RBMA-M.E.N. Inc. mentees to meet their big brother — that’s a lot of pressure — but I do hope that we mentors can provide a positive impact that will last a lifetime.”
The RBMA will host monthly events for its mentors and mentees to come together for cultural learning, community engagement and college preparation. Each month’s topics range from academic readiness, voting and elections, communications in relationships to a community service project with Houston’s food shelters.
Learn more about the RBMA here or by reaching out to therbma@gmail.com.