The Mission and History of Black Men Rising

Black Men Rising is a group of men and women dedicated to using technology to help African American families live more productive and healthy lives.

BMR was started in Pittsburgh (PA) in 1997 by a group of men who were part of Northside Common Ministries Supportive Housing Project. This program was designed to help formerly homeless men acquire and maintain stable housing. The BMR project was designed to help reintegrate these men back into the community. All the men were residents of Pittsburgh's Northside.

BMR was aware from its inception of the need for more involvement by the African American population with the usage of information technology tools. At first we were primarily concerned with mentoring children. Our targeted areas were the California -Kirkbride, Central Northside, and Manchester neighborhoods. We chose these neighborhoods because all of our men lived in or near them and also because our research showed that there was a high incidence of single (women) parented homes.

To address these issues, we developed an outreach program that has a flag football league, African American history classes and gatherings that promote family and community unity. Over the past four years our emphasis has changed from not only serving children but also teaching computer skills to the adults of the community. We received our first computer donations from Primary Care Health Services and the University of Pittsburgh. In 1998, BMR received the JC Penny Golden Rule Award for our work.

One of the hallmarks of our program has been parental participation. We realize that the whole family must invest in the learning process so we encourage and expect children to be accompanied by their parents.This produces unique opportunities not only for the child but also for the parent.

The Black Men Rising program is designed to help the African American community meet the challenges of the Digital Divide. We will accomplish this with our ongoing effort to help make home access to the internet available, provide a website with a technology centered aspect and provide a information media presence to inform and help educate African Americans residents of the Pittsburgh PA metropolitan region. In addition we have started our Jegna On-Line Connection (an ementoring project) For more information on the mentoring program, please click here

Black Men Rising's
Jegna On-Line Connection
A Mentoring Initiative

In addition to the service of providing computers and training BMR desires to extend the reach of their positive influence to include e-mentoring. This mentoring initiative will connect high school and middle school youth from the Pittsburgh African American community with caring adults via the internet. One of the goals of this initiative is designed to increase the successful graduation and matriculation of youth from secondary education into post-secondary education (i.e.: College or Trade School) and the workforce.

What Is E-Mentoring?

Mentoring - the presence of caring individuals who, along with parents or guardians, provide young people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and a constructive example - this is a strategy that can help young people of all circumstances to succeed in life.

E-Mentoring - also known as online mentoring, telementoring, or teletutoring - describes a mentoring relationship that is conducted via the Internet. Its goals are similar to face-to-face mentoring: to establish a trusting, positive relationship between a caring adult mentor and a young person.

E-Mentoring also helps young people deepen their understanding of the positive potential of online culture and high-tech communications. According to the Virtual Volunteering Project at the University of Texas in Austin, most online mentoring programs use e-mail. Some programs are Web-based or use special communications software available only to those involved in the program. Some programs have a one-to-one relationship - one mentor to one mentee. Others have a group of people acting as mentors for an entire group of mentees, such as a group of professional engineers advising a classroom of students.

We will continue to stress the importance of information technology to increase social and economic opportunities while encouraging healthier and more productive lifestyles for the African American community.