I was born on January 31, 1983 in St. Louis to a single mom. My father was away, giving his mother, Arnita Pitts, sole responsibility of making sure my siblings and I knew the importance of discipline and education.

Like a diamond formed by the weight of the Earth, I feel an immense pressure to perform as a student, a son, a father, a husband-to-be, and a young black man. The pressure of these roles could make or break a man and reveal to the world his true character – especially during the most despera…

As a black man, I felt significant pressure to succeed from my culture but lacked the support, tools and resources needed to help guide me on the road to achievement I so desperately wanted to reach.

It was August 9, 2014 and I was teaching a class in Cape Girardeau, when my phone started to vibrate non-stop. I picked the phone up and viewed a young black man lying in the street. I told the class that another brother had been shot in St. Louis.

They say that everything in life comes full circle; I am a living witness to this truth. My story is that of a prodigal son who went halfway around the world to escape my homegrown ministry, only to return to St. Louis and continue in the legacy of my progeny. 

Most of my experience in St. Louis has evolved around work and exposure to large network groups. I am originally from Illinois, so most of my education has been from that state. However, because of the short distance for transportation, I was able to commute to St. Louis for better opportuni…

I didn’t know Michael Brown personally, but I knew of Michael Brown. I went to high school with his mother and uncle. I worked with kids from the St. Louis County Juvenile Justice system from 2005-2014 as an Adolescent Care Specialist lead, and some of them knew Michael Brown. They were like…

From the streets of our local communities, where we aid in the advancement of black boys and men, to shaking hands with President Barack Obama, young men and organization leaders from all over the country convened at the Scottish Rite Temple in Oakland, California for the Obama Foundation My…

I can recall the day St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced his decision not to prosecute Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. I remember the news announcements that the schools, banks, and area stores would be closing early. I saw video of the streets surrounding the Ferguson…

We were sitting silently in the living room of a friend’s home. A group of my peers had gathered somberly on the evening of July 5, 2005. We had all just lost a friend, mentor, advocate and family member. This was someone – for most of us, the only one – who gave us hope, resources and an ou…

I remember cracking open my first history textbook at Hickey Elementary School and seeing the first image of someone who looked like me. It was an image of a black man, silenced by a muzzle, blinded by a black eye, and scarred by a whip during the Atlantic slave trade.

The older boys and I journeyed together on the bus to a gas station. They gave me instructions on how to use my size and age to take advantage of the attendant in the station. At this time, gas stations were not self-service. So, when the attendant went out to pump gas, I would sneak out of …

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. 

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. 

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. 

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis

There are many unforeseeable consequences faced by young black boys who are taught to assimilate into systems that were not designed for us. Even when your desire is to be a change agent, Eurocentric institutions intentionally ignore the fundamental needs of being for many young black boys. …

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, about changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University,  on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University,  on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis.

Mark Seymore grew up in a neighborhood that police have labeled as one of the highest crime areas in the region, around Page and Goodfellow boulevards in North St. Louis.

August 9, 2014 changed my life. That date is burned into our memory as the day Michael Brown was killed. But it’s also the date my son, King, turned 1.

Fifty years ago, a group of under-appreciated, underpaid black men who kept the city of Memphis healthy by purging its streets of waste, refuse and trash had to remind elected leaders and city fathers that they were indeed human. They held placards in public calling for basic dignity, statin…

Four years ago to the day of our publication date – on August 9, 2014 — a Ferguson police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old black male named Michael Brown. A grand jury convened by St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch considered whether this police officer, Darren Wilson, should be…