Year after year, there is a challenge in getting area youth to school for the first day – and keeping them in school for the rest of the year. This year, members of the community accepted the responsibility to make a difference in this problem.
Starting with a challenge from community leader and radio personality Demetrious Johnson, different factions in the St. Louis community went to work.
“D.J. basically issued a challenge to some of us that, if the children are not coming to school on the first day, instead of talking about it what are we going to do about it?” said Jacque Land, past president and executive member of 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis.
So 100 Black Men partnered with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program and others to adopt high schools for the first day of school.
They adopted Sumner High School, Beaumont High School and Fresh Start Academy at Turner Middle School.
On the first day of school, if you drove down Natural Bridge in the city of St. Louis and approached Beaumont, you could see a large gathering of people ranging from youth, teachers, administrators and members of 100 Black Men, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Nation of Islam and the St. Louis Rams, who gave out free school supplies.
You also could hear hip-hop spinning courtesy of St. Louis hip-hop legend, DJ Doc Love, as well as the voices of 100.3 The Beat’s on-air personalities The Hypeman D. Stone, Bishop V. Love and Kiki The First Lady.
“Hip-hop is the language of our youth,” said James W. Muhammad, co-founder and associate director of Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program.
“Some of it may be good, some of it may be bad, but it is up to us to break down all of the things that it is saying so we can educate the youth about the fundamentals of the message that they are receiving.”
Muhammad explained this is why they got urban radio involved in the effort to get youth off the streets and into school.
“So we reached out to Taylor J, D. Stone and those guys at 100.3 The Beat, and they said, ‘For the community, no problem,” Muhammad said.
Many of the youth that belong to Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program in St. Louis city are enrolled at Beaumont. One in particular who has made a vast improvement is Beaumont senior Naim “NuNu” Thompson. Thompson, who has got into some trouble in the past, has attributed his new positive attitude to Dynasty.
“Dynasty is in the building, 100 Black Men, The Beat, this school year is gonna be fire,” Thompson said to the crowd at the first day of school event.
Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program and 100 Black Men are no strangers to each other; they often collaborate in efforts to help youth break patterns of violent and negative behavior. Dynasty even has its weekly mentoring program at the 100’s office.
“What we are doing is to continue an ongoing relationship with these schools and more importantly their youth, getting them off the streets and into school, and just making a difference,” Muhammad said.
He quoted the Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan: “We must be ‘accepting responsibility to build our community.’”
The office of 100 Black Men is located at 4631 Delmar Blvd. Dynasty Hip-Hop Inc. Mentoring Program, which gives youth free studio and music industry exposure, can be reached 314-599-1878, 314-243-4722 or at the 100’s office on Wednesdays from 4:30-6 p.m.
