MSU ALUMNUS TEACHES AMERICA AND WORLD THE VALUE OF BLACK MEN IN SOCIETY
In light of national racial tension, Trabain Shorters wants to teach America that black men can be great assets to society. Now he has the opportunity to teach the world.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of BMe Community, was named to the Spring 2016 cohort of the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellows Program, a highly selective, two-year program that engages innovative leaders in the educational excellence and equity movement. The non-profit organization works to identify and strengthen individuals who work to better public education, especially for low-income families and communities.
"This new cohort of Pahara-Aspen Fellows inspires us with their exceptional leadership talent and their dedication to reimagining public schools," said Kim Smith, Pahara Institute Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
Shorters, a former technology entrepreneur, leads the 35,000 member BMe Community whose message that "black men are community-builders and America is updating its narrative on race." The idea is raising eyebrows and gaining interest nationally and internationally.
"I'm excited that our attention to reframing race and community has opened so many doors and minds," said Shorters. "I'm looking forward to learning from my peers in the Fellowship and continuing the movement."
Shorters also brought his message to Europe. He traveled to Berlin at the request of the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (The Helsinki Commission) to bring his message of a more inclusive society. Training young leaders of color, Shorters shared BMe’s “Asset-Framing” training and consultation with them.
The central premise of asset-framing is to identify people by their contributions rather than their costs and then to engage them in living out their aspirational identity for themselves and society.
BMe Community has funded over 140 black men based on asset-framing. Those men now provide educational, public safety, employment, and human rights services to over 400,000 of their neighbors in Philadelphia, Miami, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Akron, OH.
Launched in 2013, BMe is backed by leading foundations including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, and the Campaign for Black Male Achievement.
Shorters is a 2015 New York Times bestselling co-author with Benjamin Jealous of "REACH: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading and Succeeding.” He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences in 1991.