Addressing what he considers to be a national crisis, Louisville radio host Shawn Mucker organized the Young Men of Color Expo, to help steer young black males, ages 11-14, away from drugs, crime and the criminal justice system.
The expo featured seven black male guest speakers who are either entrepreneurs, educators or run community outreach programs in metro Louisville. In addition, over 20 youth outreach organizations set up informational booths at the expo – providing attendees and their parents with information about their programs.
The free event took place on Saturday June 9th at the Parkland Boys & Girls Club in Louisville’s West End. Mucker believes that many poverty stricken black communities are experiencing high rates of crime and violence committed by young black males, due to a lack of positive male role models in those communities.
“It’s no secret that a lot of young black men are being raised in households that are absent of fathers. I grew up in the West End of Louisville and back in the day, if a child was missing a parent, the entire community took part in helping to raise those kids correctly. We don’t have that village mentality these days, so that allows children to slip through the cracks and possibly be enticed by negative influences in the streets. It’s time we stop turning our backs and help save our youth.” – Shawn Mucker
Mucker also believes that many young people become mischievous as a result of boredom. In many impoverished communities, parents often can’t afford to send their kids to after school programs or expensive private organizations. Instead, many youth roam the streets aimlessly, in search of a cure for their boredom. Unfortunately those cures aren’t always positive.
The Parkland Boys & Girls Club, located at 32nd & Greenwood, provides activities for young people in the community but limited resources are often a huge hurdle to overcome. Director Angela Masden says that the facility operates on donations and volunteers, so there’s always a need for people like Mucker who want to bring programs to the center, that will benefit young people.
“Many community programs have been eliminated and a lot of these boys are being raised in single parent homes. I want to pair them with positive mentors and organizations, so they don’t seek guidance from the streets.” – Shawn Mucker
When it comes to young African-Americans – the numbers are alarming. According to the NAACP, as of 2014, African-American children represent 32% of children who are arrested nationwide – despite being only 13% of the population.
Even more catastrophic is a Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, published in the journal Pediatrics, which cites a study revealing that between 2002-2014, black children were murdered by guns at 10 times the rate of white children.
Nearly 50 young men attended the expo and received a vast amount of information, as well as entertainment and prizes. Mucker and the Parkland Boys & Girls Club are partnering again on Sept 23, 2018, to hold a similar event for young women.
Host of the Event: Brad Harrison – CEO of UrbanMaxx Media & on-air personality at 106.5FM
Event Coordinator: Neecie Miles
Brad Harrison is a journalist/motivational speaker/entrepreneur and on-air personality. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with cum laude honors from the University of Louisville. In October 2015, he started UrbanMaxx Magazine to provide positive role models for Urban residents that reside in at-risk-communities and lack positive leadership in their lives.
For booking or advertising – contact Brad Harrison at bradharrison@urbanmaxx.com