Extraordinary African American Boys Making Us Proud

African American boys/males are often viewed through a narrow lens. In order to keep alive racist views about them, you hardly hear about their numerous contribution to the American society. This dangerous beast often rear its ugly head whenever a continental African or non indigenous black gets a little recognition. Recently Katherine Cohen, CEO and founder of IvyWise, a New York-based consulting firm. While offering her views on Kwasi Enin (Ghanian origin) being accepted into 8 ivy league universities.Cohen could not help but to be divisive and racist about it, she reportedly states, “Being a first-generation American from Ghana also helps him stand out…“He’s not a typical African-American kid.”

It is unfortunate that many African immigrants in the US and other people of African descent ( i.e from Jamaica, the Bahamas etc.) buy into the stereotype, they participate in spreading its venom.This poison is eating and destroying us. For example, you would often hear without any factual context from cycles of African Immigrants and Caribbean that, “African Americans (AA) are not taking advantage of the opportunities that the US offers them,” “AA do not like education,” or AA are lazy.”etc.

Below are few examples amongst many achievements and contributions of African American boys/ males. These young people are keeping the  tradition of AA ingenuity despite being in a society that does not often appreciate nor celebrate their contributions.They remind me of folks like Paul Robeson, James Baldwin, Paul Laurence Dunbar,Percy Lavon Julian and Ossie Davis.

1. Akintunde Ahmad aka Tunde accepted to top 12 universities including Ivy League

 

 

• 17 years old
• GPA 5.0 (high school)
• SAT score 2100
• Very humble ( according to his mother)
• His family is Rastafarian
• Parents: Mubarak Ahmad has been a mechanic at AC Transit for 20 years and his wife Zarina is an educator, currently the principal of Piedmont Avenue Elementary School.
• Member of Young Musicians Choral Orchestra,and he plays three instruments : trumpet, French horn and the djembe – a West African drum”
• He plays basket ball and baseball, he is equally excellent at both sports. He would be playing baseball at the college level.
• He plans to do either pre-med or pre-law at the university. Read his story here:http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/Oakland-senior-s-mark-of-success-top-college-5375015.php

2. James Martin -Molecular biology

• 17 years old
• Youngest in his graduating class
• Graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a 3.9 GPA in Molecular biology
• He is working towards earning a PhD in order to be a professor
• Watch him graduate here :

3.Carson Huey-You -youngest student to attend Texas Christian University (TCU)

• 11 years old
• Graduated from high school with 4.0 and was the co-valedictorian of his class
• He speaks Mandarin Chinese
• He is currently majoring in physics and plans to become quantum physicist
• Read more of his story here:http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/08/27/5113545/11-year-old-from-southlake-is.html

4. Aylen Bledsoe – motivational speaker, president/ CEO of his IT company  worth $3.5 million

 

• Started his company at 12 years old using his home computer
• High school student
• Company $3.5 mullion and growing!
• Plans to attend law school to become copyright lawyer
• Besides being a student, he held several leadership and volunteer roles in his community: “president of the Student Council and the Parent Teacher Student Association.Served as the chief technology officer of St. Louis Volunteen, a program to promote teen volunteerism, according to Patch. He was even partly responsible for bringing vegetarian options to his former middle school’s cafeteria.”
• He started with 2 employees and now has 150 contracted employees
• Read more of his story here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/jaylen-bledsoe_n_3860585.html

5. Joshua Williams – homeless through most of his college career, started  his own scholarship to help other students 

 

• Homeless through out college at Florida’s Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach
• 23 years old
• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice
• Becomes the first student in the University history to start scholarship programs to help others. He raised $2,750
• Read more of his story here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/08/joshua-williams-homeless-college-grad_n_3239662.html

6. Chad Thomas – offered 150 scholarship for his skill as a musician and football player 

• 18 years old
• Senior at Booker T. Washington Senior High in Miami
• plays football and 9 musical instruments ( piano, trombone, euphonium (a small tuba), bass guitar, regular guitar, snare, tuba, trumpet and drums) “and he has no plans of abandoning music even if someday the NFL comes calling”
• Offered 150 scholarship for his talents
• Read more of his story here:http://http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/03/fla_high_school_teen_offered_150_scholarships.html

7. Avery Coffey applied to 5 ivy league Universities and got accepted by all of them

• 17 years old
• Senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
• GPA 4.3
• Applied to 5 ivy league and got accepted by all of them
• Born and raised in D.C
• Lives in the ghetto (ward 8)
• From single parent home, his mother works as a technician at Children’s Hospital
• Plays baseball, basket ball, tennis and soccer
• He plans to major in finance
• Read more of his story here :http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/avery-coffey-student-accepted-to-5-ivy-leagues_n_5063782.html

Note: I dedicate this entry to parents that are doing their best to raise young African/black boys.