Black youth summit at UWM aims to teach Milwaukee boys critical skills

Hundreds of young black boys from metro Milwaukee filled an auditorium at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this week, and the depth of their shared experience was evident after a single command from Kwabena Antoine Nixon, a local poet.

"Raise your hand if you've ever lost a friend and family member to violence," said Nixon, who also is the leader of the I Will Not Die Young campaign.

Hundreds of hands waved back.

It was a sobering acknowledgment that being a black boy in Wisconsin deserves special attention and support, which is exactly what this week's Summit on Black Male Youth at UWM aims to provide. In its fifth year, the two-day summit brought to campus middle and high school boys from 70 area schools Wednesday and Thursday for a morning of support sessions and talks, many of which are delivered by men of color who faced similar adversities in childhood as the young attendees.

A total of 769 high school boys had signed up for Thursday's talks and 747 middle school boys registered for Wednesday, organizers said. The majority came from public schools in Milwaukee, but others were from schools in Kenosha, Racine and Illinois.

Students could choose from morning sessions on a range of critical skills, from how to interact with police during an encounter to how to train to become a member of law enforcement. Other talks were designed to help boys understand their identities, manage money or find mentors.

"Our boys are struggling more than our young ladies," said Jim Hill, UWM associate vice chancellor of student affairs, as he mentioned the school-to-prison pipeline. "This is aimed at giving them other pipelines."

The summit is free for students and underwritten with $7,000 from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation, said Daniel Ward, a financial planner for the company who helped secure the sponsorship. Ward is a 2011 graduate of UWM.

"Where else are you going to see this many boys of color around this many successful men of color in one space?" he asked Thursday.

Hill said the event has become so popular that it might have to expand to a new location in future years, especially if the summit opens up to boys of other racial minorities. Hill said at least one school showed up Wednesday with a bus full of students who hadn't registered, and they were turned away for space.