Saturday 18 July 2026
Brotherhood Coalition: Black Males vow to change the negative narrative
By Tom Malaba, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On Saturday, July 18, Black Men under the auspices of the Brotherhood Coalition held a fruitful meeting in a safe space at 7 Bayview and discussed matters they face as Black men without fear of being discriminated.
However, the highlight of the day came during an open house discussion when a single mother sought help from over 50 men in attendance how she could guide her only son to face life as a Black male.
The lady’s question sent emotions running high and some Black Males were seen fighting back tears narrating how they too had been brought up by single mothers who raised them to be the men they are.
The men were all flowers for the lady and mothers who worked hard to put them through school, fed and clothed them. One particular man said he found it difficult to connect with his father who had been absent in his life for 28years. The men seemed to agree that men were largely absent in the lives of their children, which was a potential danger to tomorrow’s Black Male.
All the men seemed in agreement that they needed to be in the lives of not only their children but even in the lives of those children especially sons being raised by single mothers.
“We are busy but we need to be there for our children and even hold each other accountable. In the last two year we have been tackling a lot of mental health issue but we need to invest more into relationships. We need to be there and be accountable to the men who will be tomorrow,” Chuks Onwaachi, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Brotherhood Coalition said on the sides of the meeting.
He promised to have more youth engagements in schools, church and called on the Black men to volunteer their time for the task ahead.
The Brotherhood Coalition exists to ensure safe space to help men speak about their challenges and through these conversations to mitigate the impact of racism and help members navigate systems without being judged.
Mr. Onwaachi says that for Black men to achieve their potential, they first need to know who they are, be authentic in such spaces, leverage community relations and be willing to be held accountable for their actions by the coalition.
Before the meeting ended it was clear that Black men needed to hit the ground running to be able to downturn the narratives out there that put Black men at a disadvantage. However, matters of funding were of utmost urgency.
The Black Brotherhood Coalition (BHC) is an organization that was created following the brutal murder Black American George Floyd, who came together to redefine Black Male Masculinity, foster unity among Black males, Families and Communities.
Earlier in the day the meeting stated off with a panel discussion featuring Black Males in Excellence who discussed Redefining Our Health and Black Male Masculinity.
On the panel was David Lewis Peart, Papa Ladjike Diouf a Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor for Saint Paul University and Dr. Clyde Ledbetter a Professor, Publisher and Researcher.
At this second conference Papa Diouf called on the men not to shy away from taking up spaces where they are invited to participant saying that that should not lose the energy to change the bad narrative given against men.
“Discrimination is sneaky but do not fall for that because you have a community to turn to… Go out there and undo the bad narrative that stands in the way of Black men,” Papa Diouf counselled. He called on Black Male youth to have role models to look up to.
While Dr. Clyde Ledbetter urged the Black Males to work hard
The meeting drew Black Males from various professions who held open discussions on various matters to help them forge forward.
The function was funded by various organisations including Banks and the day provides lots of coffee, soft drinks and before the close of the day one young man Andrew Githiaka’s teams spirit and voluntarism was awarded with a certificate that came with a cash prize to help him as he joins Carleton University to study history. inspiring others. By highlighting the diversity, strength, and achievements of Black males, we aim to reshape narratives and creat
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