Black leadership mentoring Black boys Jerome Burke Foundation legacy

April 2025

Throughout history, African American men have carried the weight of their communities, fighting for justice, leading movements, building families, and creating legacies under immense pressure. These men, often few in number, stood tall in the face of adversity, but the burden was never meant to rest on so few shoulders. Today, we are at a crossroads. In too many communities, the presence of strong, visible, and consistent Black male leadership is limited, and the few who lead often carry an overwhelming load.

When only a handful of men are expected to serve as mentors, role models, protectors, and providers, the strain becomes too great. It is not sustainable. Our young men deserve to see leadership that looks like them, not as a rarity, but as a norm. The torch must not just be passed; it must be shared, multiplied, and lifted higher.

The Jerome Burke Foundation exists not only to honor a legacy but to build a future. And that future demands more hands-on deck, more men willing to stand in the gap, more leaders ready to build upon the foundation laid by those from 1900 to 2020.  Men who have dug deep into the soul of the earth, architected the landscape, and laid the groundwork for the very settings we now often take for granted.

For instance, men like Booker T. Washington [1], who in the early 1900s stood as a pillar of progress, founding Tuskegee Institute and emphasizing education and self-reliance as tools for advancement. In the decade that followed, W.E.B. Du Bois [2] emerged as a bold intellectual force, co-founding the NAACP and using his voice to demand civil rights and higher education for Black Americans. As the 1920s unfolded, Marcus Garvey [3] inspired a global movement of Black pride and unity, promoting economic independence and a vision of Pan-Africanism that resonated far beyond U.S. borders.

In the 1930s, A. Philip Randolph [4] took on the fight for labor rights, organizing the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and laying the groundwork for future civil rights gains by linking racial and economic justice. The 1940s saw Thurgood Marshall [5] tirelessly working in courtrooms to dismantle segregation, culminating in his role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case and eventually making history as the first Black Supreme Court Justice. Then came the 1950s, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [6] rose to national prominence, leading nonviolent protests and articulating a dream of equality that would galvanize a generation.

As the civil rights movement evolved, Malcolm X [7] in the 1960s gave voice to Black dignity and self-determination, speaking truth to power and refusing to compromise on justice. In the 1970s, Jesse Jackson extended the struggle into the political and economic arenas, founding the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and advocating for inclusive progress. The 1980s brought a different kind of leadership with Louis Farrakhan [8], whose guidance of the Nation of Islam and organization of the historic Million Man March emphasized unity, discipline, and empowerment among Black men.

By the 1990s, Colin Powell [9] had risen through the military ranks to become a four-star general and the first African American U.S. Secretary of State, representing strength, excellence, and leadership on a global stage. In the 2000s, the world watched as Barack Obama [10] shattered political barriers, becoming the first Black President of the United States and embodying hope, change, and the power of belief. The 2010s introduced Bryan Stevenson [11], whose legal advocacy through the Equal Justice Initiative brought national attention to mass incarceration, racial injustice, and the urgent need for reform, all while building spaces like the National Memorial for Peace and Justice to preserve memory and truth.

Now, in the 2020s, Raphael Warnock [12] carries both political and spiritual influence as the first Black senator from Georgia and senior pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. His leadership blends the sacred and the civic, symbolizing the ongoing need for moral clarity in our political institutions.

Each of these men has paved the way in their own time, breaking barriers, speaking truth, and building platforms for others to stand on. But history also shows us that when too few shoulders carry the load, the weight becomes unbearable. If we want to see continued progress, we must multiply, not just admire, our leaders. The next generation of Black boys needs more than heroes in history books; they need mentors in real life.

The Jerome Burke Foundation calls on men ready to lead, listen, and lift. The torch has been lit by those who came before, now it’s time for more of us to carry it forward.

The Jerome Burke Foundation is looking for dedicated and serious professionals to support our mission. If you believe in Black leadership, mentoring Black boys, and helping to carry forward the Jerome Burke Foundation legacy, we invite you to become a mentor as our recipients navigate their career journey. If you are interested, please register at jeromebf.org/mentors.

References

[1]       B. T. Washington and G. W. Carver, “Tuskegee Institute,” Tuskegee Ala. January, vol. 4, 1978.

[2]       D. C. Pritchard, “WEB DuBois and the Founding of the NAACP,” ALPHA BETA PHI, p. 43, 1989.

[3]       E. D. Cronon, Black Moses: The Story of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1960.

[4]       A. P. Randolph, “and the Struggle for Civil Rights”.

[5]       C. Vasillopulos, “Prevailing upon the American dream: Thurgood Marshall and brown v. Board of education,” J. Negro Educ., vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 289–296, 1994.

[6]       C. Calloway-Thomas and J. L. Lucaites, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Sermonic Power of Public Discourse. University of Alabama Press, 2005.

[7]       A. Khan, “Lessons from Malcolm X: Freedom by Any Means Necessary,” Howard LJ, vol. 38, p. 79, 1994.

[8]       J. L. Pauley, “Reshaping public persona and the prophetic ethos: Louis Farrakhan at the Million Man March,” West. J. Commun. Incl. Commun. Rep., vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 512–536, 1998.

[9]       M. L. Lanning, The African-American Soldier: From Crispus Attucks to Colin Powell. Citadel Press, 2004.

[10]     G. Ifill, The breakthrough: Politics and race in the age of Obama. Anchor, 2009.

[11]      B. Stevenson, “Keynote Address by Mr. Bryan Stevenson,” DePaul Law Rev., vol. 53, no. 4, p. 1699, 2004.

[12]     J. S. Murriel Sr, Raphael Warnock: A Twenty-First Century Model of African American Religious, Cultural, and Political Leadership. Dallas Baptist University, 2023.