Black Men’s Forum Elects New Leaders

On Monday, the Black Men’s Forum (BMF) announced the seven newly-elected members of its executive board who will lead the group as it celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.

President-elect Brandon M. Terry ’05 said that the group is planning many special events for the anniversary, including conferences on AIDS in Africa and the “future of black power.”

“We want to acknowledge how far we’ve come as an organization and as a community,” Terry said. “We’re going to reach out to everyone in the black community...and other groups and the campus as a whole.”

He also said that the group will take a stand on more political issues, like affirmative action and racially imbalanced incarceration rates.

“We want to make sure we speak out about that and move to acknowledge what’s really going on,” Terry said.

Terry said the BMF may embark on a project on the globalization of hip-hop culture, collaborating with groups like Harvard African Students’ Association and Fuerza Latina.

Kwame Owusu-Kesse ’06 will follow Terry as the Brotherhood Chair next year and said he will be “responsible for fostering a sense of unity within the black community at Harvard.”

He also said he will try to increase the club’s membership by promoting the BMF to the Class of 2007.

“To get as many black males [as there are] on campus, that’s my goal,” Owusu-Kesse said. “Growing up I lacked a proper black male role model. I found a home in the BMF.”

Treasurer-elect Olugbenga T. Okusanya ’05 said he feels the BMF offers a unique opportunity for open and productive discussion between members.

“It’s a situation where you can really afford to be honest with people who understand you...an open forum to just be free for a minute,” Okusanya said.

He said that the club will also strive to keep up and improve their annual celebration for black women on campus.

Current BMF President Alonzo C. Sherman ’03 said that the BMF was in good hands with its new leadership.

“Each and every board member brings a unique set of talents and abilities that speak to the diversity of the Forum’s membership,” he said. “The Black Men’s Forum executive board works tirelessly to provide a productive space and support network for black men on Harvard’s campus and every year proves to be better than the previous.”

Sherman added that he looks forward to solidifying the BMF’s alumni network after he graduates this June.

Other executive board members are: Jason W. Young ’04, vice president; Andre R. Kydd ’04, secretary; Tracy T. Moore ’06, social chair and Mikal N. Floyd-Pruitt ’06, historian.

—Staff writer Hana R. Albert can be reached at alberts@fas.harvard.edu.