“Any space is our space”: How Brothers@ Preps Young Men of Color for College and Beyond
June 29, 2023
Ambitious, focused and self-assured: Hanson is a young man set on achieving his dreams. Growing up in the Bronx with five siblings, he learned early on to navigate life’s many challenges. At the age of 10, Hanson’s father was incarcerated. It was a life-defining moment that drove him to excel. In 9th grade he joined Brothers@ and The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) at the recommendation of friends at his charter school, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy. It was an experience they described as a “360 moment”.
TFI is an initiative of Brothers@, providing young men of color a safe space to achieve their academic and social goals. During the school year, fellows gather every other Saturday to focus on a particular aspect of their growth – and they are guided throughout high school with mentorships and skills that prepare them for what to expect at college. According to Brothers@, it takes young men of color an average of six years to graduate from a four-year institution, so the nonprofit is working to change that by creating a brotherhood of belonging and support that ensures young men of color are ready to tackle any challenges.
“We try and emphasize that any space is our space. We try to emphasize that they belong there. That it’s their room, their space,” said Justin Courtlandt, Brother@’s Strategic Partnerships and Programs Implementation Specialist. “Because in most cases, a lot of these campuses, these institutions were not designed for us.”
The program boasts 100% high school graduation and college acceptance rates. It’s been so successful that Brothers@ has recently expanded TFI to three additional states and Washington D.C., with the ambition to expand even further.
Photo by Roshard Hercules
Once Hanson joined TFI, he was matched with his mentor Elijah, himself a TFI graduate and a rising college junior, who was by his side throughout high school and the college application process. Elijah grew up in Harlem and joined TFI in 10th grade while at Success Academy Charter School. Justin was his mentor. When Elijah’s father passed away during his sophomore year, Brothers@ provided him with a community of support, helping with financial aid as well as therapy. “I don’t know where I would be without Brothers@ supporting me,” said Elijah.
In May, Hanson achieved one of his biggest goals: acceptance to Howard University – on a full ride. Hanson says he’s grateful his siblings have seen him succeed and thrive despite the hardships and the stress. “It gave me a different type of drive to get that success for all of us,” said Hanson. “Going to college will be more than a place to study, even more than opening a new chapter. It’s about writing an entirely different book”.
Hanson, like most TFI graduates, is committed to giving back. He has applied and has been accepted into the Brothers@Ambassador program. When he begins college in the fall, Hanson will be a mentor to a high schooler, providing the kind of support he credits with helping him achieve his college goals.
Brothers@ works with nearly 200 young men of color each year, challenging historically exclusive and predominately white institutions to become inclusive spaces for young people while serving as a platform for hope, self-empowerment, and engagement.
Hanson’s says his biggest success is being where he is today: on the way to a prestigious college with a brotherhood behind him and limitless opportunities ahead. “I feel like (Brothers@) gave me the nerve that I needed to really go out and get the things that I wanted,” he said.
Learn more about at https://brothersat.org/
