Photo by Owen Brown,
Positive Reflections/Twenty-First Century Foundation

Be It: Real Change Begins Within.

So what is “the game” and what does it have to do with the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys? It's life, of course. And judging by current outcomes, life happens quite differently for most Black men and boys compared to others.

This is how it happens: A Black child is born in America. He is a spirited force of intellect and creative genius. But if his parents are unmarried, under-educated, unemployed, and with little means to scratch out a life for him, his chances of rising above the enormous odds against him are slight at best. If he is fortunate, they will stay together, stay in school, stay healthy and stay alive. It happens like this, or some complex variation of this, all too often. But the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys is all about changing prevailing belief systems within our culture.

So what must we do, on an individual basis, to make this change? The ironic thing is we don't really have to "do" anything. This process doesn't even require us "have" or possess anything.

One look around at the new wave of accomplishments by Black men and its clear that changing the game is so much more than how you play it or what you make of it. We believe true empowerment is best achieved by learning to be the change. And you can't be it unless you see it.

Photo by Owen Brown,
Positive Reflections/Twenty-First Century Foundation

Do It: Real Change Takes Action.

Now that you're already "being" the change, let's put your activism to the test.

The best way to test the potential of real change is by taking action. Take your uploaded content to the next level by supporting our campaign or organizing for change in your community. Whether you volunteer to become a mentor or register to vote, your action can have a direct impact on the lives of Black men and boys.

Get Linked.

Education: Black Male Teachers - Call Me Mister

Health: Black Men's Health

Employment & Wealth: Black Male Initiative

Fatherhood: Parenting Skills

Justice, Rights & Responsibility: Rock the Vote

Photo by Owen Brown,
Positive Reflections/Twenty-First Century Foundation

Have It: Real Change Gets Rewarded.

Doing something doesn't always result in having something. Just ask all the weekly lottery ticket buyers across the country. However, when you start by focusing on being something different, you're half way to having something different. The 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys is committed to rewarding members for presenting new models of Black manhood.

Select uploaded content will be viewed by the general public (on the net) as well as judged by the 2025 Roundtable. If your content is recognized as a fresh or progressive model, you (as producer) and your content will be profiled in our Featured Content section.

Special Recognition

Ultimately, if your work is recognized as a "best practice," it could be promoted and shared by professionals across a wide range of sectors in public policy, advocacy, political action and organizing, media, scholarships, the funding community, and more. You could possibly be rewarded with funding to develop your work further.

So following the "Be It - Do It - Have It" trail just might be the next best way to help empower others while helping yourself.

Life-affirming images of Black men are everywhere. Unfortunately, if you rely on the media to see them, you may be disappointed. That's why we need you.

Upload the Untold

The 2025 Campaign makes use of a "satellite system" for collecting media. We invite you to upload your content to the major community-driven web sites. Members of the 2025 Roundtable will, on a monthly basis, review the content and feature the best of it on this site.

We ask that you set up an account with the following social media sites. Be sure to use "2025BMB" in your account name so we can track it down easily. If you already have an account with any of these sites, be sure to tag your content with "2025BMB" and the content categories listed below.

For video use YouTube.

For audio use PodOMatic.

For images and photo essays use Flikr.

For blogs, go to one of our BMB Issues-related wordpress blogs.

Here are the content areas your work should try to fit into.

Education – Show us men who are pursuing higher education, teaching, mentoring against the odds, etc.
Health – Show us men getting tested for HIV, diabetes, prostate cancer, etc.; black men practicing holistic lifestyles, etc.
Justice, Rights and Responsibilities – Share stories about the men fighting against the Prison Industrial Complex; winning court cases, beating unfair sentencing laws, etc.
Employment & Wealth – Upload stories about men turning side hustles into full-scale businesses; internships, job opps, entrepreneurship, etc.
Fatherhood – Show us the brothers who are stay-at-home dad, the fathers who strengthen fragile families, etc.
Other – Let us see young brothers learning about gender equity or homophobia; share an African cultural ceremony or family tradition.

The Rules

1) Work it Out First. We've all already seen the media stereotypes. Here is your chance to break the mold. Take a moment to think about all the everyday positive stories and images relating to Black men and boys that we never see.

2) Choose Your Chess Piece Wisely. Upload your original content using your medium of choice, be it your mp3 player, cell phone, or laptop.

3) Make Magic, but Do It Briefly. Keep your video or audio length to 4 minutes. If blogging, keep it under 500 words.

4) Ask Folks First. If someone shot a video of you or recorded your voice, you'd want them to ask for permission. You do the same.

5) Pay It Forward. Once your content has been uploaded let your friends and family know. Don't forget to let us know! Drop us a note with our notifier.

Content Judging Criteria

What does it take to change the game? Our 2025 Roundtable is looking for exceptional content that presents positive and compelling messages about what it means to be Black and male in America. Here's what the 2025 Roundtable consider when they choose the very best uploaded content for feature presentation on the 2025 web site:

1) The work must be an original submission about Black male issues.

2) The work must be exceptional in every way, including production quality and content.

3) The work should be informative, possibly containing research, interviews or case study data that applies to one of the main categories of the campaign.

4) The work should also deliver a compelling message that motivates the audience to action.

5) The work should present a seldom-seen or heard dimension of Black male life.