Tape, Watch & Share, "Dolores"!!

Set your DVR (or VCR, I don’t wanna assume) to record, Dolores, the documentary on PBS. I looved her story and was sad that I hadn’t learned most of it while growing up. I would love for all our daughters & sons to know about what she did for our people.

Closing the Opportunity Gap for Men of Color

Please share the article link below with men of color who are interested in higher education and may benefit from inspiration, encouragement, and mentoring. We are aiming to close the opportunity gap in college graduation rates for black, brown and other brothers.

M3 article about increasing college graduation rates

Talking Mental Health on Enfoque Los Angeles

So this happened.
I got a call from an Enfoque Los Angeles producer asking if I could be on the show to talk about the impact of trauma.
In my head I said, "duh," not realizing the ramifications: Look decent on camera and speak extemporaneously in SPANISH about what I'm expert at in ENGLISH (while dancing backwards in high heels).
I gave it my best shot.
If I close my eyes while watching the segment, then I actually feel proud of the opportunity to talk about trauma and recovery, the importance and effectiveness of mental health treatment and social support.
I'm gonna stick to writing and teaching.
I'm better on the page and in person.
TV cameras are humbling.
I will track down the show transcript or audiotape and share ;)

Video Interviews About Minority Male Mentoring

Check out a 7-minute video of interviews with California State University, Northridge (CSUN) faculty, alumni, and students who are men of color. Please feel free to share with anyone needing inspiration on their academic journey.

Being purposefully vulnerable make great stories and stories are good medicine.

Click on this link to watch the video on YouTube: M3 Video

After watching the video, please click on this link to take a survey about your reactions to the video: M3 Video Survey

M3 Storytelling Campaign Poster: Charles

"As an athlete, I was plagued with injuries and forced to find success in a different arena. Falling into depression, I felt I would never regain my identity. Through many dark days and nights, I worked toward a graduate degree in a filed that feels perfect for me, but I still struggled with my personal anxieties of not measuring up. A few of my professors inspired me through their knowledge and personal testimonies. That made me realize that I needed to start valuing my worth more. Their constant encouragement and relentless efforts kept me going - they were my coaches. Finding my identity, I reclaimed my team. Working with at-risk youth is my second chance to reach success. I want to walk with them through the light, the dark, the failures and the successes. I am very proud to say that I am a Master of Social Work graduate from CSUN. Feeling proud is one thing, remaining humble in my pride is the only thing. -Charles Ohaeri '17 MSW, CSUN"

Posters from the M3 storytelling campaign are now available. Please contact me about how to order from CSUN QuickCopies.

M3 Storytelling Campaign Poster: Vincent

"I grew up in a rough neighborhood in North St. Louis, Missouri (near Ferguson) with two parents who did the best they could, but faced extreme hardships. The public schools that I attended had caring teachers, but lacked the resources that my peers and I needed to succeed to the best of our abilities. Although public school could not prepare me for all that was to come in secondary education, college changed my life and afforded me opportunities that most people from my neighborhood will never have access to. I could not have been successful in college or graduate school without the support, guidance, and resources provided by both my M3 Career Mentor and my M3 Peer Mentor. My life will never be average or what it was expected to be. I am setting a new standard. -Vincent Tabb, '18 MPA, CSUN"

Posters are now available. Please contact me about how to order (QuickCopies at CSUN).

M3 Storytelling Campaign Poster: Abel

"I had my first-born when I was 17. I had to provide for my family, so I joined the Navy when I was 18 and did two deployments to the Gulf of Iraq. After five years, I was honorably discharged. It was difficult to transition from the military to civilian life - I dealt with post-traumatic stress, depression, homelessness, and ended up incarcerated. I ended up in places I never thought I'd end up and I thought I'd never make it back from that. But after everything I've been through, after all these years, I went back to school and got my bachelor's degree in psychology. Now, I'm the manager of the residential program where I stayed when I was homeless. I'm working on my master's of social work degree so that I can help others who have been or are going through what I've been through. I made it here, but I didn't do it alone. I couldn't have done it without the support of my family and the guidance of my mentors. -Abel Martin '16 B.A. Psychology, '18 MSW CSUN"

Posters from the Minority Male Mentoring (M3) storytelling campaign are now available. Please see me about how to order at QuickCopies at CSUN.

M3 Storytelling Campaign Poster: Allen

"Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1980s-90s as a young Black male challenged me to make a difference in not only my life-but in the lives of other men of color. Living with a single mother and an older brother, we moved often. Yet the one thing that was stable in my life was school. With my mother's strong faith in God, she always made way. I was the first person in my family to pursue higher education, so I attended four community colleges and worked two part-time jobs to fulfill my general education requirements in two years. I then transferred to UC Santa Barbara, double majoring in Psychology and Black Studies. I then earned a MSW degree from USC, later receiving my doctorate in clinical psychology. If it were not for my mentors - who were role models and believed in me - I would not be where I am today. I strongly believe in having visible representation of men of color in higher academic settings. I am passionate about providing psychological and emotional justice for men of color.
 -Allen E. Lipscomb '15 Psy.D. Assistant Professor of Social Work, CSUN"

Posters for the M3 storytelling campaign are now available. Please contact me about how to order at CSUN QuickCopies.

M3 Storytelling Campaign Poster: Jonathan

"As a first-generation college student at UC Irvine, I was placed on academic probation. Not once, but twice. I tried to ignore it, but more than anything, I was ashamed. I never told my parents out of fear of disappointing them, especially my mom. They had so much pride in their son that I did not want to crush their expectations of me. After I found my way and figured out how to successfully navigate the system, I graduated and felt so relieved that I did not let my parents down. But that was not enough. My goal was to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. The first and second time I applied, I was flat out rejected. Similar to undergrad, something inside me kept me going despite the obstacles and challenges. But I was never alone  in this quest. The support and guidance from my family and mentors was instrumental to my perseverance. I earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA in 2013, which was something I could have never imagined while on academic probation. But I made it here, and I belong.
-Jonathan Martinez '13 Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology, CSUN"

Posters from the M3 storytelling campaign are now available. Please contact me about how to order from CSUN QuickCopies.