“A stigma of inferiority follows the African-American male wherever he goes regardless of the social domain … and for many it’s an uphill battle. Many are successful but too many are not successful,” says Moore, who notes that recent research suggests that more young Black men are suffering from illnesses such as depression and hypertension.
OSU student Richard Nichols, 22, says he was performing poorly in his classes when he was contacted by Bell Center staff offering services. Since then, he has established valuable relationships with students and faculty, which he says have helped transform his outlook on academic life.
“My complete attitude toward school has changed,” Nichols says. “For someone to take the initiative and say they want to help and establish a dialogue with you says a lot … they go out and look for you instead of you having to look for them, and that spoke volumes to me.”
Moore says that although the Bell Center is open to all students regardless of race, gender or ethnicity, there is an aggressive effort to target Black men.
“It’s a social justice issue, and it’s an economic issue. If you don’t target programs for this population, how can we adequately ensure that they are at the table?”
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