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All kinds gather in The Brothers’ Network
Category: City & Region Published Date Written by Gerry Christopher Johnson Tribune Correspondent Hits: 675
The Brothers’ Network held a provocative book discussion in Center City recently that ran an hour overtime before the Black male participants splintered off into surrounding bars and coffee shops to continue the conversation they didn’t want to end.
It was the group’s latest event attracting educated Black men who vary in age, profession and sexual orientation, but share a common complaint about being overlooked in Philadelphia and the larger society.
Co-founded three years ago by Executive Director Gregory Walker and Temple African American studies scholar Tony Monteiro, TBN started as a small book club and has since developed into a national men’s cultural group.
According to Walker, it now has 147 online members and a mailing list upwards of 600, in addition to the people who attend the organization’s opportunities to engage with other Black men who defy stereotypes.
“The reason the group continues to grow and expand its activities and membership is that conscious Black men do not see their lives reflected accurately in mainstream media or in the greater society as thinking individuals,” he said. “TBN continues to be the leader in articulating a new narrative and a new framing of Black male identity.”
This identity is inclusive of all sexual orientations. In defiance of the perception that Black men are monolithic, TBN embraces members who identify with labels ranging from straight to gay to “post-modern sexual.”
Darryl Bundrige, a deputy director at City Year and a TBN member since its inception, said he enjoys that kind of unity, which many assume is non-existent.
“I love the fact that TBN does provide an opportunity for men of color to get together and have intellectual conversations about all kinds of different issues,” he said. “It allows an array of personalities, an array of backgrounds in terms of sexual orientation and political disposition to come together and keep that conversation going.”
The professions of TBN’s predominantly college-educated members are also diverse. At the book discussion, a jazz musician, a school reform consultant and a Harvard-educated freelance writer were among those in attendance. Walker, a community activist, has been chosen as a Philadelphia Coordinator for 2011 International Men’s Day.
While the group at Saturday’s book discussion peaked at 25, TBN’s theater events draw larger crowds. Its January reception for the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s production of “Race” brought 66 people to hear African American studies scholar Monteiro give a fiery lecture on racism before the show.
TBN also organized a reception that helped achieve a diverse, sold-out audience for Flashpoint Theatre’s production of “Run, Mourner, Run,” for which TBN was a partner.
Arts organizations have taken note of TBN’s ability to put Black patrons in seats. Sara Garoznick, Producing Artistic Director at PTC, said the theater company’s three-year marketing partnership with TBN has increased diversity and ticket sales.
“If we do a show like “Race” and only a white audience comes, we will have failed as producers,” she said. “Gregory has been tremendous in helping us do that. We’ve been very lucky in partnering with him.”
Member Thomas Rankin, 41, a legal assistant in South Philadelphia, is also grateful for the opportunity TBN provides. “In my 16 years of living in Philly, I’ve never seen a group of African-American men get together like this,” he said. “I have friends who want to do other things, but not going to cultural events, and readings and discussions.”
Despite its focus on African-American men, TBN is inclusive of others as well, including Sabrina Finlay, 41, who travels from Maryland to attend TBN events. She said the discourses have enlightened her about African-American men, including her two sons.
“One of the things that stands out for me is that they really do care and think about much more than we, or society, give them credit for,” she said.
Finlay also appreciates TBN’s focus on recovery rather than despair.
“Black men have been through some awful experiences but what comes across to me is the resilience and the hope,” she said. “I think that’s one of the other reasons I’m drawn to some of these events. We don’t get enough opportunities to witness or hear about that.”
TBN’s next book discussion on Jessica B. Harris’ “High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America” takes place on April 23. Visit www.thebrothersnetwork.org for more information.