Boys to mentors: Birmingham middle school frat reunites for youth
Posted by | Posted on 12-08-2010
The Boys of Style have grown up.
It is substance, they now say, that matters.
The men, who formed a fraternity in the Birmingham schools nearly three decades ago as a way to give young black men a chance to succeed in school and in life, now walk the streets trying to change a world that has changed more than they can fathom since their own adventures in middle school.
They see young men with no respect for authority, who dress like thugs and don’t value an education.
Now, after two decades of inactivity, the group is reuniting to make a difference.
“Our purpose was to be a brotherhood that represented style and unity,” said LV Meadows, one of the fraternity’s founding members.”Proper etiquette with our young black boys is gone. They don’t wear belts. They don’t wear the proper clothes. They have no respect or honor for their teachers, their parents or themselves.”
The fraternity, which began in 1983 and changed its name from Boys of Style to Brothers of Style in 1985 as the members reached high school, grew to 60 members with chapters in just about every Birmingham high school. About 35 of them have reunited to launch a mentoring partnership with Hemphill and Lee elementary schools.
While they are starting small, by adopting just two of Birmingham’s 57 schools, they hope to continue to expand to other city schools in years to come.
Today, the group will hold a “Reunion in the Park” back-to-school rally at Woodward Park in West End, where they will give out school supplies, food and, likely, a little advice.
“We need to give them a sense of belonging, with purpose,” Meadows said. “These are the same streets we walked on as kids, and it’s changed so much.”
The fraternity, which the men refer to simply as B.O.S., began as a way to encourage each other to maintain good grades, dress well and dedicate themselves to receiving an education.
“B.O.S. became the family to many young men that didn’t have fathers or big brothers in their lives,” Meadows said.
Each week, the members would meet at the library to help each other study. They networked to help each other find jobs.
Scared straight
It would have been just as easy to join a gang, group members say.
That’s exactly what’s happening to young children in Birmingham now, says Derrick Brewer, 38, a member of B.O.S.
“There’s a lot of gang activity, and they’re starting at 11 or 12 years old,” he said.
Now older with real jobs and many with families and children of their own, the members say they want to be positive influences in children’s lives.
That could include scaring the children straight.
Jerome McMullin, a 1989 West End High School graduate and member of B.O.S., introduced a new person to the group he thought would be perfect to mentor the kids.
That man is Robert Malone, an ex-gang member from South Central Los Angeles who served nearly two decades in prison for drugs and murder.
During his time at Pelican Bay State Prison, Malone earned his GED and began mentoring his fellow inmates. He took up religion.
Malone is now a motivational speaker who has talked to students around the country about why gangs are dangerous. He ended up in Birmingham, where he will bring his message to Hemphill and Lee elementary students.
“I’m all about bringing a positive attitude to these children,” he said. “No violence.”
Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Leech at mleech@bhamnews.com.
Enlarge Mike Kittrell Retired Hutchens Elementary principal William Foster welcomes fourth grader Lawrence Spellmeyer to the new Dawes Intermediate on the first day of school Monday, August 9, 2010, in the Dawes, Ala., community. The school was built to relieve overcrowding at Hutchens Elementary. Dawes has grades 3-5. (Press-Register, Mike Kittrell) Back to School 08-09-2010 gallery (10 photos)