The Black Male Youth Summit, held Sept. 11 at City Hall, is a chance for young Black men in the community to come together. They work together to address problems, such as education, and motivation to promote positivity. A handful of Bloomington South students attended the summit, hosted by the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Black Males, here’s what a few of them had to say about the recent event. 

Freshman Emmanuel Lewis said he really “enjoyed himself” and “had a good time.” Some of his highlights from the Black Male Youth Summit would be that he felt the speakers were very inspiring. He also said some of the stories and advice really made him think differently on certain topics. Some of the activities they did included trivia, which Lewis said he enjoyed. He said it helped him learn more about Black culture. Lastly, he said he will “definitely  go back next year,” rating it a 9/10.

Senior Zion Tooley really enjoyed his experience. He said, “they taught me a lot about what to expect in college and how to prepare for the future. I learned a lot from the brothers that were there. They taught us how to be more self-sufficient, how to take care of ourselves, and how to keep improving so that our future selves are ready for what’s ahead.” Although he’s a senior, this was his first year going because he is a transfer student from Bloomington North. Like Lewis, he also said that the speakers were inspiring. “Some of the speakers really motivated me to pursue my goals…[t]hey inspired me to major in business when I go to college and to keep pushing forward,” said Tooley. 

Sophomore Adrian Rush said his experience was “pretty fun.” This was his third year going as he also attended the summit in middle school. He agreed that it was very inspirational. Most of what he and the others did was listen to speakers and hear everyone share their opinions and what they took away from the experience. He said he would recommend the summit to other young, Black males and will continue to go for as long as he can.

Junior Javeion Ingram would give his experience a 10/10. He said that he learned a lot from it, such as how to be committed, disciplined, and focused when it comes to sports. It made him think about his future, looking more into going to college.