HISTORY

NATIONAL HISTORY

At the peak of the Civil Rights Movement in New York during the early 1960s, a group of determined professional men, consisting of public officials, businessmen, lawyers, retailers, government personnel and others who were then known as the One Hundred Men agreed to change their name to One Hundred Black Men.  The hope was that through re-identification with our Black heritage and with collective effort, they could help chart the direction in human rights and improve the quality of life for Blacks and other minorities. The original chapter, founded in New York City by J. Bruce Llewellyn in 1967, set an example to which all successive chapter aspire. In the early 1980s David Dinkins, then Manhattan Borough President and future mayor, focused national attention on this organization by referring to "The 100 Black Men of America, Inc." the name that remains with it today.

In 1963, the same year that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, the first meeting of the 100 Black Men of America was held in New York City. A group of successful businessmen from a variety of social, educational and economic sectors came together for the common purpose of making a difference in African American communities - by making a difference in the lives of African American youth.  The idea quickly caught on and soon independent chapter began forming across the nation until 1986 when nine individual chapters joined together to create the alliance known today as the "100 Black Men of America, Inc.".

Now some 73 chapters and 10,000 members strong and still growing, the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. remains committed to it's founding mission: To increase the quality of life in African American communities by improving the educational, economic and social status of African Americans across the entire nation.

Dedicated members of the 100 Black Men of America have provided influences for more than 60,000 youth across the nation through
leadership, education, mentoring and motivation.  A complete and detailed history of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. can be be found by reading further.

The 100 Black Men of America's "Four for the Future" signature programs consists of the following:

• Mentoring
• Education
• Health and Wellness
• Economic Development

 

CHAPTER HISTORY


The 100 Black Men of the Bay Area was officially recognized as the fifth National Chapter on June 10, 1988.  Since our founding, we have become one of the premier chapters of The 100 Black
Men of America, Inc. through our numerous accomplishments and accolades both locally and nationally.
HIistorically, we have chosen only exceptional African American men who are established leaders in
the community to join our organization.  Through the years, members of our chapter have come
from a variety of professional fields including business, government, education, medicine, law, finance, technology, sales, marketing, healthcare, real estate, engineering, and public affairs.  Many of our
members are either senior managers of major corporations or entrepreneurs operating their own successful businesses.  Still
others are Board Members of Fortune 500 companies and/or well recognized non-profit organizations.  More importantly, our
members have been those who possess a strong sense of entitlement to give back to their local community which is in-line with
the core values of the organization.

The founding members of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area are:

• Carl D. Washington (deceased)
• Will Bass (deceased)
• Lloyd A. Lawrence, Jr.
• Robert C. Brackins
• Earl H. White (deceased)
• Len Canty
• Willis T. White
• James W. Thigpen (deceased)
• Gene Nash (deceased)
• Barry E. Breaux, MD
• Walter Shervington, MD (deceased)
• John Douglas
  

The two founding members who are still active with the organization are Lloyd A. Lawrence, Jr. and Barry E. Breaux, MD. 

Since the founding of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area in 1988, the chapter presidents have been:

• Carl D. Washington  1988 - 1989
• Len Canty  1989 - 1990
• Will Bass  1990 - 1992
• Lloyd A. Lawrence, Jr.  1992 - 1994
• James W. Thigpen  1994 - 1995
• Jake Sloan  1995 - 1996
  
• Alfred Reynolds  1996 - 1997
• Ronald Busby  1997 - 1998
• Lloyd A. Lawrence, Jr.  1998 - 1999
• Mark A. Jones, Sr.   2000 - 2001
• Phillip Saddler, DDS   2002 - 2003
• Jake Sloan  2004 - 2005
• Daryle Whyte  2005 - 2009
• Mark Alexander, PhD  2009 - present

The 100 Black Men of the Bay Area has the following primary objectives which are in-line with the national "Four for the Future" signature programs:

• Mentoring - to serve as role models and mentors for our youth
• Education - to provide scholarships assistance for our youth
• Economic Development - to promote economic development in our community
• Health & Wellness - to promote health & wellness and non-violence

In 1992, the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area established the Young Black Scholar Program and hosted the first statewide Young Black Scholars Conference in June 1993.  The Young Black Scholar Program continues to be the cornerstone of the Chapter Role Modeling, Mentoring, Scholarship, and Fundraising endeavors.

Each year, scholarship awards and financial assistance is given to students throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.  Awards are given out each year typically at our Annual Scholarship Luncheon which takes place in June and our Annual Christmas Kwanzaa Awards Gala which occurs in December.

In July 1993, the San Francisco Business and Professional Women recognized the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area as the "Civic Organization of the Year".  December 18, 1993 was proclaimed "100 Black Men Day" in California by the Governor of the State.

In 1994, the Young Black Scholars Program was expanded to include the adoption of two schools, the S.R. Martin College Preparatory School in San Francisco and Frick Elementary School in Oakland.  Members of the chapter provide Mentoring, Role Modeling and Life Coaching to students at these schools with the goal to help make them more successful in their studies and in their professional careers.

In 1998, the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area partnered with the task force on the education of African American students of the Oakland Unified School District.  This partnership allows us to reach even more students throughout the entire school district.