Building Better Men with Michael Coleman’s Crowned Scholars
“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I' understood as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:11
Within my circle of friends there is one topic that we spend a lot of time discussing, theorizing, and quite frankly spending time being frustrated about - and that is the black male narrative. Part of the conversation is focused on how black males, ourselves, are toxic in the way that we think we should look, dress and act; another part of the conversation is frustration around the picture that society paints black males to be; and lastly, we spend a lot of time brainstorming on how to change that narrative.
Michael Coleman, co-founder of Crowned Scholars, is a man of action who is committed to changing that narrative. Michael and his co-founder, Rickey Townsend, Jr., are committed to holistically building our young, black men - one king at a time.
HOLISTICALLY BUILDING OUR YOUNG BLACK MEN, ONE KING AT A TIME.
Crowned Scholars vision is to help our young men recognize and embrace their unexposed gifts, while also educating them on what it means to be a young black man in today’s society. their essential focus is to build healthy habits that will equip our scholars to take on life’s challenges and to build the holistic young black man through academic mentoring, intentional conversations, and civic engagement.
Across the country, with Dallas being no exemption, there are students that are dealing with traumas that are not intentionally addressed. From mental health, various family structural dynamics, or deficiencies in academics, these unique traumas can’t be seen with the naked eye and more often than not go unnoticed. Far too often do these traumas compound on one another through adolescence causing a handful of complexities and challenges for black males as adults. It is through their newfound organization that Michael and Rickey want to proactively change this narrative and build healthy habits for young kings while they are, well, young, so students are better equipped for their future aspirations.
I remember having conversations with Michael in 2018 about what his passion is, his plans for where he wanted to take his organization, and what he hopes his impact will be. If you follow him on instagram you’ll see his “#MikeMotivates” post that serve as empowerment, calls to action, and tid-bits of advice that casts a parallel light to his intentions for his nonprofit. In addition, he co-hosts the Uncover’d Podcast where he talks about a myriad of thought-proving and entertaining topics.
“Crowned Scholars will leave a legacy of impact with each and every young man that we encounter. We want to expose their minds to things that will not only enlighten, but challenge them to be bold and strive for the absolute best.”
From personal experience, I know the challenges of getting an organization off of the ground and fully functional - on top of that there are both challenges but overarching joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in doing growing an organization with your friends. When asked about how Mike and Rickey make it happen - Rickey, the other half of Crowned Scholars, said, “Mike and I’s friendship was birthed in undergrad at UT Arlington in 2011. We discussed our passion - community activism. We come from two different parental backgrounds which has given us the leverage to share different realities to help us form Crowned Scholars. I would like to say that Mike is the brain (visionary, introvert and works on the collegiate level) and I am the heart (detail oriented, extrovert and works in K-12) of Crowned Scholars.”
As the newest organization of the Greater Than Campaign my specific call to action would be to support the organization from promoting their initiatives on social platforms, showing up to their events, purchasing one of their t-shirts, donating, or signing up to be a mentor.
USE DISCOUNT CODE #CROWNEDSCHOLARS TO ORDER YOUR GREATER THAN GEAR FOR 10% OFF, AND PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS Crowned Scholars
We come from two different parental backgrounds which has given us the leverage to share different realities to help us form Crowned Scholars.
One of my favorite sayings is, “What you see is what you’ll be,” as a “Crowned Mentor” you’ll be paired with at least one scholar for an academic year, be welcomed to their weekly scholar sessions and community service events helping to make the community greater than we found it.
When asked what will be the legacy of Crowned Scholars, Mike said, “A legacy of impact with each and every young man that we encounter. We want to expose their minds to things that will not only enlighten, but challenge them to be bold and strive for the absolute best.”
If you’re interested in partnering or volunteering with Crowned Scholars be sure to leverage the contact information below. As far as reconstructing the narrative of black men, providing the resources for healthy habits, and growing an active community of role models for our young kings we have to salute Michael Coleman, his co-founder Rickey Townsend Jr. for their work in making the community greater than they found it.
Connect with
Crowned Scholars:
Website: http://crownedscholars.org
Instagram: @crownedscholars
Email: crowned214@gmail.com
EIN: 832,986,182
visit the campaign site
