African American rites of passage interventions: A vehicle for utilizing African American male elders

ABSTRACT

There is a dearth of information regarding African American males and their service to boys as unrelated, concerned adults. While rites of passage programs provide a strong space for the growth of young Black males to develop, there is a need for more literature on what motivates and how to recruit and retain African American men to mentor. This article discusses central components of traditional mentoring and rites of passage programs and the experiences of a group of African American men in Memphis, Tennessee, who have mentored for an after-school rites of passage project. The authors provide recommendations for recruiting and training African American men to utilize rites of passage activities to promote the healthy development of African American male youth.

KEYWORDS:

• Black
• men
• rites of passage