Mentoring and Rites of Passage: Adolescence to Manhood and the Success of the Beaux Affair Rites of Passage Mentoring Program

By Dr. David Floyd

Mentoring and Rites of Passage for African American Males at the Junior and Senior Classifications of High School.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543970654

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Copyright © 2019 by David Floyd

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Print ISBN: 978-1-54397-064-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54397-065-4

Dedication

This book is dedicated in loving memories of outstanding young men who were once graduating beaus of the BAROPMP, as well as the caring mentors and elders that supported their transition to manhood. The precious memories of these Heaven’s Angels shall forever shine in our hearts: Beau Carlton Le ‘Nard Massie, Jr., 1998 Beaux Affair Class, Beau Chris Jason Pinckney, 1999 Beaux Affair Class, Beau Roderick J. Gadsden, 1995 Beaux Affair Class, Beau Lawrence Holt, 1998 Beaux Affair Class, Beau Jasari Whipper, 2002 Beaux Affair Class, and Beau Marvin A. Gallant, II., 2002 Beaux Affair Class. Elders: John Russell, Gilbert Smalls, Father Theodore Lewis, Dr. Robert Beavers, and Gabriel Magwood, a loyal and trusting lieutenant who assumed leadership of the Charleston Youth Leadership Council when the author relocated to Kentucky. He was a consistent and highly respected Beaux Affair elder/mentor extraordinaire to many young people throughout Charleston County and beyond; he was a bright light of hope and an inspiration to the young men of the Beaux Affair.

This is dedicated in memory of some extraordinary community and program elders, friends and supporters of the Beaux Affair program, namely James Blair, Reuben Reeder, James Herbert Hannaham, and Henry McCants; Ike Williams, Bessie Allen Holmes, Chief Reuben Greenberg, Rev. C. L. Campbell, Wilhelmenia Brockington, and Dr. Delma Woods, a co-founder of the Beaux Affair program, and George Lee from G. G. Lee Photography. I am forever grateful to an extraordinary teacher, the late and inspiring Helen Joy. Mrs. Joy was the first mentor and village mom during my early childhood, who provided unwavering confidence in my abilities during critical times in my life. Eddie Ladson, a distinguished Black entrepreneur and owner of the Ladson House in Charleston during the 60’s and 70’s; the legendary Philip Simmons, America’s premier master blacksmith; the late Eugene G. Lucas, a big brother and father figure, and my beloved and departed cousin, Miriam West and the late Bishop James C. West.

Also, Dedication and gratitude are extended to the late Reverend Lucious Walker, Executive Director of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO Pastors for Peace) in New York. Rev. Walker was an extraordinary and gifted man who mentored and encouraged my son to pursue medicine; the late Edward and Evangelist Louise Grant, Mary Ann Murphy, and the late Mike Ayon, my friend and co-worker at USDA/Job Corps.

Finally, I am inexpressibly grateful to my wife, Jackie, for unwavering support and encouragement. I also extend great gratitude and appreciation to my son, Dasaw, daughter, and son-in-law, Erin, and Paul Simms, and their beautiful children, our grandchildren, Gabrielle and Elliott. I sincerely applaud them for their loving ways and for sharing me for so many years with many of the young men from our community whose mentoring tutelage I benefited from considerably over the years.

Acknowledgments

I am beholden to many voices, believers, and willing volunteers in the Charleston community for the establishment of the Charleston Youth Leadership Council and the success of the Beaux Affair Rites of Passage Mentoring Program (BAROPMP). They are many, but primarily past and present mentors, elders, and parents who were program participants and made mentoring a high priority; I wish to acknowledge their commitment and dedication over the years and for making themselves available for the growth and development of the young men who came through the BAROPMP. I am forever grateful for their love, support, and patience.

My thanks and forever gratefulness to Gail Blair, without whom there would be no successful BAROPMP; her many years of active and enthusiastic involvement ensured its continued blossoming; as a co-founder of the CYLC, Inc., and BAROPMP, she provided immeasurable inspiration, commitment and leadership to the growth and development to all who participated. Many thanks to Atlee Prince, a gifted and talented director of curriculum and activities, who was highly respected and instrumental in much of the cultural programming during the early years of the Beaux Affair. He is an extraordinary advocate for mentoring, rites of passage, and African American males. I want to acknowledge the CYLC Executive Committee for their commitment and dedication: they are Joe Wade, President, Keith Jones, VP (Beaux Class of 2000), Ervin Smalls, Secretary, Orlando Sutton, Treasurer, Gregory Whitaker, Parent Liaison; members of the Board of Directors: Master Bines (Vice-Chairman), Daryl Milligan (Chairman), MBA, Retired Banker and Educator, Trident Technical College; Realtor, eXp Realty; Kenneth Canty, P.E., Owner, Freeland Engineering Construction; Adrian M. Grimes (Secretary), M.S., R.M. Grimes Marketing Communications & Medical University of SC; Kenneth Joyner, Education Consultant, Kevin Smith (Parliamentarian), M.Ed, Principal, Charleston County School District; Stephanie Taylor (Financial Liaison), MPS, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Medical University of SC; Quenton Tompkins, MPH, Government Affairs Manager, Medical University of SC; James Weaver, M.A., Campus President, ECPI University (Beaux Class of 1992).

Many thanks to past and present program mentors/elders, a passionate Charleston community, and parent supporters who toiled in the cause of and seeded the success and popularity of the BAROPMP. They were a powerful and positive force in the lives of students and their participation in the Beaux Affair, and many during the program’s early years: Cal Morrison, who is the longest-serving BAROPMP mentor/elder (since 1992), Levy and Shirley Berry, Leon and Sandra Burton, Art Gilliard, Bryan McNeal, Jr., Harold Carrillo, Claude Williams, Dexter McIlwain, Richard Greer, Terrance Williams, Francis & Izetta Seabrook, Leon Green, Rev. Dr. Augustus Robinson, Carlton Jackson, Howard and Carolyn Brown, Dena G. Magwood, Blondell Kidd, Yvette Miller, Delores Singletary, Gail Smith, James C. Edwards, Jonathan McClain, Delores Jeffcoat, Jackie Young, Audrey Harley, Carol S. Etheridge, Shirley A. Prince, Linda Harvey, Dorothy Jenkins, Camellia Seabrook, Mark McKenzie, Major Leroy Moultrie, Alton Shackleford, Sr., James J. French of the Chronicle, Gloria Taylor, Burke High Band Director and Coach, Lennard McCloud and Earl Brown, Atty. F. Renee Gaters, Kylon Middleton, David Bennett, Robert Campbell, Barrett Tolbert, Atty. Craig Burgess, Carl Watson, Terry Seabrook, Michael Heyward, Atty. J. Corbitt Hinson, Attys Eduardo Curry, Tamara Curry, and George Counts of Curry, Curry & Counts (Attys at Law), Harriet Wilder, Art Gilliard, Robert Campbell, Roy Gilliard, Atty. Seth Whipper, Fred Jones, Brenda Williams, Phalarma Freeman, Robin Fletcher, Osei Chandler, Sherman Pyatt, Sean Dawson, Robert Ellington, Kryston Miller, Kenneth Battle, James Barr, Jr., Lamar Moorehead, Michael Breedlove, Byas Glover, Mark Givens, Omar Brown, Kristen Elmore, Patricia Comfort-Capers, Devin Brown, Ijuana Gadsden, Thelma Gailliard, Michael Miller, James Lewis, Ivan C. Brooks, Jr., Clay Middleton, Eugene Swinton, Maurice Washington, Lonnie Boston, and Delbert Foster of South Carolina State University; Attorney Tony O’Neill, Keith Waring and Congressman James Clyburn.

Thank you with endless love, admiration, and gratitude to my extraordinary Charleston big sister, Audrey Lucas, who has always been a great motivator and supporter, and who has significantly impacted my life from the time I was a grade school student to the present day. Thank you to my Virginia Beach family: Navy Warrant Officer Carol Lawrence, who became my big brother and super-mentor from the time I was about eight or nine years old. Brother Lawrence always had a way or means of making me feel special during crucial times of my life when I really needed encouragement. He is indeed a brother of brilliance; his super-wonderful wife, Audrey, and his beautiful children, Caryn Porter (My Goddaughter!!), Carla Lawrence, Carl Glisson, and Dr. Camille Bryant, who served as an invaluable editor and reviewer for this book.

I want to thank some extraordinary community mothers who provided guidance and mentoring throughout my life’s development: mothers Idella Mathis, Nellie Pinckney, Lillian Johnson, Margaret Grant, and Louise Simmons. I want to thank Alice Warren from Ladson House fame, who is a genuinely enjoyable, big-hearted and loving person. She is also one of Charleston’s most celebrated cooks, who has helped so many people, including myself during a crucial life crisis. I want to acknowledge my Ladson House family: Marie Brown, Martha Lou Gadsden; distinguished retired educators who had a significant influence on my career, Doris Bradley, Dr. Barbara Dilligard, and Elizabeth Alston. Much gratitude to Dr. Maxine Smith Martin for the 1997-’98 mentoring opportunity and experience gained as a result of a partnership between Medical University of South Carolina’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and The Trident Urban League.

I wish to acknowledge some very special life-long school friends, who have always been a source of inspiration and whose enduring relationships I will always value: Allen Bradley, Ernest Burgess, Dr. Leroy Lambright, Joseph and Gloria Edwards, Evonne McCants, J. W. Harris, Juanita Harrison, Evelyn Burwell, Margaret Rush, and Arnold Collins. I also want to acknowledge some phenomenal mentors who have influenced and exemplified real manhood and friendship, which has uplifted my life’s journey: Richard MacAuley, MD, and my own brothers and sisters, Ralph Floyd, Earl Floyd, James Floyd, Louise Jackson, and Lillian O’Larry. A most sincere thanks to three special cousins, Marie Garrison-White, Jay West and Candace West, who have been a source of inspiration and motivation: Jay, who is the epitome of a mentor’s mentor and a change agent and friend to the youth whom he mentors. His big cousin is hugely proud of his mentoring role as an Alpha with the Beautillion Scholars Program of Delta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which has a great program serving the Baltimore Metropolitan Area; Jay’s sister, Candace, who epitomizes confidence, leadership, and success.

I want to thank Almighty God for His precious anointment and many blessings in my life. I could not have traveled so many good miles down life’s highway without His grace and mercy. An abundance of gratitude and appreciation is extended to a number of people who have supported my efforts with prayers and much encouragement, such as Dr. Darcel Brady, professor of education at Olivet Nazarene University and the advisor/mentor extraordinaire, Dr. Melvin Welch, professor emeritus of education and former dean of Trevecca Nazarene University’s School of Education.

A very big thank you to my Kentucky family, including Danny and Earlie Fugate, and Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Calvin Cole, Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Paducah, KY. Also, Rev. & Mrs. Ronnie White, New Bethel Freewill Baptist Church, Brookport, IL.; Rev. & Mrs. Michael Pigg of Philadelphia Baptist Church in Lithonia, GA., Rev. Gary Brisbane of Central Baptist Church in Charleston, SC and Rev. Dr. Nelson B. Rivers, III. of Charity Baptist Church in North Charleston, SC. I also wish to acknowledge my Nashville, TN pastor, Rev. H. Bruce Maxwell of Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church. Acknowledgment is extended to Rossie Colter and Ruth Middleton for their genuine friendship and readiness to support positive youth and community activities. I proudly acknowledge the opportunity afforded me to continue my mentoring efforts with the beautiful youth of the community of Paducah, KY: I want to thank my good friend and the conscious of the community, NAACP President J. W. Cleary. With much appreciation, I also thank Don Mitchell and Charles Hamilton, along with the other Board Members of the McCracken County Community Career Endowment, who welcomed my participation as a board member to join in their efforts to mentor and provide annual scholarships to the young people of Paducah, KY.

As well, I also want to thank some great friends who were always inspiring and sincere in their commitment to God’s Word and the youth of their community, namely Frank Crawford, Doris Miller, Richard Smiley, Thad Miller, Rev. Dr. Kenneth Weathersby, and the late Raymond Rhett. Special acknowledgment to some select members of my Job Corps family, who firmly and enthusiastically supported my mentoring efforts at the Job Corps Center level and who themselves were true believers in the miracles of mentoring: Hassie Buckner, Tim Chambers, Jim Everage, Josephine McBeth, Ted Cooper McCrary, and Fred Rowe. I am forever grateful to Clarence and Louise Simms, the patriarch and matriarch of the Simms Family of Baltimore; their friendship & encouragement, warmth & humor, and seasoned wisdom have been invaluable to my family.

I want to thank my first trio of outstanding friends, mentors, and collaborators, who unselfishly invested and participated in many of my community and youth development activities ‘back during the day’, for these treasured friends have provided inspiration, consolation, and reassurance every step of the way. They are Carolyn L. Brown, Dr. Roy Jones, and Judge Arthur C. McFarland. We have collectively grown together through the sharing of our hopes, thoughts, experiences and intellectual exchange. I shall always value their friendship and brotherly love.

Finally, to all of you, I thank you for your love, support, understanding, and encouragement. Moreover, to the young men of the BAROPMP, I always felt mentored by you, as well, and was frequently strengthened and uplifted by your words of wisdom and sense of community.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter One: Mentoring And The Baropmp

Chapter Two: The Inclusion Of Rites Of Passage And Its Benefits

Chapter Three: Evidence Based Program Findings

Chapter Four: Study Implications And Recommendations

Chapter Five: Final Study Thoughts

Chapter Six: Testimonies Of Baropmp’s Impact And Influence: In Their Own Words

Chapter Seven: Starting Your Own Program

Chapter Eight

Appendix

Pictures Gallery: The Coming Out Celebration

Recommended Readings and Resources

References

About the Author

1989-2004 Participant Classes

Foreword

By Roy Jones, Ed.D.

Provost Distinguished Professor, Executive Director, Call Me MISTER Program, College of Education, Clemson University

Far too often, great community-based and well-intentioned initiatives designed for the benefit of strengthening the foundation of the Black community have gone by the wayside or lost in the abyss of our memory to be resurrected as a ‘new’ idea inspired by a future generation. Elder and Founder of the Charleston Youth Leadership Council, Dr. David C. Floyd has broken the mode with his well-documented and personal account of the genesis, history, impact, and legacy of the Beaux Affair Mentoring and Rites of Passage Program (BAROPMP).

Extending beyond just an emotional essay, Elder Dr. Floyd leaves us with a prescriptive blueprint and resource guide for future reference to anyone committed enough to extend the journey toward rebuilding their community. It is a book that embodies, David’s very life! The work epitomizes, David’s tenacity and determination to overcome obstacles or any sense of limitations that often appeared to stand in his way.

David was among the first who befriended me when I arrived in Charleston in 1981 from Georgia to assume my first job in South Carolina at the College of Charleston to fill the vacancy created by a retiring community icon, Lucille Whipper. I can personally attest that David is one of those rare individuals who always have walked-the-talk consistently over the decades that I have known him. His genuine sincerity, authenticity, faith, and dedication to achieving objectives and goals remains a lesson to us all that black men must decide to be a part of the solution, rather than rail against the problem.

Little did young David know, at the time, that his early life surrogates who cared deeply, prayed and provided guidance would ground and prepare him for what would become the foundation for his personal, educational and professional life. He would extend his own experience as a product of surrogates to viewing mentoring as a calling and synonymous with community. Some researchers on the subject agree to the notion that Black men mentoring Black boys are an important strategic approach necessary to connect the individual, with community empowerment and development of Black males.

The BAROPMP framework was brilliantly developed with the twin pillars of mentoring and the Afrocentric philosophic approach offered by the Nguzo Saba or seven principles to provide a pathway in the transition from boyhood to manhood. The process made it abundantly clear over the years, how much our youth are growing up knowing so little about their own history, culture, and contributions to the development of their own community and the country.

David unselfishly gave generous praise to the women in his life, especially the elders and leaders of women organizations, who inspired him and supported him in his quest to provide a similar opportunity for the Black boys in the community that Black girls were receiving through their debutant experiences. Women were a pillar of strength in David’s life as he grappled with missing a ‘father’ figure in his home at an early age. Powerful women and other men filled the void in his life that gave him a balanced and healthy perspective that proved beneficial in developing his own marriage and family.

Clearly, the most impressive outcome of this project is the remarkable success of the graduates of the BAROPMP. Not only does David use the testimonial voices of the program graduates, but he gives an evidence-based analysis of the BAROPMP 20-year history in comparison to the dismal outcomes of non-program Black males. Although 40 percent of the 278 BAROPMP graduates came from single-parent families or being raised by grandparents, with low family income, ALL program participants graduated from high school, and 90 percent pursued post-secondary education. The Charleston County School District graduation rate during the same period was only 30 percent. The BAROPMP participants were not ‘cherry picked’ to include only students likely to succeed, but a significant number came from family backgrounds and circumstances quite similar to David’s.

In addition to the growth and development benefits provided by the BAROPMP, the organization proudly gave over $150,000 in scholarship support to its graduates, who chose to pursue a post-secondary institution. The CYLC was recognized by the South Carolina General Assembly for its work and community contribution when it passed a House Resolution (H4905).

On another note, David addresses the stop-and-frisk phenomenon that seems to disproportionately impact Black and Brown men by offering a preventive prescription as an addendum to assist preparing males particularly, who find themselves confronted by law enforcement.

Elder David is and has forever been an Educator in every sense of the word no matter what title or responsibility he has ever held. He has never forgotten his roots and always envisioned the lesson to be learned from his personal and community experience. His innate sense of obligation and dedication to ‘servant leadership’ to impart the wisdom from his