Our History
In 2017, the #MeToo Movement surfaced into public discourse after a viral tweet engaged mainstream media. Although Tyana Burke started the Me Too Movement years prior to help victims of sexual harassment and assault, #MeToo has recently become a revolving headline as women boldly join in solidarity as victims and survivors.
Noticeably absent from the public discourse are Black men. Black male culture seems to actively encourage ideas, actions, and stereotypes that perpetuate mistreatment toward women. Many men were publicly accused of harassment and assault, including prominent Men of Color. We as black men have yet to publicly mobilize and tell the world that WE TOO believe the mistreatment, disrespect, and sexual exploitation of women is wrong and dangerous to the progression of our society. That is why the Black Men’s Engagement Network was founded.
(B)MEN is a movement bringing black men together to actively discuss and work through issues surrounding masculinity, identity, sexuality, sexual harassment, sexual assault, youth mentorship, and Black culture in a way that strengthens the Community. (B)MEN believe that the failure of Black men to mobilize and explore our fragilities causes harm to Black families, Black communities, and ourselves. We operate under a distorted masculinity wrapped in heteronormative thinking that prevents us from exploring and developing all the parts of the Black male identity. (B)MEN seeks to engage in this needed dialogue that will allow us to love ourselves wholly, fortify Black families, and revive Black communities.