A potential factor to consider in reaching Black male youth is recruiting Black men to serve as mentors in order to provide Black boys with successful models from their community. Multiple assessments have been conducted to understand the barriers for African-American men serving as volunteers in youth mentoring programs and the impact is real. Marc Williams started a mentorship program called Young men of Promise and his guest speakers serve as role models as they introduce participants to an alternate blueprint for how to successfully live their lives. Both formal and informal mentoring have the potential to benefit Black boys in a range of areas, including academics, social-emotional well-being, mental health and preventing risky behaviors such as having sex and selling drugs. Group mentoring approaches seem to support Black male youth’s social-emotional development through group processes. This process may be facilitated by connecting Black male youth with mentors who have shared life experiences engaging Black men as mentors has the potential to be useful in this regard. I’m proud of the work Marc is doing up a Bald Eagle Recreation Center for all these years! According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an act of domestic violence occurs every 15 seconds in the United States, with four women losing their lives daily. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men. The term “domestic violence” includes felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner. The ongoing anxiety, depression, emotional distress, eating and sleeping disturbances an physical symptoms, such as headaches and stomach aches. This impacts children the most and we’ve got to let women know it’s ok to talk about it so, they can get the necessary help. National Domestic Violence Hotline can help victims, survivors of domestic violence. Call 1-800-799-7233. You can chat w/ an advocate on their website. There are are few resources in our area such as The Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence and National Network to End Domestic Violence. #therealtalkpodcast

Growing up in Southeast, DC graduation was an successful achievement and a milestone all together. It was the moment life got real and you had to have a plan on what was next or figuring out if being in the streets was worth your time. There were a lot of tough lessons learned in the streets and on the flip side it taught many of us the fundamentals of business. It taught you critical thinking, money management and building relationships. The barbershop was a safe space and give some guys a way out from the streets and an opportunity to legally make money safely. It also sparked that entrepreneur spirit allowing guys to move away from the streets and becoming legitimate businessman. With that being said I thought James who’s the owner of Jagr’s Barbershop and Hunger for Love apparel would be a great spokesperson for this conversation being an entrepreneur overcoming adversity and understanding his impact in the community with young men of color. I truly appreciated the opportunity to chop it up with a fellow Ballou Knight who’s making a difference! #therealtalkpodcast

In a relationship there are specific rolls that each partner has to play out based on what they’ve communicated to each other. As time goes on things change either for the better or the worst and now the work begins. In most cases there’s a blame game being played as each partner is blaming the other for the issues in the relationship. The bottom line is as men we’ve got to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and not get involved with that game if we really want to self-identify with what the root causes of the issues between you and your partner. I was able to sit down with a long time friend I’d consider family and he shares his story about making a come back from a bad break up. It was interesting to me because I too had a bad break up that ended in divorce so, I could relate to a lot that he went through. I wanted to show that no matter what the situation is there is light at the other side of the tunnel it’s just a matter of how you go about reaching the other side! Holding yourself accountable for your actions that impacted your partner needs to be addressed. Reconciliation is not easy but it’s necessary in order to free yourself and move on. Going through a break up is never easy but, be honest with yourself as you go through the process and you will come out of that storm healed, stronger and wiser with a new outlook on life. #therealtalkpodcast

Recognized as an All-American at the University of Florida, Hernandez was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Alongside teammate Rob Gronkowski, he formed one of the league's most dominant tight-end duos, becoming the first pair of tight ends to score at least five touchdowns each in consecutive seasons for the same team. He made one Super Bowl appearance in XLVI.

During the 2013 off-season, Hernandez was arrested and charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. Following his arrest, Hernandez was immediately released by the Patriots. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. While on trial for Lloyd's murder, he was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, but he was acquitted after a 2017 trial.

Days after being acquitted of the double homicide, Hernandez was found dead in his cell. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging. His conviction for Lloyd's murder was initially vacated under the doctrine of abatement ab initio because Hernandez died during its appeal but, it was reinstated in 2019 following an appeal from prosecutors and Odin Lloyd's family. After his death, Hernandez was diagnosed with severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which may have affected his actions and emotional stability and may have been a contributing factor in some of his criminal behavior. It just goes to show no matter your economic status mental health needs to be addressed! #therealtalkpodcast

In my lifetime it’s been a few people who’ve past away and it’s impacted me to the point I just stopped going to funerals. I understand it’s a way of life but, some deaths are harder to deal with then others. While on my recent birthday vacation in Tulum, Mexico I got news of the helicopter accident with Kobe, Gianna and seven other people including the pilot. I didn’t want to believe it was real at first but, after 15 min shit got real. It was all over the media outlets confirming the incident was real. I was in disbelief and at a lost for words looking back how much of an impact Kobe made in the NBA and professional sports overall. While trying to come to terms with that I found out about a incident where a PG Police shot a man in his cruiser that was handcuffed. I was pissed when I first saw the article on Fox 5 then to find out it was a friend of mine it made me upset! William “Boo-Boo” Green was a childhood friend and didn’t deserve this at all. It’s been a long eye opening week! I want to send my heart felt condolences and prayers to the Bryant & Green Families. I’m praying that God gives then the strength they need to get through this difficult time! 🖤🙏🏽 #realtalkpodcast

I just wanted to take a minute to thank Everyone who took time to wish my a Happy 42nd Birthday! I appreciate All of you taking time out of your busy schedule to show me some love! 💯 I’m very thankful for the support and the encouragement I receive for All of you daily through social media posts and comments especially when I go Live! Thank you to those who have subscribed to my YouTube and follow me on Instagram! I’m going to keep pushing to make an impact in other peoples lives especially young black men! I’m working on a few things and SixSense Entertainment will be involved in the community and serving the people! Thank you All again for the support, love and encouragement. Be Easy and Be Better Than You Were Yesterday!

RealTalk with The6thman can be heard on Apple Podcasts and 9 other listening platforms!

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Why is it ok for little boys to be princesses? Why is it ok to sell a Transgender doll?

I’m never one to be critic on kids experimenting to see what they identify with but, I do think society has to be cautious how things are presented to them. As a parent there has to be a conversation with an open mind and understand to ensure fully that the kid is comfortable with their decision. The other conversation about how to deal with people in society handling their decision will be important as well. I know we all have different views depending on how we were raised and what we individually believe in. At the end of the day these will still be our children and we have to show then love no matter what but, how does that conversation look? Let’s see.

#realtalkpodcast

A sense of crisis enveloped the capital of Virginia on Thursday, with the police on heightened alert and Richmond bracing for possible violence ahead of a gun rally next week that is expected to draw white supremacists and other anti-government extremists. The three men had obtained guns and discussed traveling to Virginia for protests against new gun control measures officials said. Members of numerous armed militias and white power proponents vowed to converge on the city despite the state of emergency declared by Gov. Ralph Northam, who temporarily banned weapons from the grounds of the State Capitol. The potential for an armed confrontation prompted fears of a rerun of the 2017 far-right rally that left one person dead and some two dozen injured in Charlottesville, about an hour’s drive from Monday’s rally. For weeks, discussions about the rally have lit up Facebook pages and chat rooms frequented by militia members and white supremacists. Various extremist organizations or their adherents are calling Monday’s rally the “boogaloo.” In the lexicon of white supremacists, that is an event that will accelerate the race war they have anticipated for decades. One of the men, Patrik J. Mathews, 27, a main recruiter for the group, entered the United States illegally from Canada, according to the officials. He was arrested along with Brian M. Lemley Jr., 33, and William G. Bilbrough IV, 19.

Mr. Mathews was trained as a combat engineer and is considered an expert in explosives. The Canadian Army discharged him after his ties to white supremacists surfaced. Mr. Lemley previously served as a cavalry soldier in the United States Army. The F.B.I. has grown increasingly concerned about the Base as it has worked to recruit more people. The group encourages the onset of anarchy, according to the Counter Extremism Project, an organization that tracks far-right extremists. Experts say that its founder, an American, appears to be living in Russia. I’m just informing y’all that we’ve gotta pay attention and get prepared for the worse! #realtalkpodcast

Breaking the barrier for diversity in sports in the NFL, NBA and MLB were incredible feats. Sports have the power to create social change and they’ve done so throughout time. As a microcosm of human interactions, sports challenges us to interact with others. And often, those we encounter are quite different in many respects. Diversity in sports involves not only players having different sets of skills but also players having differences in beliefs, opinions, and experiences. Diversity exists everywhere. However, just because diversity exists, it does not mean that inclusion follows. Acceptance of each other’s differences is a starting point. But true inclusion occurs when the benefits and advantages of diversity are recognized and pursued. Diversity in sports has been a driver of positive social change for many decades. And sports continue to represent a microcosm where social issues are confronted. Nevertheless, it is ultimately those bold enough to stand up for diversity and inclusion that make the real impact. #realtalkpodcast

It’s a new year and with that brings new opportunities to be better in every area of our lives. We’ve gotten too comfortable with not striving for excellence even though we have the capability to do just that simply put if we want better we have to do better period point blank. The influence of social media, reality tv and politics have made a major impact in our community in a negative way. This president and his actions trying to divide this country should be a good enough reason to want to be better people for the greater good of our community. In the last 30 years we’ve seen death, destruction and tragedy by the hands of our own people. Enough is Enough! It’s time to be better than we were yesterday! #realtalkpodcast