‘From Boys To Men’ | East Point Councilmember sponsors mentorship event for Black mothers on the Southside
Over 60+ mothers attended the ‘Moms Raising Sons’ session facilitated by Next Level Boys Academy and CM Stephanie Gordon.
“It’s a marathon, not a race.”
EAST POINT, Ga. — This well-meaning and equally well-trodden idiom is often used as the de facto mantra for describing a particularly challenging struggle or undertaking.
And is there any endeavor more challenging than motherhood?
A complicated query, one might say. However, as the grateful offspring of a single mother, I’ve learned a thing or three in my past (near) half-century of existence – like how to spot a rhetorical question when I see one.
While the world was busy redefining what ‘normalcy’ meant to us after apparently overcoming the pandemic, everything from labor disputes, civil liberties, inflation even gas prices were thrown into a seemingly cyclical state of flux.
All the while, moms had to keep on ‘momming’ through the cacophony of chaos not only to encourage and be supportive of their children but more and more often to even keep them safe and secure.
With domestic and gun violence creeping higher and higher and the ages of victims dipping precipitously lower and lower, particularly in Black and brown communities, mothers had to be even more vigilant than ever before.
Luckily amidst all this cultural turmoil, there were folks out there keeping the mothers of places like East Point, College Park, the City of South Fulton, and the rest of our municipalities here south of I-20 in their thoughts.
Entities such as East Point Councilmember Ward-D, Stephanie Gordon, and non-profits like Next Level Boys Academy decided to let the mothers know one thing for certain.
‘‘We’re listening.’
A few weeks before the start of the 2023 school year, a special 2-Day event, ‘Saving Our Sons’ structured solely around mentorship and strengthening bonds between mother/son relationships and communication.
Founder of Next Level Boys Academy, Gary Davis, tells Vox Pop ATL,
“We know that as mentors, there's only so much we can do for young men.”
“Ultimately we've got to coach and support the moms on how to effectively communicate with their sons."
The dozens of local mothers who attended the special first-night mothers-only evening titled, “Moms Raising Sons” had the opportunity to discuss a vast array of topics
Serving as the first of this unique 2-Day event, this ‘ladies' night’ had mothers exchanging views about the joys, challenges, and tribulations of raising boys to young men.
Vox Pop ATL spoke with East Point CM Stephanie Gordon about some of her takeaways from not only sponsoring but participating in the evening’s events.
CM Gordon had these thoughts to share:
"This has been an amazing night. It has been emotional, but it's also been very enjoyable,” she shares.
“My biggest takeaway from this evening is to communicate effectively with our boys and young men.”
To learn more about the Next Level Boys Academy, visit their Facebook page.
For more about East Point Councilmember Ward-D, Stephanie Gordon, feel free to visit her Facebook page.
Just a reminder that East Point city council elections are right around the corner, for a detailed breakdown of the Wards A - D, click here.
Don’t forget to vote!!
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