At age 40 and a single father, Charles Long is reinventing himself by pursuing a college degree later in life. Long recently received his associate’s degree and is now working toward earning his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley beginning this new school year. At UC Berkeley, he ambitiously aims to double major in social welfare and psychology, with a minor in African American studies. But as an A²MEND mentee, he’s confident he’ll have the supportive network he needs to succeed in reaching his educational goals.

While a student at Moreno Valley College, Long learned about A²MEND through a faculty advisor who felt the organization could support him in his interest in transferring to a four-year university. During the A²MEND conference in March, Long was able to meet and converse with admission representatives from UC Berkeley and UCLA. Although he had already applied to UC Berkeley at the time, the introduction encouraged him to move forward with following through with the college admissions process.

“A²MEND is a brotherhood of intelligent Black men who have overcome in life to get where they are,” said Long. “I’ve never been around a large group of accomplished Black men. Seeing them at the conference and going to Africa with them – it’s been inspirational.”

Raised in Oakland, Long has sought role models ever since he can remember. His father was incarcerated for the first eight years of his life, and he spent part of his childhood in foster care after his mother lost parental custody due to her drug addiction. Miraculously, his parents reconciled and raised their children together once his mother successfully completed a rehab program and his father was released from prison. But his memories in foster care made an indelible impression on him, motivating him to pursue a career in social work to help others who share similar childhood experiences.

“I’ve always wanted to be a social worker because when I was in foster care, a social worker made my time there a lot easier,” said Long, adding that he wants to also establish a group home one day. “I want to open up a group home for juveniles, like a boarding school. Not just to provide housing, but to take them on trips to show them a different way of living.”

Last month, six student mentees joined seven A²MEND board members on an extraordinary trip to East Africa as part of the organization’s Africa Study Abroad Program. A²MEND’s excursion program enables board members to escort student mentees to Africa each summer to connect them with their ancestral homeland. For this year’s trip, the student mentees traveled to the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania.

While in Nairobi, the A²MEND students and mentors visited Nairobi National Park, where they experienced a safari to enjoy an up-close look at African wildlife in their natural habitat. They also toured the Nairobi National Museum that showcases Kenya’s rich history of art and culture.

In Mombasa, the A²MEND group visited the Fort Jesus Museum nestled along the coastline near the Old Town. The museum displays various artifacts from the era where Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave trade and commodities. Also in Mombasa, the group spent time at the Maasai Market, an open-air market that sells colorful artwork, goods and food.

The A²MEND group additionally spent time at Swahili Beach, where they learned about Africa’s coastal marine life and observed archaeological artifacts from the Indian Ocean. They also rode camels along the coastline and participated in mental health practices, like sound healing and yoga, during their morning visits to east African beaches.

A²MEND’s student charter at Solano Community College is establishing a growing presence on campus these days. The student charter has hosted a series of events and workshops for the college’s students and faculty over the past year. The activities have sparked dialogue about the systemic challenges Black males endure in higher education.

A²MEND’s student charter has been championed by Shanan Danley, an outreach and retention specialist for Solano Community College. To help expand the student charter’s reach at the college, last year Danley used his outreach skills to source new leadership for the organization. “I’ve always been able to connect people with the right people,” said Danley. “I believe in networking.”

Danley enlisted the leadership of Edward Russell Jr., a seasoned student engagement specialist for the Vacaville Unified School District. Russell originally attended Solano Community College during the ‘90s, but he recently returned as a student to complete his college credits to earn an associate’s degree. Realizing he could use his student engagement expertise to help guide A²MEND mentees, Russell accepted the new role of leading the student charter.

Both Russell and Danley assisted the student mentees with organizing regular events, like thought-provoking workshops and Black film screenings, that encouraged dialogue about the Black male experience. While the campus events have been impactful, Russell credits A²MEND’s annual conference for having the biggest effect on the student mentees. “The greatest thing that we were a part of was the A²MEND conference held earlier this year,” said Russell. “That was the first time we were around other Black men who were in position of power in education.”

Russell’s own history as a child attending public schools where he never had a Black teacher armed him with a level of sensitivity about the plight of young African American male students. He believes that the lack of Black staff representation in the K-12 public school system affects African American young men in such a detrimental way that discourages them from pursuing traditional pathways of success, like higher education. “The student population at Solano Community College is roughly 10,000. But the African American male population here is less than 500, which is a huge concern,” he said. “Juxtapose that with the Solano County Juvenile Justice Probation Department. Ninety-five percent of the juveniles are Black. We need to change these numbers and present it to those in positions who create policy change to take notice that we have a problem.”

Both Russell and Danley hope that A²MEND will remain a steady force at Solano Community College by continuing their student engagement efforts. “Our plans are to build something that’s sustainable for the next group of Black men on campus,” said Russell. “They’ll be able to make the next generation of students enact change that we haven’t seen before.”