By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Last Friday, The Breakfast Group, a non-profit organization comprised of professional African American men who have dedicated themselves to mentoring and addressing the challenges of at-risk youth who look just like them, held their 32nd annual Tie-One-On Luncheon.
The luncheon serves as a “Rites of Passage” for participants in the Breakfast Group’s Project M.I.S.T.E.R. program, which provides mentorship to teenage fathers and high-risk students in Seattle Public Schools. The program works closely with the Seattle Public Schools to help increase the number of teen males returning to and/or remaining in school.
The luncheon’s main purpose is to pair each student with a member of the business or professional community, who will serve as their host for lunch. Throughout the event, students and mentors will exchange business cards, creating valuable networking opportunities that could potentially lead to future employment or education plans. As a symbol of their passage into adulthood, each student is gifted a necktie and dress shirt, and their mentors take great pride in teaching them how to properly tie their neckties.
Despite the challenges faced by some of these young men, the Tie-One-On Luncheon and the Project M.I.S.T.E.R. program have continued to make a positive impact and provide guidance, support, and a sense of community. It’s inspiring to see how The Breakfast Group is making a difference and helping these young men succeed.
Torrence Baker, who attended the Tie-On-One luncheon back in 2014 as a senior at Garfield High School, expressed how important this event was to him at the time.
“Personally, I thought the event didn’t suit my personality because I was a two-sport athlete, but once I was there and I saw people who look like me, my confidence and comfort level grew immediately,” says Baker.
“It was a blessing to see not only people who looked like me but adults who grew up in the same community as me looking to mentor and give me guidance on navigating through this world as an upcoming Black man,” he added. “The knowledge I learned at the luncheon I’ve managed to carry with me till this day and I am thankful for the fact I had an opportunity to attend.”
The Breakfast Group members value being consistent, competent, and a reliable presence in the lives of the youth they serve by demonstrating a sustained and active commitment to their community.
Tre Owes, an instructor for The Breakfast Group at Rainier Beach, spoke about how important it is for members of the community to be there for our young Black and Brown men.
“It’s really important to not only attend but to accompany our young Black and Brown men that are in our community,” says Owes. “Some of them lack father figures so being able to do something as simple as learning how to tie a tie is huge to some of them or learning how to properly dress in business attire.”
“Being able to hear the different stories of the men who were on different boards and even working on the mayor’s staff was beyond impactful for our young men,” said Owes. “Not only because the stories were powerful, but they were from people who resembled an image of who the young men could be in the future.”
Dr. James Carter, a Chicago native, began his journey with The Breakfast Group in 2016 as a volunteer but two years later in 2018 he began officially working for the group as the executive director of Project M.I.S.T.E.R. Now going on seven years, Carter sees the opportunity to give back to the Black and Brown young men here in the Seattle community as a blessing.
“It does no good to keep all this knowledge I have and not give back,” says Carter. “The kids today, through us, have the opportunity to see someone in the classroom who look like them, you don’t understand the term it takes a village till it actually takes a village.”
“Some schools I go to kids tell me that they wouldn’t go to school if they weren’t coming to my class,” added Carter. “There’s so many of our kids that don’t have foundation so to be able to be that steadily force for kids is critical, and the opportunity to meaningfully give back, that’s what it’s about.”
