BUFFALO, N.Y. — Black History Month began with a Boys to Men youth empowerment conference at McKinley High School.
Men from the community talked with boys in the My Brother's Keeper program about being a positive example. Some of the workshops were interactive, and the topics were issues children could relate too.
Boys also participated in a Power of the Neck Tie ceremony to encourage them to to put down weapons and put on neck ties.
"Hip-hop music and the effects that it can have on my life, in a negative way and a positive way. Without my education, what are my options?" said Jacqueline Mines, the president and CEO of Helping Families & Children in America Inc.
Added Fatima Morrell, the Buffalo Public Schools associate superintendent: "We use hip-hop literacy in a lot of our curriculum and instruction, and it was powerful to see it come together."