The “State of the Black Man” town hall brought together a powerful mix of Black men from across Southeast Queens for a conversation rooted in honesty, reflection, and community responsibility. Educators, coaches, advocates, organizers, fathers, business owners, artists, tradesmen, and community members filled the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center with real perspectives about what’s going on in our community and what it will take for us to move forward. One speaker shared, “At my school we have 300 students and I feel like I’m raising them all,” while another added, “We have to make the youth care. They really don’t even care about dying.” There were conversations about young people “riding on train cars,” the role of mental health, and the need for sustainable self regulation practices that help young people build emotional awareness, discipline, and long term stability.
Throughout the evening, the room balanced hard truths with meaningful dialogue. During one exchange, a young man in the audience was told, “No disrespect, take your hoodie off,” which opened another layer of conversation around how adults speak to youth and how youth receive correction. There was slight friction, but also respectful mediation and communication that allowed the room to stay connected. At another point, someone said, “A pizza party won’t change it,” while later another perspective was shared recognizing that for some families, a pizza party matters because it provides reassurance that a child will eat that day. Both realities were acknowledged respectfully, and the conversation continued to move with honesty over ego.
There were also repeated reminders about what community used to feel like and what many people believe Southeast Queens can become again. “There was a time when we knew everyone on the block,” one attendee shared. Another voice followed with, “We need to get back to community because getting back to community is getting back to self love.” Sports were discussed heavily throughout the night, especially football and basketball, with one speaker explaining, “I pick sports as my lane because I can teach through sports.” Another line that stayed with the room was, “The brilliance in the front doesn’t take away from the brilliance in the room.” That statement was timed perfectly, and leveled the group like the seating arrangement. Another cool thing was that every generation seemed present. The 1940’s was in the building with the 2010’s babies and everything in between. Businesses, organizations, trades, sports, arts, education, mentorship, culture, you name it…
That may have been one of the most important takeaways of the night. All of the ingredients were already in the building. Part of the Legacy Lab work is being an “organizer organizer”. That just means formalizing the systems that we acknowledge as necessary while helping recreate the brand of our community. Connection, collaboration, and design.
A guided networking segment built directly into future meetings would be powerful to see. Many people clearly wanted to make sure they knew who was in the room. Some brothers quietly began networking on their own. Others waited respectfully for direction, but the energy for collaboration was already there. A dedicated design for connection, introductions, and coordinated follow up could help turn conversations into more focused action.
Southeast Queens already has the people, talent, perspective, and lived experience necessary to strengthen the community. The next step is continuing to intentionally connect the dots so they become part of a recognizable and sustainable brand for the community moving forward.
Also, I thought it would have been funny if Grafh spoke. If he would have said “My name Grafh y’all” it could have been a moment. Maybe next time. Stay tuned for Mr.Fingaz content! Shout out to James Johnson and his team for putting this together. It’s up!
Christopher Teel, Ed.D, @Bored.of.Educatiion, Legacy Lab
