Morehouse College
Through a four-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the BMRI aims to facilitate learning and community engagement as well as rigorous research.
"As a college dedicated to advancing knowledge of Black men's lives, Morehouse is thankful for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's investment that enables us to establish the BMRI," said Dr. Kendrick Brown, provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Morehouse. "The Institute will be a positive force for promoting richer, more nuanced understandings of how Black men affect and are influenced by their communities."
The Institute plans to launch an annual symposium and, in partnership with Morehouse's Africana studies and history department, will explore the first Black masculinities studies minor at an HBCU along with an online certificate program.
"The BMRI will fill a void in research, scholarship, curriculum, and public engagement to reveal a holistic understanding of the experiences of men and boys of African descent in the United States, Africa, and the African Diaspora—from their expressions of gender and identity to the overt and subtle ways that systemic racism and inequalities affect them in myriad socio-political, economic, and cultural contexts," said Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris, chair of the division of humanities and professor of Africana studies. "Just as important, the institute will explore and share ways that Black men and boys have—and continue to—overcome barriers and find ways to empower themselves, their families, and communities."
