2001 - 2002
Bouncing back from a year (2000-2001) that started out rather chaotically with four different board configurations and suffered from dwindling membership numbers, the BMF, under the leadership of the Honorable Issac Weiler ’02-’03 experienced what is widely recognized as a renaissance year and turning point for the organization in many ways.

It did not, however, seem that this was going to be the case at first. On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, sending the nation into a whirlwind of political and moral confusion. Inside the campus bubble, President Lawrence H. Summers’ first year at Harvard was defined by tensions stemming from the acrimonious departure of former Alphonse Fletcher University Professor Cornel West and President Summers’ conspicuous hesitance to endorse affirmative action and diversity in faculty hiring. In the face of this controversy and uncertainty, however, the BMF persevered and made a number of institutional leaps that strengthened the organization tremendously.

The organization’s move to weekly meetings was solidified this year, and the experience of interacting with brothers every Monday at 7 PM proved to be a great thing for the development of brotherhood in the organization. The BMF meetings of this year were a place of lively debate where opinions across the political spectrum were offered and debated on a number of hot topics. Guests of note at this year’s BMF meetings included Prof. West before his departure, and W.E.B. DuBois University Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This year, the BMF also hosted a lecture by renowned white anti-racist activist Tim Wise that was a resounding success. BMF also co-sponsored a screening of Antwone Fisher starring Denzel Washington and Derek Luke, who attended the premiere. One event that should not be overlooked as a factor in the BMF renaissance is the establishment of the paintball trip, which brought members together and caused a noticeable increase in participation, excitement, and bumps on the head.

The BMF’s two biggest accomplishments this year, however, had to do with our relationship with black women. In the winter of 2001, Jason Young ’04 proposed a radical upgrade to the Celebration of Black Women event. Jason’s plan, although initially met with skepticism and uncertainty, eventually won out, and the CBW was moved off campus for the first time to the Back Bay Hilton. By accessing corporate and other forms of sponsorship, Jason Young and Vice-President Charles Moore ’04 were able to make the Celebration a grand event on the scale of our true love and appreciation for black women. That year’s honoree was Professor Evelyn Higginbotham, the renowned historian from our very own Department of African and African American Studies—an important statement in a time of uncertainty for the department.

This year was also the first year that BMF became actively involved with Take Back the Night Week, a week-long effort to raise awareness about sexual assault and sexual violence. BMF was one of the first male groups to get involved with TBTN, and the black community’s TBTN week event is now regularly one of the highest attended and most powerful events all week. BMF members have also come to be very active in the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and other efforts to raise awareness amongst other black men of this oft-ignored issue in our community.

Pledging to build further on the successes of 2001-2002, Brotherhood Chair Alonzo Sherman ’03 was elected president. Vice-President Charles Moore left the BMF board to become BSA President, and Jason Young, fresh off a resoundingly successful CBW, was elected Vice-President. Former freshman representative Brandon Terry ‘05, and founder of the now legendary Get Yo’ Jollies pre-frosh weekend party (which was held for the first time in 2002) was elected Brotherhood Chair. The rest of the new board included Chris Hill ’05 as Social Chair, Kwame Osseo-Asare ’05 as Treasurer, Issac Weiler as Secretary, and Andre Kydd ’04 as Historian.