President Message
Message from the President, Richard Cornelius:
51 years ago, African-American leaders in New York City came together and set out to make a difference in young men's lives. They realized an organization could affect its community's future by directing resources at youth development and mentorship.
​
Today, as I take the baton from past leaders of the Sacramento Chapter of the 100 Black Men, the need for our organization is greater than ever. In today's environment, our kids need role models and leadership to push them to greater heights.
​
As leaders, we need to improve our community’s qualify of life and enhance educations and economic opportunities. That means focusing more resources on our Mentoring program, which would funnel more high school-age kids into our chapter's Scholarship Program. We must focus on getting more children involved and interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) coursework and programs. With an ever-changing and ultra-competitive global economy, having an interest - and a degree - in one of these four core fields will greatly impact the ability for these children to succeed.
In order to accomplish this, our organization needs to make a greater effort on bringing in more community leaders, volunteers, mentors, organizations and businesses with backgrounds in these fields. Only by showing our children the endless possibilities will they be pushed towards the fields of tomorrow. The Sacramento Chapter of the 100 Black Men can help accomplish this goal by partnering with other organizations that can bring this expertise to our youth. By working together, civic organizations in our communities can help a larger number of youth and issues.
​
Our other programs, including Economic Development and Health & Wellness, must also continue to make positive impacts in the lives of our youth. Teaching our youth the importance of responsible economic decision-making and living a healthy lifestyle is a gift that will last the rest of our lives.
​
By working together, it is my goal that the youth we work with will be able to come back to their communities and make a positive impact on future generations.
​
As President of this chapter of the 100 Black Men, it will be my privilege to serve the Sacramento Community. With some hard work and a little bit of luck, it is my hope that we can accomplish all we set out to do.
​
Richard Cornelius: Bio
​
​