Black Men of the Future in Chicago

Last Saturday, Black Men of the Future went to their annual retreat; this year it was Chicago. This experience was designed to strengthen our bond and especially for the newer members so that they will be ready when we transition at the end of the year. I will run down the schedule for you.

Friday- We meet at the House of Black Culture between 3 and 3:30 pm to load up the Hertz van. We chatted about what was our expectations, hopped in the van, and took off to our destination. The six hour drive was tiring for me. I read my Metroburbia book for my paper for a little while then I cuddled up in the back of the van and passed out. I awoke to the scenery of Indiana and listened to random conversations in the van. By the time BMF got to the Avenue Hotel around 10:30 pm, we were exhausted. We scheduled a workshop at 11:00-midnight. The workshop was a good ol' icebreaker which introduced ourselves and our expectations for the days to come. This workshop was relatively quick in comparison to the other 3 that we had (around 45 minutes). I was happy with the workshop because it segued into the morning workshop. Since the night was young, a group of us went into town. Most of us never been to Chicago so seeing the downtown, especially at night was important to us. We wanted to fully experience Chicago so staying in the hotel was not much of an option. Plus, we only had until Sunday to do whatever we needed to do. We were messing around (hence, the photos outside of the McDonald's with some of us posing with statues).

Saturday- This was the longest day ever!! My Saturday started around 6 am. I woke up, dressed, and went down to the fitness center. I did the elliptical and some chest presses for a little while and went back to my room. I showered and dressed again to prepare for the 2nd workshop. This workshop dealt with our inner selves and why we joined BMF. This workshop was meant for us to look into ourselves and to draw from other members about their experiences as members. I liked this workshop- it was serious yet it was not too serious. Sometimes, the workshops I have attended are too serious and feel like I am sitting in class. This workshop was just right. After the one and a half hour workshop was over, we headed out and enjoyed the Bulls/Pacers game at the United Center. All of the guys enjoyed this outing and we bonded well because we got out of the hotel for some guy time together. We really wanted to head over to the South Side and spend some time at the DuSable Museum of African American History. The museum had some interesting artifacts and factoids in it such as the Harold Washington exhibit, music from many different African countries, information about African kings and queens, and the huge exhibit about Black farmers, then and now. These are topics in Black History that are not as talked about and it was good to see a museum put this topics in the spotlight. I want to go back there soon. Maybe at a family excursion when I get the time and the money to head to Chicago... soon. We headed back to the hotel; however, we did hit massive traffic in downtown. In addition, we wanted to go to Chipotle's for dinner but there was no parking available. We settled to just go to the hotel and have our next workshop. This 3rd workshop was our longest- three hours long. The workshop discussed the three snake bites that could (and have) hurt our organization. This led into a discussion about prioritizing our goals for yourselves and for BMF. As the minutes went by, the conversation about how to improve BMF became more intense because it was then we all realized how important BMF is to us and how it should be to the entire OWU campus. BMF is ours and no one will take it away from us. It is up to us to promote the mission statement to the campus and to make sure that we are looking at our past and improving our future. BMF ended the night as T.G.I. Fridays a couple blocks away from the hotel as a joint venture with Sisters United, our sister organization.

Sunday- tired as all what, we had to get up around 7 am to prepare for the 4th and final workshop. The workshop started at 8 am and this was more or less a wrap-up of everything that was discussed in the three previous workshops. I loved the energy of our speaker, Robert Louis-Charles, throughout the entire workshop series. He revitalized us when we were tired and motivated us when we were arguing with one another. I have mad respect for the man and I am ever so glad to have him as BMF's workshop speaker for this retreat. Around 9 am, we packed up, got the receipt for the van, and loaded back up, and left Chicago en route to OWU.

I am so glad that I took this retreat. The retreat refocused me on my school work which I have worked very hard on since arriving on Sunday. I am so pumped to participate in the activities on campus for BMF and other similar groups in the coming events (SU, VIVA, Rafiki Wa, and the head of it all, SUBA). BMF will be a well-oiled machine for upcoming events such as Step Show, Hip-Hop Week, and the Global Outreach Show. The bond between the guys is off the charts right now and this should lead into a good transition in a couple weeks when we do our elections. All I have to say is: Fellas, we gotta ride or die... B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-M-F!!!!!!!







Riding high,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10