Summit challenges men to commit to family
EVENT: Organizers steer men toward messages of strength, faith and community.
10:10 PM PDT on Saturday, June 11, 2005
By DAVID DANELSKI / The Press-Enterprise
Nearly 200 black men and teenage boys clasped hands on Saturday, prayed and committed themselves to serving as positive role models in their families and communities.
The all-male experience at the Riverside Marriott Hotel left Davion Brantley, 13, of Moreno Valley, motivated and energized, he said.
"It was cool," Davion said of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2005 Men's Deliverance Summit. "It teaches you how to make the right choices."
Mark Zaleski / The Press-Enterprise
Allen White, 16, of San Bernardino, prays during the invocation at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 2005 Men's Deliverance Summit, where speakers encouraged the audience with inspiring messages.
The group prayer and hugs came after three hours of speeches, impassioned sermons, poems, and choir and rap performances organized by the Riverside County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
More than a dozen speakers came, ranging from a Riverside city councilman to a former gang member who became a comedian and actor.
The themes were consistent: Dedication to God, church, families, wives, children and youth is a clear path to ridding black communities of gangs, violence, drugs and other social ills.
The audience spontaneously came to its feet as the Rev. James Baylark argued that children are being left behind.
"They don't have mentors," said Baylark, his words echoing like thunder through the conference room. "They don't have men in their lives."
Men, he said, should follow God and Jesus and get involve in their churches and communities.
When necessary, they must intervene to stop fights and other conflicts among the youth in their neighborhoods. They also must spend time with children and youth who need them.
"It is about men acting like men and not being afraid," he said.
Baylark was the chief organizer of the event and is president of the Riverside County chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization established by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Rev. Lacy Sykes Jr., pastor of the CrossWord Christian Church in Moreno Valley, urged the audience not to make excuses for themselves and to be devoted husbands and fathers.
"Yes, there is racism," Sykes said. "But there will always be racism. That shouldn't stop you from being productive."
Avoid stagnation and work hard for your families, he said.
"It's OK if your wife is making money," he said. "But if you are staying home, you should be pushing a vacuum cleaner. ... I am tired of men making excuses."
Reach David Danelski at (951)-368-9471 or ddanelski@pe.com
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