Show Yourself and Be not Ashamed - A Call to the African American Male for Visibility

Many African American churches have men who are present but not active, thus depriving the church of its male role models. This may be caused by several factors. Nonetheless, adolescent males do not have an adequate cross-section of men in various leadership positions to emulate. This plight has long-term ramifications for the church community. Preparing adult men to mentor youth is a tool to fill this void. Rather than waiting for the invisible man to show up, it is necessary to devise a way for the "present" African American male to increase his self-awareness, improve his self-image and repair his damaged psyche so he can be the role model that the African American church and community so desperately need. Instead of focusing solely on the mentorees as many others programs do, it was best to prepare mentors by aiding their ability to become more useful and productive within the congregation. The methodology presented is based on the work of Heinz Kohut's and Bowen's Family System Theory. Those interested in designing programs to uplift African American men so they can be better role models and mentors will find this book to be a useful tool.