Special to The Times
Birmingham City Council Pro Tem Steven Hoyt recently held his annual Father’s Day weekend 2017 Man Up Breakfast at the Birmingham Crossplex with Art Franklin of CBS 42 as host and Gerrel Jones, of Birmingham Violence Reduction Initiative, as guest speaker.
The breakfast not only paid tribute to fathers, but also recognized men and women active in their communities. The breakfast proved to be empowering, motivating and engaging for young African American men in the city.
“We want our young men to know how valuable they are to our communities and our Man Up Breakfast is a great opportunity to build men young and old into men of character,” Hoyt said. “Real men, especially fathers and grandfathers, uncles and father figures play a pivotal role not just in the life of their own children, but in the lives of every child they mentor. So forums like Man Up is crucial to building our young men, and what better time to do that than on Father’s Day weekend.”
Hoyt recognized people in Birmingham making a positive impact on the lives of young men and who steered youth in the right direction by giving them the tools they need to live a successful life.
A panel of speakers included community leaders, college and high school students, as well as business executives. In addition to gaining insight from the panel of speakers, attendees also had the opportunity to network and fellowship with others during this free community event.
