Student organization supports career development for men of color

Emily Richardson, Contributing Writer

Developing Men of Color, a student-led organization, gives male students of color at VCU the resources to succeed in their careers and lives through professional development workshops, community service and social connection.

Developing Men of Color, alongside an optional special topics course for first-year students titled “Dynamic Principles of Professional Development: Men of Color,” is part of the greater VCU Men of Color Initiative. 

The initiative provides research-based recommendations to VCU in the development of programs to bolster the academic and career success of undergraduate male Black and Latino student success, according to Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success. 

The student organization started in September 2018 and is designed to help male students of color at VCU interact and grow as a community, according to VCU News, where Developing Men of Color was recently featured. 

Developing Men of Color president Thomas Chatman said being featured in VCU News felt great, as more recognition for the group allows it to benefit more people.

“The rest of the E-Board and I have a passion for helping people and providing this kind of space,” Chatman said. “Once we were featured we knew there would be a lot more people that would be able to benefit from the group, and that’s the end goal.”

For men of color — who, in 2019, represented only 17.5% of all postsecondary enrollment in the United States, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute — having an organization like this at VCU is life-changing, according to Chatman. 

Chatman said Developing Men of Color had a lot to do with keeping him in school when he considered dropping out in his sophomore year.

“I was one of those who felt like college wasn’t the place for me,” Chatman said. “That was before I had gotten internships through DMC, and before I started mentoring where I found my passion for helping others.”

One keystone of the organization is the mentorship program, Chatman said. Members of Developing Men of Color mentor about 70 students at Binford Middle School. The organization plans to extend the program to George W. Carver Elementary in the future.

Mentors are given a rundown of how their mentees are doing in school as well as any needs or problems they have. Mentors are then able to help their mentee in a way they see fit. That could be helping them with their homework or playing sports together to have fun, Chatman said.

“We’re showing these kids that there’s a bright future ahead of them,” Chatman said. “Seeing the impact that our mentorship has on their lives is what keeps us moving to do more for the community.” 

The organization offers professional development workshops for members, including resumé, interview practice and LinkedIn events, according to member Omaré Perkins.

Perkins, a junior mechanical engineering student, said he decided to join Developing Men of Color when he saw the helpful career-related events the group was putting on.

“I saw they were giving back to people and helping people, not just with career development but with life,” Perkins said. “They do other things like mixers, where you can meet people and they give you advice on school, jobs, life and everything.”

Perkins said Developing Men of Color’s workshops helped him to secure multiple internships. Some members of Developing Men of Color also participate in intramural sport teams together, including soccer and flag football.

Sport teams are just one of the things contributing to the strong sense of brotherhood in the organization, according to member Thomas Olds. Developing Men of Color is “all about the people,” Olds said.

“I went out to one of the mixers and thought, ‘Hey, there’s more men of color out here on this campus, I’m not here by myself trying to carry the name of men of color on my own,’” Olds said. “It’s other young men and men in higher places than I am right now who are willing to stand beside me. That’s what really drew me into the group.”

Although the group is large with about 450 members, it’s still a tight-knit community that Olds encourages people to join, he said.

“Take the chance to experience something new,” Olds said. “Maybe two or three years down the road, If we can still have the same sense of togetherness then, that would be something great to witness.