Color Magazine Online

From a distance, the men of Nexus Alliance look like typical "suits," but take off the ties and the collared shirts, put them in ordinary clothing, and they look like everyday men - light skinned, dark skinned, short, tall, older, younger, a brother, a father, a son. As members of the Alliance, they represent a network of black men across a multitude of professional and non-professional careers dedicated to countering the confluence of social ills in Boston's black community.

They initially came together as a group in February 2008 to talk about ways they could reshape the image of black men and help people of color in need, by fostering economic and business opportunities. At that time, the primary focus was to get to the root of the problem. Daniel Rivers, president and founder of the Nexus Alliance, initiated the talks that grew, over time, into positive action that has empowered hundreds so far.

"As a starting point, I wanted to reach out to the black men whom I met in my travels," Rivers said. "I wanted them to join me in trying to figure out what the problem was."

It did not take long for him to realize that he and other black men were at the root of the problem, in terms of single mothers, black youth lacking guidance, and a plethora of other issues that have arisen as a result of the male absence in black communities throughout the country. A 2000 Census report revealed that more than half of all black children in the United States are being raised in single-parent households - 49 percent are being raised exclusively by their mothers and 4 percent by their fathers. An additional 9% live with neither parent, leaving 38% who are being raised in two-parent households.

The Nexus Alliance has amassed a contact database of more than 350 black men from around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, all of whom have a desire to be a part of the solution by pooling together their contributions as responsible black professional - this is what forms the nexus point between all of them.

"We are professional and non-professional," Rivers said. "We care about the community, we care about our kids, and we care about people in need and about redefining our role in the fabric of our various communities, and having a sustainable, economic impact."

Joseph Feaster, an attorney at McKenzie & Associates, has been with Nexus Alliance from the start, despite his reluctance to join yet another group that claimed to want to help the inner city.

"What struck me when Dan approached me... was that he was a newcomer, he had a vision, and a fresh voice. I had a level of skepticism because I had been there, and I had done that, but he came with such a level of sincerity and I was intrigued by that and I thought, let's give it a shot."

Feaster wants to resuscitate the sense of community that was so alive in present when he was a child in New York City.
"I come from a community where everybody in the neighborhood knew who you were. If the Feaster kid did something on 98th Street, by the time I got to 95th, everybody knew about it," he said.

"We want to see if we can reestablish what has enabled us to get to where we are today. It was some community that made us. The men of Nexus Alliance come from many different backgrounds, experiences - we are the heads of organizations, lawyers, business men, educators, chefs, students, and when we come together, we check our egos at the door."

Last November, Nexus Alliance raised money to help the Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury distribute 400 turkeys and serve 1,000 meals to families in Dorchester. In addition, they painted the interior of the Freedom House - a revitalizing experience for many of the men in the alliance whose high school and college careers were supported by the organization. They felt the deed allowed them to give back to the historic institution that had helped many of them get on their ways. This Mother's Day, with the help of corporate donations, the men hosted and served 400 mothers gourmet dinners that were prepared by members of the alliance who are restaurateurs.

"One of the things that I like about the alliance is that it encourages you to step up and own responsibility as men," said Langston Dugger, Alliance member and director of organizational development for the Boston Center for Community & Justice.

"One draw for me, aside from the service piece and the outward facing things, is the relationships that I have formed with the men who are involved and how that helps to develop community and also helps to fix some of the problems in the black community."

Some of Nexus' plans include hosting a financial literacy summit, career fair and a health awareness event. It also plans to build a partnership with Massachusetts Mentoring whereby it will sponsor a Mentors of Color Campaign.

Nexus will also host an event on July 13th featuring Governor Deval Patrick and Cleve Killingsworth, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.