History of the 100 Black Men of America

The idea of 100 Black Men was born in New York City in 1963 when a body of successful men from the fields of business, industry, public affairs, government and the professions decided to pool their skills, experiences and resources to improve the quality of life for Blacks and other minorities. Among those early founders were David Dinkins, Livingston Wingate, and Andrew Hatcher.

In the 1970s, the concept of developing individual, independent chapters in other cities took hold and in 1973, the 100 Black Men of New Jersey was formed by Dr. William Hayling and others.

After New Jersey came Los Angeles, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, the San Francisco / Oakland Bay Area, Nassau/Suffolk, and Sacramento. In 1986 these nine successful chapters resolved to create "100 Black Men of America, Inc." as a national confederation with Dr. Hayling as the founding president.

The first national conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 27, 1987 where the alliance was introduced to the nation.

Since then, the group has met in Los Angeles (1988), Indianapolis (1989), New Jersey (1990), St. Louis (1991), San Francisco (1992), Atlanta (1993), Nashville (1994), Jackon (1995), Miami (1996), Atlanta (1997), and New Orleans (1998). The 1999 Convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan on June 9-13.

As of 1998, there are 10,000 members of the national organization in 88 chapters across the United States and 4 international chapters (United Kingdom, Jamaica, Goree Island, and Senegal).

National Programs

• Dramatic Interpretations of Historic Black Americans
• 100/Carson Products Scholarship Programs
• Megaskills Parenting Program
• Partnership in Education
• Atlanta Football Classic
• Tribute to Unsung Heroes
• Stop the Violence TV Sports
• Speaker’s Bureau
• Health Forums/Information
• It’s Blackademics
• Men’s Youth Breakfast
• A World of Difference
• ECHO Children’s Home
• Career Orientation Program
• Elementary Debating Team
• Emmit Smith Golf Classic
• Scholastic Excellence Program
• 100/McDonald's Scholarship Program
• Gerald Levert/Dark & Lovely Scholarship Program
• Regional Mentoring Program
• Project Success