Breaking the Stereotype: One Man Actively Promoting A Positive Black Male Image

Brandon Frame is one man who is inspiring and changing the world through his efforts alone! (Photo courtesy of Brandon Frame)
Don't you love it when you see someone who isn't just complaining about the changes that need to be made, but instead is actually making those changes?   Brandom Frame is the epitome of this "someone," which is why RIZZARR jumped at the opportunity to feature him on our website.   RIZZARR was first captivated by Frame after visiting his media platform called The Black Man Can-- a website dedicated to educating and inspiring minorities, particularly African American men, that despite the odds you can truly do anything that you put your mind to do.   Indeed, Frame truly lives and embodies his motto: “Be Different, Be Great, and Never Stop.” In fact, due to his efforts in changing the world, the 2012 Black Nomination Awards recently nominated for two of its awards award categories, education and website.   Frame said that he has always had a vision for achieving his goals. His path to greatness started early, but some of his most distinguished experiences were cultivated while attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. While at Morehouse, Brandon’s affinity for developing young Black Males into positive Black Men was formed, in addition to his love for marketing, business, and education. We got to get an inside glimpse into his successes, and how he is breaking barriers to change the world! Read our interview with him below.         RIZZARR INTERVIEW WITH BRANDON FRAME

1. Tell me about growing up and your realizing what you wanted do in your career.

I come from very humble beginnings growing up in Connecticut. I have to give special thanks to my mother and grandparents for laying a strong foundation for me to stand upon today. I’m easily a few choices away from having a completely different life then the one I live now. It wasn’t until college I would truly realize and understand what I wanted to do with my life. I took a class taught by Dr. Belinda White titled Leadership and Professional Development and part of the class is to do a Service Learning Project and a portfolio on written assignments. Both of these two things combined helped me realize that my passion was in education and youth development. I have embraced my passion and purpose and pursued it with impeccable effort.     Frame's efforts and success even landed him on the This is the Day TV Show. 2. What made you start the Role Model, Scholar, and Gentleman (RSG) Mentoring Program for Charles R. Drew Charter School? The program first started through my Service Learning Project in Dr. White’s class. I made sure my group did the project at Drew Charter School. After the semester I realized the impact me and my Morehouse brothers had on the students and with the help of Kevin Parker and Marquis Horn, RSG Mentoring was born!!     3. How did starting this program impact your life? It has impacted my life tremendously as turned down all six corporate job offers I had to pursue a career in education and youth development. I have not looked back since and I still keep in touch with many of the students I first mentored. If it were not for the program, I probably would be in a cubicle at some company but instead I’m a school administrator impact the lives of young people everyday! I must say my grandmother was slightly upset when I turned down 65K for 25K, but it all worked out because I followed my passion and purpose.     4. After college, how did you decide to choose your calling even amidst all of the other opportunities that you could have chosen? What made you decide to take a position with The Fessenden School as a Teaching Fellow? At first, it was hard because I was offered jobs making pretty good money for a college graduate but I knew I would not be extremely happy trying to meet someone’s bottom line. I have a few words I live by and one is “Live your Passion, Love Your Work” and that is what I used to make the choice of taking the position of Teaching Fellow at The Fessenden School.     4. How did the fellowship change your life and what programs/ initiatives did you start? It changed my life in so many ways I’m not even sure I could name them all. First, The Fessenden School is an elite private school for boys so I first was dealing with students from a completely different background that my own. I learned a great deal from students, parents and the school itself. I have taken away many lessons I can apply in life and at other schools.     At the Fessenden School, I was Co-Leader of both the affinity group for boys of African Descent called Voice and Matters of Race, Ethnicity and Gender with Ms. Lavette Coney. One group was exclusively for black male students at Fessenden and the other was for all students. In Voice it was all about building positive self-identity and brotherhood amongst the Black Male students. They were exposed to various speakers, panels and trips. In Matters of Race, Ethnicity and Gender the focus was bringing boys together to talk about serious issues that adults hate to talk about but need to discuss in order to move forward.     In my two years as Fessenden, I know I made major gains with many young men in and out of the classroom many of which I keep in touch with today and I look forward to attending their high school and college graduations as I believe it is important to follow young students as they progress in life!     5. Tell me about the day you found out that you would become the Director of Business Partnerships and Program Development at High School Inc., in Hartford, Connecticut. How did this make you feel about your life and your purpose in the world? I was elated!! I went and took myself out for ice cream!! This position was the perfect blend of what I wanted to do in life. I can combine my love for business with education and youth development! The moment I received the email I know my life was headed in the right direction and that following my passion and purpose after college was the right thing to do. I just finished my first year at High School, Inc, and the list of accomplishments is out of this world but each and every one of them has benefited students and provided them with opportunities that are unmatched at many high schools in this country!       6. It seems as though you never stop, Brandon, and that your mission is to truly inspire the world even if it is not through teaching. In fact, one of your most successful media projects the Black Man Can has had groundbreaking success. What prompted your to start this media platform?

There are two reasons that promoted me to start TheBlackManCan: ---The young men I was mentoring at Drew Charter School needed to see positive images of themselves once they left school of they were not with me and 2) the stories of my Morehouse Brothers and other Black Men in this world need to be told.   ----One of my favorite schools M.K. Asante says “Once you make an observation you have an obligation” and I did just that I made these two observations and now I have the obligation to create it.     7. With the Black Man Can, what do you hope that audiences take from your website and how do you hope that it changes the world? I hope that the audience can take away inspiration, empowerment and become uplifted from TheBlackManCan. It is my that hope TheBlackManCan will assist in changing the world by instilling positive adjectives in the minds of black, white, brown and yellow people all across the globe! So, I also just found out that even with the many things you are doing, you also recently launched Final Frame, a line of men’s neckwear in June. Where did this idea come from and how has your involvement with this project changed your life?  

I One of Frame's ties apart of his collection. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Frame.

This idea was birthed from the idea that many young boys need to learn how to tie a tie. It is pretty much one of those rights of passage for young men. Once they learn how to tie a tie it is a step in the direction of manhood. I have worked in many schools and I come across so many young men who do not know how to tie one and thus I have taught many how to tie a tie. I think thought how cool, and inspiring it would be to teach young men how to tie a tie and then give them a tie from my own line. I have a whole workshop designed titled Well-Dressed teaching young men the art of dressing and afterwards they receive a Final Frame Tie.   This project has changed my life in many ways, first just learning the good, bad and ugly of starting a business. However, I have a great business partner in Carmen Veal and everything is moving in the right direction. I also have had the opportunity to put my marketing degree to work which has been a great experience. I truly have to manage my time efficiently to meet the needs and demands of the various ventures.         VIDEO ON THE FINAL FRAME TIE COLLECTION   Final Frame @ Hartford 21 from Randall Jenkins Videography on Vimeo.     8. As you look back on your life and in the years to come, how do you hope the impact of your life is? When I look back and look forward I hope that someone is able to say that I inspired others to “Be Different, Be Great, Never Stop” and at all times I was a role model, a scholar and a gentlemen.     9. What do you say to youth-- especially minority youth-- who feel discouraged in pursuing their dreams or who are scared to take a risk in pursing their dreams? I say them Coat your mind with knowledge so that it will be penetrated by foolishness so that you can:

Stand Tall and Proud

Go out on a Limb

Remember your roots

Be content with who you are!

  Your current position does not define who you are, you cannot use it as a crutch but as a launching pad to amazing things. Benjamin Elijah Mays says “Every man and woman was put on this earth to do something unique and distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will not be done.    

10. What do you think needs to change in society for the betterment of education and our youth?

Whoa…this would be one long list…but if I think of something that needs to be change right away I’m going with Critical Media Literacy. I share this, because what is being shared on the airwaves and television of today has a huge impact on the mindset of the today’s youth and can lead them down a particular direction that is bad good and right now we pray they choose the latter.     9. Who has and continues to inspire you? I have several mentors that have an continue to inspire me Terrell Hill, Ken Smith, and Floyd Green III being two who I speak to most frequently. However, the one that continues to inspire me the most is my mother here resiliency in the face adversity let’s me know I can accomplish anything I put my mind to and be the change I want to see in the world!