This post was originally published on Defender Network
By Aswad Walker
With negative news dominating headlines, the My Brother Podcast, founded by Laolu Davies Yemitan, offers hope and encouragement for the culture. The Defender spoke with Davies about his endeavor that seeks to create a more accurate conversation around the subject of Black men.
DEFENDER: What was the inspiration behind My Brother Podcast?
LAOLU: As a young person, I had innate drive and motivation to want to be successful and accomplished, but I didn’t understand the “how,” the process. I didn’t have the information, the data set of what the different paths were to success or really how to go about it. Most people tell you, “If you want to be successful, go to college, get a degree.” For me, it wasn’t just about getting a degree, I needed it to be something meaningful. I didn’t encounter professional Black men until I pledged the college fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. As an adult, and occupying the space I now occupy, I’ve got a lot of friends who are representative of this broader sector of Black men who are not typically captured in mainstream media. Unfortunately, a lot of society has these perceptions around Black men, but they don’t understand that we are every man. We’re pioneers, we’re philosophers, we’re preachers, politicians, you name it. We’re also entrepreneurs, we’re fathers, we’re business people. My Brother Podcast’s intention was really to create a platform to share with the broader world, what we know, that Black men who are educators, who are making an impact, who are in media, contribute to society in so many different, unique ways; and to show our Black youth, what is possible.