How the 100 Black Men of Macon/Middle Georgia Chapter is mentoring the next generation while honoring a legacy of leadership 

Story by Eldredge McCready | Photos courtesy of Christopher Turner

Invitations to a black-tie event almost 30 years ago changed the lives of three local businessmen. Sam Hart Sr. was invited by his friend Bobby Olive, along with Virgil Adams and Billy Pitts to attend a gala held by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Besides top-notch entertainment, attendees included former Atlanta mayors Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, who was then the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Executives from Atlanta-based corporations Georgia Power and Delta Air Lines were also in attendance.

Hart and Adams had attended the annual celebration before but it was the first time for Pitts, who was impressed. “One year, they recognized some of the kids whose school they had adopted and made a commitment that members would pay for their entire education,” Pitts said. Some of the young students were brought on stage, and a video was shown in which they shared their experiences of being mentored from fifth grade through high school graduation. The organization also pledged to pay for their college education.

It was an emotional experience for the well-dressed partygoers. “It kind of brought tears to our eyes,” said Pitts. He and his cohorts stayed in Atlanta overnight and met for breakfast the next morning. Driving home to Macon with their wives, they discussed emulating what the organization had accomplished in Atlanta.

Months later, while returning from an Atlanta Falcons game at the Georgia Dome, the men revisited their experience at the gala.

“We decided we needed to do something like that here,” said Pitts, a longtime insurance executive and business owner. So he, well-known attorney Adams, and Hart — who had served on the Bibb County Commission in other leadership roles — decided to start a chapter of 100 Black Men in 1996.

 “Without question, what is most impressive to me is that we had a group of men come together to provide opportunities for young men and our community at large,” Adams recalled.

The Macon-Middle Georgia chapter is still going strong and the three founders remain heavily involved. The mission of the group, which currently has 75 members, is to improve the quality of life within Macon and Middle Georgia communities and to enhance educational and economic opportunities, primarily for young African American males.

The 100 Black Men of America was originally formed in 1963 in New York City, when concerned African American men met to figure out how to improve conditions for young people in their community. In its 62 years, the nonprofit has grown to 110 chapters nationwide, with 10,000 members who have mentored and served more than 125,000 underserved minority youth. The national headquarters is in Atlanta.

Macon-Middle Georgia’s 100 Black Men have implemented many programs and events. One of the first things they did was adopt all three fifth grade classes at Ingram-Pye Elementary School. They called it Project Reach, getting involved in the lives of the 10- and 11-year-olds.

“From fifth grade on to middle school and high school, we had academic academies, we would take them to ballgames, to the circus,” Pitts said. The members often spend their own time and money on the youngsters, who get life lessons on health and wellness, and economic empowerment.

Over the years, the organization has held fall career festivals to expose their mentees and other youth in the community to career possibilities, at times attracting thousands at events held at the Macon Coliseum. Besides working with the young people to improve their reading skills and academics, they also broaden their worldviews and cultural interests with trips. They have taken some youngsters to New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

Founder Sam Hart Sr. has always focused on academics. He established and is currently the executive director of the Middle Georgia Center for Academic Excellence. The center partners with several academic institutions with a goal to help low-income, first-generation college students graduate.

Hart’s personal mission is to “impact the next generation to improve their plight.”

The staff mentors in areas of science, mathematics, and engineering. The results are paying off: 51% of its students have earned bachelor’s degrees, 25% have earned master’s degrees and 24% have completed doctorates. 

Although the 100 Black Men get some support from public and private entities, the members of the organization donate their own personal funds, and also raise money to support their efforts. One example from the Macon chapter is an annual charity golf tournament honoring the late Head Start Director Jimmy Samuels.

Garrett Williams, current president of the Macon-Middle Georgia 100 Black Men chapter, is also the CEO of Central Georgia Council of Boy Scouts of America.

In recent years, the group has adopted Bruce Elementary School on Houston Avenue and has started Cub Scout and Boy Scouts Troop 100. In the summer, some deserving Cub and Boy Scouts get to go camping. Late June of this year, some of the scouts from Bruce Elementary went to Camp Sidney Dew, located in the northwest corner of the state near Rome.

Nmandi Onyekeuluje, Dan Morgan, and Sabir Muhammad directed the scouts at the camp, during which four students who graduated from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts received their  “Arrows of Light” in a ceremony while at the camp.

Onyekeuluje moved to Macon in 2013, attended Mercer University, and became a member of 100 Black Men in 2022. One of the younger members, he began After working for the district attorney’s office, he is now program director for school-based programs for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Georgia. 

“The best thing about the 100 [Black Men] is the community support from local government, community-based organizations. We’ve had the backing from every entity in the community,” Onyekeuluje said, who spoke while “up in the mountains” at Camp Sidney Dew in late June.

 “The moral compass foundation is first.” Onyekeuluje said. During the camp, the scouts can enjoy swimming, knot tying, archery, hiking, and other activities.

He and Eli Morgan and Sabir Muhammad were directing the scouts at the camp, where four students who graduated from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts received their Arrows of Light in a ceremony.

“The moral compass foundation is first,” Onyekeuluje said. During the camp, the scouts can enjoy swimming, learn knot-tying and archery, and gain practical outdoor skills.

There have been many successes pointed out among the young men that the Macon-Middle Georgia chapter has nurtured. Among them is Danny Glover, whose college education at Tennessee State University was financed by the 100 Black Men. Glover, who grew up on the south side of Macon, recently announced he is running for Congress in Georgia’s 2nd Congressional District, a seat that has been held by Sanford Bishop since 1993.

Another Macon native who has benefited greatly from the group is musician Gavin Rushing. As a teenager, Rushing attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and earned his bachelor’s degree. Rushing, who is trained in the classics, also plays organ, drums, and guitar. His repertoire includes gospel, jazz R&B, and funk.

Rushing, who performed a concert for Macon’s 100 Black Men chapter in July at the Douglass Theatre, has become worldly. He is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain.

And according to Pitts, who used to sponsor the Ebony Fashion Fair that benefitted the United Negro College Fund, what does the 100 Black Men of Macon-Middle Georgia have planned for the 30th anniversary of the chapter in 2026?

For the Brothership, a trip to the mothership. A journey to New York City, where it all began.