Which of the following statements is false?

• Black men lead the country in military service.
• More black men are in prison than in college.
  
• Black fathers, compared with fathers of other races, are the most engaged.

Both the top and bottom statements are true; the one in the center? False.
If you know who Trabian Shorters is, you probably already knew which statements were true and which was false. Shorters, co-author (with former NAACP president Ben Jealous, now a partner at Kapor Capital) of The New York Times best-seller, Reach: 40 Black Men Speak on Living, Leading, and Succeeding, founded and leads the national community organization that is changing the American narrative about black men.

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At Leaders of the Free World we are passionate about the transformative power of international travel.  To that end, we are highlighting the stories of several young, Black men whose international experience  had lasting impact on their lives. In some cases, these experiences spurred them to make a difference in their communities. 

Our first story is from Steven Hughes, Founder and Chief Financial Mentor of Know Money, Incorporated.

Steven got the opportunity to travel just over this past year spending 6 days in Geneva, Switzerland at a conference.  What struck him the most?  “I met 450 young leaders from 160 countries with diverse experiences, backgrounds and professions. Each were brilliant in their own right and it affirmed some things for me. ”
As a young, Black man from the United States, meeting so many people from so many countries was enlightening. 

Steven has moved on to continue work on his own project, Know Money, Inc. to help teach financial literacy and entrepreneurship to youth and young adults across the state of South Carolina.  Steven credits his experience for pushing him forward in this endeavor. "I met so many awesome people doing great things and I thought, 'I belong here. I should be doing this." He has also been bitten by the travel bug with plans to travel to Ghana, Tanzania, and Jamaica in the next year.

About Steven:
Steven is a first-generation Jamaican-American and native of Columbia, SC. After making countless financial mistakes in college and rebounding from them,  he has developed a passion in teaching others about financial education and entrepreneurship. For the past six years, Steven has worked with colleges, universities, organizations and companies to educate their members on reaching their financial, personal and professional goals. 

David Banner, the producer and rapper from Mississippi who has long been vocal on a variety of sociopolitical issues, is making concrete strides toward bettering his home state. According to the Charlotte Observer, Banner has donated a recording studio to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi.

Located in Jackson, his hometown, the studio is in a converted office space that overlooks a bank of basketball courts where Banner often played as a child. It was announced as party of the city’s ninth annual Heal the Hood at Christmas initiative, where he also gave out gifts to more than 350 kids and their families.


Read More: David Banner Donates Studio to the Boys and Girls Club in Mississippi - XXL