ABOUT BLMA
Who We Are & What We Stand For
Learn about our mission, the 10 guiding principles that shape every interaction, and the director who built BLMA from 25 years of experience in education.
Our Purpose
The Memphis / Shelby County area recognizes that Black and Latino boys and young men face unique challenges in school, career, and life. Black and Latino Male Achievement focuses on supports specifically tailored to increase success for Black and Latino males in education and beyond.
Vision
Our vision is that Black and Latino boys and young men will possess an affirmed sense of identity, dignity, and self-confidence, and will have the necessary tools to triumphantly navigate K–12, college, career, and life.
Mission
The Memphis / Shelby County area recognizes that Black and Latino boys and young men face unique challenges in school, career, and life. The Black and Latino Male Achievement (BLMA) will focus on supports specifically tailored to increase success for Black and Latino males in education.
Why Memphis and Shelby County? Black and Latino boys and young men in our community face structural barriers that compound across every stage of education and career. BLMA exists because one-size-fits-all support is not enough. Culturally specific, identity-affirming mentorship changes trajectories — and it starts here, in Memphis, with people who understand our young men.
OUR BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
Six Strategies That Guide Everything We Do
Every program, partnership, and interaction within BLMA is grounded in these six foundational strategies. They are not separate initiatives — they are interlocking supports that work together to build the whole person.
1. Academic Support
Providing tutoring and college readiness programs that meet young men where they are — with high expectations and culturally responsive instruction that fosters a genuine desire for educational achievement and excellence.
2. Mentorship
Pairing youth with positive role models who share their background and experience. The mentor relationship is the core of BLMA — sustained, one-on-one, and built on trust developed over multiple school years.
3. Leadership Development
Cultivating the values, decision-making skills, and community awareness that young men need to become leaders — not just in their careers but in their families and communities.
4. Advocacy Training
Empowering young men to understand the systems that shape their lives and to use their voices for systemic change — equipping them with the tools of civic participation and social justice.
5. Family Engagement
Strengthening the support systems at home that surround each young man. BLMA recognizes that lasting change requires the whole family, not just the individual student.
6. Cultural Enrichment
Celebrating Black and Latino heritage, history, linguistic identity, and cultural pride at every session — affirming that who our young men are is something to be honored, not overcome.
The Foundation
10 Guiding Principles
These ten principles form the core of every BLMA interaction. They are not rules imposed on young men — they are values co-constructed with them, affirming identity and building the brotherhood that carries them forward.
Academic Success
Learning and co-constructing knowledge, with high expectations, from a culturally responsive mindset that fosters a strong, mutual desire for educational achievement and excellence.
Brotherhood
Emphasizing the “village” concept, where Memphis’s Black and Latino men nobly, strategically, and collectively triumph over structural racism through mentorship and alliance.
Community
Celebrating Black and Latino traditions of cooperation, justice, protection, and support — publicly recognizing achievements in service and responsibility.
Cultural Dignity
Validating our humanity while promoting self-esteem and identity, including linguistic awareness and pride. Self-care — promoting physical health, emotional awareness and management, mindfulness, and restorative practices.
Fatherhood
Advocating “the urgency of now” for Black and Latino parenthood, sexual education, responsibility, and promoting intergenerational communication.
Financial Literacy
Fostering economic understanding, entrepreneurship, and generational wealth to support and strengthen communities of color.
Historical Understanding
Challenging white supremacist structures, inequity, and traditional narratives with accurate Pan-African and Latino historical frameworks.
Socio-Political Awareness
Understanding political education and social justice, and how current events affect Black and Latino male positionality in a traditionally white male hegemony.
Leadership Development
Cultivating values and decision-making that positively reflect our own images, interests, self-determination, and words.
Understanding Manhood
Confronting ethnic stereotypes and toxic masculinity, including homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and sexism — building a model of manhood rooted in dignity, accountability, and care.
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Wilder Lee
Director BLA
Black and Latino Male
Achievement
I am Wilder Lee, Director of Black & Latino Male Achievement. I have served in education for 25 years, and this experience has shown me that we must do more to mentor and build character and discipline in our young men.
Growing up between Memphis, Tennessee, and Newark, New Jersey, I experienced childhood from two perspectives: In the South, my grandparents raised me with loving discipline and care. In Newark, I had more freedom and less structure. This gave me perspective on how environment shapes young men’s trajectories.
Many of my closest friends were Puerto Rican, and we shared much in common: music, dance, athletics, and traditional family values. Today, as I reflect on my journey, I recognize that whether Black or Latino, we all face common struggles against systemic barriers.
This understanding led me to define the 10 Guiding Principles that form the foundation of BLMA. Our young men deserve spaces where their identity is affirmed, their potential is recognized, and their path to success is clear.
Take Action
Get Involved
There are many ways to support Black and Latino boys and young men in the Memphis / Shelby County area.
Choose how you want to make a difference.
Become a Mentor
Share your experience, time, and wisdom with a young man who needs guidance. Mentors are our most critical need.
Volunteer
Join us at events, workshops, and school programs. Every hour you give creates opportunities for young men to grow and succeed.
Partner With Us
Schools, businesses, and community organizations can partner with BLMA to expand our reach and deepen our impact across Shelby County.
