The BMe Leader Award is a special honor for everyday Black men whose authenticity and commitment to helping others inspires. These men, known as BMe Leaders, embody BMe’s mission of building caring and prosperous communities. They lead by example and work with others for the common good.

Eligibility

Nominees must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the BMe Leadership Award:

• Applicant must be 18 years of age;
• Applicant must be a Black male;
• Applicant’s efforts must benefit people within the city limits of Akron, Miami, or Pittsburgh.

Watch this video to learn more about BMe: http://bit.ly/BMeAshokaTrailer

BMe Community is a network that celebrates, funds, and networks inspiring Black men who make our communities stronger. The BMe Leader award is an honor given to such men for the example they set and their deep personal commitment to the well-being of others.

Past winners include: Shaka Senghor, Gaston Nash, Jasiri X, Evan Frazier, and Chris Wilson.

Important things to know:

1. The application is VERY easy to complete. If you’re a Black man the answer is YES, you should apply. You have nothing to lose and a great network to gain.
2. Winners must attend our fantastic National Orientation Weekend in Washington DC May 20-22nd at our expense. You’ll be glad you did! See clip here: http://bit.ly/BMeTrailer15
3. You do not have to work for a nonprofit or to even have an organization to apply.

Deadline

We are accepting applications from:

• March 14th to March 31st, 2016

We seek Black men who inspire to build caring and prosperous communities with the below personality qualities:

• Remarkable Story: Applicant has a captivating personal story (20 points);
• Impact and Economic Empowerment: Applicant helps build economic assets (20 points);
• Authenticity: Applicant is genuine and trusted (10 points);
• And Takes Initiative: Applicant is willing to lead, is collaborative, and attracts support from others (10 points).

How we choose BMe Leaders:

• A small team of local residents review submissions using this point system plus their understanding of the communities in order to recommend finalists.
•  BMe staff does due diligence on finalists and choose the best mix of winners for each city.
•  Winners are notified in May

BMe Leader 2016 Questions

1. Your Story: Tell us your remarkable story specifically a challenge you overcame or a moment that changed everything in your life or what motivates you to help others in your city? (limit 300 words)

2. Your Contribution: Tell us what you do to make your community stronger. Anything counts, however this year at least half our awards will go to black men who do economic empowerment such as help people find or create jobs, acquire property, learn financial literacy, or provide some other economically empowering service. The remaining awards can go to literally anything else that helps others. (limit 75 words)
3. Your Leadership: In your opinion, what are the keys to successful collaboration, and please give us an example of when you took initiative to create collaboration? (limit 100 words)

4. Your Idea: BMe Community funds must be applied towards activities that benefit others. If awarded, what do you plan to accomplish with support from BMe Community? (limit 75 words)5. Is there anything else you want to say or want us to know about you or your affiliations? (limit 50 words).