Raising Kings: Wilmington honors local Black history makers

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Nathaniel Murray, 23, grew up in a fractured family in North Wilmington and spent more time hanging out with friends on the streets. By age 14, he followed a local rapper who promoted drill music and got involved in neighborhood fights that escalated into gun violence.

“Everybody wanted to drill. We would hear our favorite rapper, saying, ‘We shot this person, we shot that person.’ So, it was second-hand to us. I believe the energy actually has a hold on your energy, your aura,” Murray, who bears a bullet wound on his hip,  said. “So, I turned on something about ‘shoot ’em up, bang, bang’ at eight o’clock in the morning. I feel like I’m going to want to shoot ’em up, bang, bang.”

Murray was one of dozens of young men who shared their story at the 14th annual Raising Kings Conference at the Police Athletic League held earlier this month in Wilmington, Delaware. The annual conference’s mission is to raise visibility for Black boys and men and build community between them and successful role models, father figures and mentors.

Chandra Pitts, CEO and Founder of One Village Alliance, a year-round gun violence program that helped coordinate the event, said she started the organization because she was raising a “young king” as a single mother and needed a village.

“These kids are two and three generations removed from Dr. Martin Luther King and you know, it’s important for them to know that there are leaders who are just as great in their community today doing really significant community advocacy and impact and outreach,” Pitts said. “But, more importantly, the greatness of being a Black history maker lies within them. But they’ve got to see it to believe it, so that’s why we bring this work to life.”

This year, 600 Black boys and men gathered at the conference, which was part of the organization’s Black History Month celebration. Among them were Black entrepreneurs, physicians, attorneys and educators, who shared their stories about their achievements. Pitts said the event provides an opportunity to showcase that not all Black men resort to guns for survival.

According to Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit organization focused on criminal justice research, Delaware has an incarceration rate of 539 per 100,000 people, which includes adult and juvenile offenders, “meaning that it locks up a higher percentage of its people than almost any democratic country on earth.”

Black residents make up 22% of the state’s population, but 61% of incarcerated persons are Black.

Dorrell Green, superintendent of the Red Clay Consolidated School District in Wilmington, told WHYY News that young Black men face significant challenges in society and need nurturing.

“We call it King like images or black history in the making,” King said. “Folks who are in close proximity to them who are doing things that they may aspire to do who have overcome the obstacles and journeys that they may see in their current lives. Young men can achieve their goals if they put their minds to it with the support of those in the community.”

Raleir Tate, 14, attended the conference with his classmates and teachers from the Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington last week. He and his friend Caleb Allen, 11, said they were inspired to hear stories from successful Black men.

“I’ve personally never done anything like this before, especially with my school. We’ve never done anything like this. It’s a great opportunity,” Tate said.

“It makes me feel actually happier,” Allen said. “Black young Kings are not out there with guns or violence. Instead, they’re here.”

Allen and Tate’s teacher, Alaina Taylor, said the conference allowed her students the opportunity to learn about different professions they can pursue.

“It’s a lot of different careers that these people have pursued, so for our students to be able to see all the different pathways to success, I think it’s really wonderful for them to see that there’s the traditional routes and then there’s the non-traditional routes as well,” Taylor said.

Green said events like Raising Kings are essential to educate the public.

“There are opportunities for folks to support it, to uplift our community and uplift the young men who aspire, who have dreams, who have hopes,” Green said. “They need to know that they have a community behind them supporting them. I mean, when we pour into them, this is a 24/7, 365[-day] endeavor.”

Pitts said the initiative provides evidence-based anti-violence, entrepreneurship and arts interventions to promote positive Black manhood.

“The goal here is about changing the image and expectations. It’s not just enough to celebrate Black history,” Pitts said.