About Us

     It is difficult to define a society man, not because he is enigmatic, but because he is beyond definition. He is honest without being insensitive, respectful without being submissive, excellent without being priggish, and prideful without being arrogant. He holds himself to higher standards than those that society sets for him. He arrays his body in clothes that reflect these standards and in conversation, arrays his thoughts in the same way. Most importantly, a society man understands the value and importance of service in the society in which he resides. He does not just help others; he empowers them so they can help themselves. He is an agent of change.

 

     Our organization creates society men. Adhering to Howard’s mission to provide leadership for America and the global community, we create a ripple-like approach to impacting the campus of Howard University and the Washington D.C. community. It starts with the individual, whom we inculcate with the tools of leadership and the love of service. From here, this individual uses our organization as a network and support base to reach positions of influence on the Howard University campus. After reaching these heights and positions for which he has been so well prepared, the individual uses the combined strength of the organization and his own status to impact the Washington D.C. community.

 

     On a practical level, this means service. Every weekend, our members participate in various projects around Washington D.C. This can range from delivering boxes of food to homebound individuals to facilitating the opening of a special exhibit at the Smithsonian. However, in terms of programs that directly conduce to the amelioration of the Washington D.C community, the most important is College Tribe. College Tribe is a mentoring program for students in Southeast D.C. It is divided into a Renaissance Boys and a Renaissance Men program, the former being for students in elementary and middle school and the latter being for students in high school. Through our participation in this program, we are extirpating all the threats to manhood that would otherwise have a great chance to prevail over common sense and altruism. By influencing the young men of posterity in this way, we are planting the seeds of society men that will eventually blossom into strong, hermetic communities immune to the contretemps that the years will inevitably bring.

 

     The definition of manhood has metastasized into a more and more distorted portrait with each passing generation. This has affected the African-American community more than any other as the incubi of enmity and cowardice have slowly replaced values like honest industry and altruism. While a society man is adaptable, he is grounded in one definition of manhood and stands on the pillars of honesty, respect, excellence, and pride and he cannot see this change progress. Our organization impacts the Howard University student body and the Washington D.C. community simply by realizing every man’s potential to become a society man and putting him in a position to reach it.​​​​​​​​​​ 

 

Written By:

Bro. Marcus Thomas