Baltimore Rites of Passage Initiative (BROPI)

Sadiq has had a diverse near 20-year career in leadership spanning across the private, nonprofit and social entrepreneurship sectors, all with service and community at the core. Recently, Sadiq served as the founding executive director for the relaunched MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership affiliate for the Maryland/DC region – MENTOR Maryland | DC. In his nearly five years leading the organization, Sadiq oversaw a number of supports and enhancements to the local mentoring field including recruiting thousands of new mentors, providing over 10,000 hours of technical assistance to the local mentoring field and increasing the number of active mentoring programs.

Sadiq is a proud graduate of the HBCU, Morgan State University and University of Maryland-Global Campus. He has also completed continuing education coursework at the Harvard Business School Online. He also derives great meaning from being a father, husband and active mentor.

Michael D. Campbell is co-owner of a consulting business, North Star Rites of Passage, an Educational Consulting business specializing in Culturally Competent content. Mr. Campbell also teaches African American Studies at Monroe Community College in his role as an adjunct professor, teaching courses in African American Studies, and The Black Family.

He and his wife of 40 years are the proud parents of 6 children.Mr. Campbell is committed to the development of his community, and in particular to the development of youth as they transition into successful adulthood to become leaders, providers, scholars and contributors to a global community.

A dynamic and well-rounded professional, Bobby Marvin Holmes is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Maryland with a dual background in human services and multimedia. As a community journalist and producer, he has covered topics such as juvenile justice reform and school safety for various platforms including Baltimore AFRO, Baltimore Times, WEAA, and WYPR.

Holmes currently serves as a mental health therapist for Parker Psychiatric Services and founder of Son of a Dream Services & Multimedia Resources, an agency committed to the healthy development and success of children, youth, and families. A staunch advocate, Holmes has participated in various grassroots initiatives and policy actions including addressing community violence and ensuring healthy school facilities. A proud husband and father, he lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and children.

Baba Kumasi is a committed servant of young men and families in Baltimore City and a student and teacher of our African Cultural and Spiritual traditions for many years. He strongly believes in the power of African centered rites of passage. As the founder and former Director of Alkebulan Youth Rites of Passage, Baba Kumasi worked with families in Baltimore City for over twenty years, serving more than 300 youth and family members during that time. During that time he built remarkable rapport with young men and parents. In addition, Baba Kumasi spent more than twenty years as an administrator in the GED Program at Baltimore City Community College, starting as a teacher and math tutor for their students. He completed his rites of passage with the Men’s Egbe Akokonrin more than 20 years ago and is initiated in the Orisa tradition in West Africa for more than 20 years.

Baba Ifawuyi Taharqa Kiambu is a speaker, teacher, facilitator, and an initiated priest in several indigenous African spiritual traditions. He is a prominent voice for the preservation of African values and culture. As a husband and father of sons, he advocates for healthy holistic families by implementing human development processes through rites of passage. He is the founder and visionary of Indigenous Spirit, the foundation of his work and deep appreciation and reverence for indigenous culture, spirituality, and wisdom.

He is the creator of the 7-Generations Rites of Passage process, in which he initiates adolescent boys into the process of becoming men. Baba Taharqa has worked to cultivate a sense of community with those around him. He has dedicated his life to indigenous spiritual principles and uses the wisdom contained in them to do his work. As counselor, advisor, and confidant to many, Taharqa draws on this reservoir of experience and wisdom; to always help people arrive at their life path, purpose, and destiny.

Dayvon Love is a Baltimore-based political organizer and the Director of Public Policy for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), a grassroots think-tank that advances the public policy interests of Black people. In 2010, Love co-founded Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle (LBS), one of many organizations that successfully pressured the state of Maryland to disband its plans to build a juvenile jail downtown. LBS has also led legislative efforts and advocacy efforts regarding criminal justice reform, youth and community empowerment.

Dayvon is also the author of “Worse than Trump: The American Plantation”, a book that offers an important critique of the American political left and a political alternative to the exploitative relationship that Black people have to white institutions. Dayvon is also the author of “When Baltimore Awakes” which is a comprehensive critique of the way the white supremacy is embedded in the Human/Social Service Sector in Baltimore.

Meet Dr. David C. Miller, a Baltimore native and inspiring scholar and activist. He dedicates his life to fighting against the economic and social deprivation that communities of color face. Using his academic training and innate street smarts, Dr. Miller leads intergenerational conversations with men and boys about essential topics like managing anger, mental health, and alternatives to violence.

Dr. Miller is also the author of a remarkable 52-week curriculum called Dare To Be King: What If the Prince Lives? This program engages adolescent Black male youth on crucial issues like decision-making, impulse control, and anger management. His Ph.D. from Morgan State University’s Department of Social Work and his focus on Black fatherhood, men’s health, and rites of passage programming for adolescent Black male youth make him a true champion
of empowerment.

Richard Rowe, MPA, has provided consultancy, strategic guidance, cultural competency trainings, and capacity building support to Black communities and grassroots organizations. He uses life-affirming, life-giving, family-centered, and culturally relevant approaches and rituals to heal the historic and contemporary race-based trauma experienced by Black people and other vulnerable communities. Richard’s areas of specialization include mentoring, fatherhood, family integration, collaborations and partnerships, youth development and leadership, intergenerational relationships, mental health and wellness, and healing-centered engagement. Richard’s capacity building clients have included the Black Mental Health Alliance, Resiliency in Communities, National Collective of Black Wellness, Associated Black Charities, Baltimore City Health Department, Capacity Building Institute, and the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund.

Baba Olamina has been a committed member of the Baltimore City community for the last 35 years. He served as a Big Brother (mentor) for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central MD for 10 years, and was an Assistant Scout Master for 4 years. Additionally, Baba Olamina was the Co-founder of the Baltimore Rites of Passage Kollective, where he conducted Rites for 25 years and served as the National Scribe for the African National Rites of Passage United Kollective for 10 years. He is an entrepreneur, real estate investor and owner of a home improvement company, Hunny Do. He has also authored two books titled The Spirit of Fatherhood and Loving Her: 26 Affirmations for Men to Love Women Better. Baba Olamina is the founder of MBRACE Fatherhood and Loving Her Better. Lastly and most importantly, he is a single father of three wonderful children.

André Turner has over 20 years in the field of education and public health combined. In his current role as a Senior Program Trainer coach with the University of Maryland Social Work Positive Schools Center he collaborates with school leaders to offer professional development for school staff to transform school environments and climate.

In 2013, Andre became an Open Society Institute community fellow where his program Boys Coming of Age provided quality development and manhood training for African American adolescent 10-17 in an experiential Rite of Passage process designed to successfully transition them into adulthood. With 18 years of youth development experience Andre Turner’s commitment to what’s possible regarding human potential shares how to create breakthrough results regarding personal power and development His background in education, public health and certification of Leadership Development for Minority Managers from Johns Hopkins University allow him to combine creative and interactive ways of conveying complex and abstract principles into simple everyday language.