Key Points:
- Four Wichita friends created “The Black Men’s Locker” to provide a safe space for Black men to get help with mental health, more.
- The group has grown from four members to 12,000 worldwide and hosts in-person conferences.
- The organization aims to offer compassion, understanding, and healing to help Black men overcome systemic racism, violence, and trauma.
Four men who grew up together in Wichita have created an online “safe space” where Black men can get advice to help them cope with challenges they face in life.
They call the membership-only Facebook page “The Black Men’s Locker,” a space focused on mental health, physical health, success and money management, growth, healing and accountability. They also produce and post The Black Men’s Locker podcasts on YouTube.
Terry Terrell, a therapist who owns Odyssey Counseling and Consulting, is one of the founders. He also has a Facebook page under the name “Terry Talks” where he posts encouraging or motivational messages. He said the decision to form The Black Men’s Locker was made in January of 2023, when the negative impact of the long COVID struggle was at a peak.
The Locker started with the four Wichita friends as members: Terrell; Tyrice Lollis, a certified life coach, actor, musician and production specialist who also works as an account executive for Soliant in Atlanta; Noris Henderson, an entrepreneur, certified life coach, minister and Project Manager for Koch Industries; and Marlon Pittmon, a telecommunications specialist, DJ and social media specialist who produces the group’s podcasts.
They quickly learned that their perception of the need was spot on as members flocked to the site.
Exponential Growth
“We went from four members to 53 to hundreds and most recently to about 12,000 worldwide,” Lollis said. “It just really went viral.”
They monitor the membership carefully, making every effort to be sure that all members are real people and that the conversations are respectful.
“We keep the mess out. This is not a place to bring your negativity. It’s a safe space to let down your guard, swallow your pride and ask for and receive the help you need,” Terrell said.
In late February, the group staged the first of what they hope will become regular, in-person conferences with a three-day event at The Center in Wichita. They named it the “Rise of the 300 Men Conference,” a nod to the gladiator movie, “300: The Rise of an Empire.”
The first session focused on mental health, with about 60 men in attendance. Other sessions covered Black fatherhood, hypertension and other health issues that particularly affect Black men; financial issues and the importance of saving, planning and having life insurance; relationships; the need for community involvement; and the importance of voting.
All four co-founders, along with Iasis Center Senior Pastor William Vann led a final day discussion of relationships.
“All-in-all, we had about 74 men in attendance,” Lollis said. “That’s pretty good for a first-time conference. Now, we’re starting planning for what we hope will be a fall conference in Atlanta.”
The overarching goal of the organization is to ensure that every Black man feels seen, heard and supported.
‘You Don’t Have to be What You’ve Been’
Terrell said it isn’t easy for Black men to swallow their pride, even when they are struggling and know they need help.
“Black boys are taught from a young age that they have to be tough, be strong and never show weakness,” he said. “They grow up hiding emotions, not working through them. Too often, they experience systemic racism, violence and trauma. It’s hard to overcome that.”
Henderson said they try to address issues that touch lives in the podcasts.
“We just did one on accountability last month. But that touches great subtopics like fatherhood, finances, career, and abuse. Sharing personal stories helps with the feelings of vulnerability,” he said.
Measuring The Programs Success
The founders talked a little about how the The Black Men’s Locker will measure success.
The reward, Henderson said, will come in seeing how lives have been improved and knowing you had a role in making that happen. “There is no ‘done’,” he said.
“I’ll know I was successful when I see my children pick up the baton and continue working in this field,” Lollis added.
Terrell agreed. “I want to be a sphere of influence that enables men to see that they have a choice to break the cycle. You don’t have to forever be what you have been. And you don’t have to become where you came from. You can choose to do something different. At one point in my life I was a real little knucklehead.”
He said he also wants to help men understand that even if they have made mistakes, they can choose to be proud of the present rather than shamed by the past.