The foyer of Founders Library brimmed with excitement the evening of Feb. 25, in anticipation of the inaugural Howard University Men's Summit. From first year students to alumni, dozens of men networked and dined before the programming formally began, and eagerly united for a group picture that set the tone for the remainder of the event.
With Black History Month as its backdrop, the Men’s Summit was an evening focused on brotherhood, leadership, and what it means to grow into a “Howard Man” not as a fixed archetype, but as a living commitment to service and community impact. Speakers emphasized that manhood is not simply declared, but practiced in classrooms, workplaces, and the everyday decisions that shape society.
The program was emceed by L.B. Towns Jr., a business management major and founder of the Save the Youth Foundation, who began by stressing the night’s importance.
“Black men remain one of the most underrepresented groups in higher education, including at institutions created to serve us,” Towns said. “These numbers are not meant to disturb us but to remind us how important our presence truly is. Every Black man in the room represents resilience, possibility, and leadership. Every one of you has the potential to be the next innovator, the next changemaker, the next voice that inspires generations to come.”
Black History Month reflections helped anchor the summit in gratitude and responsibility. Health sciences major Hamid Jalloh, who currently serves as the university’s 49th Mister Howard, offered reflections on the ongoing work of carrying Howard’s values into the world beyond campus.
“It is a responsibility to community: if we do not guide the next generation, someone else will,” Jalloh said. “Black men must protect, teach, unify, and create spaces where young Black boys can see possibility in real time.”
Throughout the evening, visual artist and sophomore film and television production major Noah Pierson was tasked with creating his conception of the “Howard Man” in real time, translating the summit’s themes into both portrait and metaphor. Music business major and jazz voice minor Alphonso Evans Jr. added an emotional centerpiece with a stirring performance of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” underscoring the summit’s emphasis on growth, resilience, and social responsibility.
Visual artist Noah Pierson was tasked with creating his conception of the “Howard Man” in real time.
Keynotes spotlighted leadership, history, and civic responsibility
The summit’s keynote addresses expanded the conversation from personal development to collective responsibility. Howard doctoral student and Moorland-Spingarn Research Center archivist Junious Whitaker IV (B.A. ’21, M.A. ’23) spoke on leadership, mentorship, and Black diaspora history, connecting today’s students to a broader lineage of pioneers.
“Every person in this room has a perspective the world needs, even if you may not think so and you’re trying to play it cool right now,” Whitaker shared. “You’ve got something inside you that can flip a system, shift a room, or change a life. You don’t need a big platform; you just need a purpose, a push, and some creativity.”
Assistant Provost for Student Engagement Calvin Hadley (B.A. ’08, Ph.D. ’23) followed with a keynote on enthusiasm and empowerment, emphasizing the impact that can be made when students align ambition with purpose and the active role they have in creating the version of Howard they want to see in both the present and the future.
“A big part of what you’ll hear from this speech is a passionate appeal for community, for partnership, for development, so that we can together build the Howard that you guys need,” Hadley said. “As an institution, we’re not going to lose you guys. We’re going to enhance you and give you everything you need to be supercharged and sent out into the world.”
“[Noah] is painting right now on the ‘Howard Man,’ and I’m anxious to join in community with you brothers so that we can define that together,” Hadley added. “For all its beauty, for all its diversity, for all its magnitude, we can’t do that as an administration. We need you guys to do that with us.”
You’ve got something inside you that can flip a system, shift a room, or change a life. You don’t need a big platform; you just need a purpose, a push, and some creativity.”
In addition to the programming, attendees were also provided copies of attorney Benjamin Crump’s debut novel, “Worse Than a Lie.”
Student, sponsor reflections center professional development and purpose
The summit also featured student voices speaking directly to the importance of brotherhood and camaraderie across The Mecca. Economics major and finance minor Amare Hunter reflected on his journey to the event, detailing how a winter storm nearly derailed his plans to attend the event, but community stepped in to facilitate a safe, successful return to campus.
“Sometimes we want to be in competition, we want to grow, all we’re thinking about is ascension,” Hunter said. “But if I didn’t have the outreach, I would be in a messed-up situation. I had brothers behind me that [helped] build those connections. That’s what we’re telling you all to do.”
The program also included sponsor remarks from Omari Head, executive director of the university's Marriott Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership, who spoke on career advancement and the importance of mapping long-term professional goals. Head encouraged attendees to think beyond immediate milestones, urging them to consider how today’s decisions can shape the next decade of their lives.
“There are people who have invested in you to be here, and what I want you all to continue to do is invest in yourselves, and that also means investing in your community and investing in the idea of community through fellowship,” he said. “These are precious years … and I can guarantee you that if you stay locked into this feeling that you’ve got right now, you’re not going to waste them.”
Men's Summit attendees in conversation at the event's conclusion.
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