“Somebody has your back.” Group gives support to young men to reduce gun violence
Kristian Houston was a shy, nervous child who was afraid to speak in front of a crowd. He stayed inside playing video games when he was a student at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in east Fort Worth.
In high school, he learned about My Brother’s Keeper, an organization that offers mentorship, academic and social support for students at multiple Fort Worth ISD campuses. Through the program, Houston learned about history, especially African American history, and met preachers and evangelists in the community. His career goal is to become a religious leader in the community.
After graduating from high school in 2022 and serving in the military, Houston reconnected with the leaders of My Brother’s Keeper, including Justin Haynes. Haynes was starting his own mentoring program, 4DaBrothers, and invited Houston to a men’s retreat in Florida that the group holds each year.
Houston joined 4DaBrothers and has taken on the role of mental health spokesperson. He encourages others to be themselves and embrace their culture, and in return, he says, it has made him more confident and a better person.
“I now have a bigger purpose than myself,” Houston said.
The city approved 4DaBrothers for a $19,179 grant from the Crime Control and Prevention District’s Emerging Partners Program to operate crime-prevention programming that benefits Fort Worth residents. The nonprofit organization provides mentoring, financial literacy and mental health and wellness activities for young men ages 16 to 24. Leaders of the group hope to use the grant to further their mission of helping young men who need someone to lean on.
The group was established when Haynes, the president of the American Airlines Black Professional Network, wanted to engage with students and the community. He connected with Eastern Hills High School to bring about 30 students each month to the American Airlines headquarters in east Fort Worth to learn about career opportunities and receive mentorship.
Haynes felt his initiative was missing something. He wanted to continue working with young men after they graduated from high school to help them with their careers, navigate college, and maintain contact with them. He, along with 4DaBrothers co-founders Sam Monk and Pat Abrams, had similar goals and partnered with My Brother’s Keeper to use as a pipeline for young men who could be helped by 4DaBrothers.
4DaBrothers was founded in 2022 and became a nonprofit last July. The name came from a focus on rebuilding the men in their communities by sharing resources and looking out for one another. Membership is open to any man regardless of race.
There are over 35 members, including the mentors and the young men who participate.
The organization hosts video game tournaments to attract new people, then holds presentations about their group at the tournaments. The group holds yearly men’s retreats in cities such as Orlando, Tampa, and Atlanta. There, they travel to local HBCUs, minority-owned restaurants and historical and cultural landmarks.
The nonprofit gives back to the community through Christmas toy drives, Thanksgiving food drives, and community clean-ups. In August, it held a Back to College event where the organization gifted students preparing for college with cleaning supplies, clothing, food and more. The group holds weekly mental health sessions where men can talk freely about their lives and current issues. The group offers a book club, financial literacy sessions led by one of its members, Damion Robinson, STEM training and more resources and services, depending on what members need.
The group has self-funded its operations, along with a few donations, and will use the grant to support its events and initiatives moving forward. This includes using the money for STEM training, such as data analytics, data engineering, and software development. There will also be entrepreneur training and African-American history education classes. Grant money will also be used for gaming tournaments, college back to school events and retreats.
“We do want them to know you have somebody who has your back,” Haynes said. “You have a brother that you can lean on. Don’t walk it alone if you’re going through some type of issue or problem, you can reach out to one of your brothers.”
Abrams is one of the group’s senior leaders and helps guide the mental health and advisory services. He lives in Mississippi, but participates in virtual sessions for weekly mental meetings and will fly in for occasional events. He was friends with Monk, who eventually connected him with Haynes and helped with establishing 4DaBrothers.
The ultimate goal is to reduce gun violence in communities, Abrams said. But it starts with making sure young men get off the streets and have resources and a community that wants to help them.
“I’m trying to build it so that we always have somewhere to go, we don’t suffer alone,” Abrams said.
