Andre Lee, Executive Director of the 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc. (The 100), sees first-hand, the benefits of mentorship. He himself benefitted from having someone guide him in his youth and he is thrilled to pay it forward. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” says Andre, who is leading the charge to help black male youth learn how to achieve dreams they never
knew were possible.
When Andre was attending high school, he joined INROADS, a nonprofit organization that helps position ethnically diverse high school and college students to obtain full-time employment after graduating. Andre got a job at Kroger and worked there for many years until he was hired by INROADs. He worked there for 18 years in a number of roles including account manager, recruiter and chief programs officer.
In 2018, Andre co-founded CareerLIFE, an organization designed to unlock the full potential of under-resourced students through career readiness programs. It was in this capacity, he came to know The 100 and in 2023, he became its executive director.
The 100 was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit to help students prepare for, develop and achieve their goals. It provides resources and support to further the academic and social development of black male students in Williamson County, Nashville and surrounding areas.
Since its inception, it has delivered many successful developmental programs to include,100 KINGS, which is designed to counter the many negative statistics associated with under privileged young black males. “The program helps students gain the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to succeed in school and life,” says Andre. It also introduces them to places and opportunities that they normally would not have access to. “Some have never been to a farm or have gone camping,” Andre says. “They get to meet a lot of different people in different occupations around the area, not just black men.”
The 100 KINGS, which operates year-round and at no cost to the participants, takes a 360-degree approach to educating. For example, the students will take art classes and visit the Frist Art Museum to learn how art can assist as a life skill. The youth also do volunteer work in the community. This type of approach helps them make the right decisions and pass that knowledge forward to future generations. It is not only educational, but it also helps facilitate relationships and bolsters communication and social skills.
The success of the program is attributed to sponsors, volunteers and academic supporters, like Belmont University, which has been providing classroom spaces for the program for 20 years. The 100 also bring in teachers and other volunteers for 100 KINGS Saturday classes, having two per room to help facilitate and manage the dynamics of four cohorts (fifth and sixth, seventh and
eighth, ninth and tenth, and eleventh and twelfth graders, respectfully).
“We host an annual gala fundraising event and use this opportunity to honor our partners and highlight the students' success,” says Andre. “The kids also love wearing the tuxes," he adds with a smile. It takes a lot of hands and support to make all of it happen and Andre is appreciative. Particularly since the program continues to grow and he and The 100 Program Manager, Julisa Maxwell, are the only two staff members at the Brentwood office. Last fall, they had 154 students and this summer
they anticipate 180 students will have the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of subjects and opportunities available to them.
"One of the biggest challenges for underprivileged youth is the lack of knowledge of what is out there and it limits them from knowing what they can accomplish. The 100 KINGS program enables the students to open their eyes to what is possible," and as Andre points out, “You can’t dream it if you don’t know it exists.“
The100MiddleTn.org
“The program helps students gain the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to succeed in school and life.”
"One of the biggest challenges for underprivileged youth is the lack of knowledge of what is out there."