# @malcolmjenkins on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DZXxA23D-zW
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66747053-malcolmjenkins-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/905add287a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-09T16:23:01.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Malcolm Jenkins (@malcolmjenkins) — https://gondola.cc/malcolmjenkins

## Caption

Last month, Sharif El-Mekki and I co-authored a piece for Sports Business Journal about what colleges and universities can teach us through the way they support Black student-athletes.

The goal was simple: if intentional support systems can be built around Black student-athletes, those same systems should exist for Black students beyond athletics.

Student-athletes are often surrounded by advisers, mentors, career support, and accountability systems. This infrastructure helps them stay connected, prepared, and seen. If it existed at scale, we’d have a very different country.

At first, I wanted to create another initiative to address this gap. But the more I sat with it, the more I realized the work needs stronger connective tissue, not another silo.

As a Community Architect, I believe the most effective use of my platform is not simply to build something new from scratch. It is to learn from the organizations already doing this work, like the Center for Black Educator Development, and help create a network that allows local efforts to connect, collaborate, and scale into a national movement.

There are already organizations, educators, mentors, schools, nonprofits, fellowships, campus programs, and community leaders building the infrastructure Black male students need to succeed.

Some are supporting Black boys and young men through mentorship and brotherhood. Some are building educator pipelines. Some are helping first-generation students persist. Some are creating pathways through belonging, career exposure, financial literacy, civic leadership, academic support, and long-term accountability.

So here’s the call:
If you know of, are involved in, or have created an organization, initiative, school-based program, fellowship, mentorship network, or community effort that supports the success of Black male students, comment “BUILD THE NETWORK” below.

We’ll send you a form so we can begin identifying who is doing the work, where it’s happening, what support is needed, and how we can organize our efforts collectively.

Our next move can’t be just another program.

Our next move is a network.

## Stats

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- **Likes:** 309
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- **Comments:** 43

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jillian | @jsathletic_jpg | https://gondola.cc/jsathletic_jpg | Graphic Designer |
| Jillian | @jsathletic_jpg | https://gondola.cc/jsathletic_jpg | Social Media Coordinator |

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