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Thank you for visiting the website of Black Brothers United, Inc.
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Welcome To Black Brothers United, Inc.
"Change Is Great, But Greater Change Is Needed"
In the spring of 1982 a 6th grade African-American boy was asked by a teacher, "What do you want to
be when you grow up?" The sixth grader replied, "A lawyer, a policeman or something dealing with law."
The teacher replied, "Maybe you should consider being a plumber or a carpenter, I don’t think you have
what it takes to be a lawyer or policeman." The 6th grader thought to himself, "There's nothing wrong
with becoming a carpenter or plumber, but why should I settle on what someone else says I can or cannot
be?" Had it not been for the 6th grader's mother, who instilled positive self-esteem and self-worth in him,
he would have believed the teacher and most-likely, not pursue his goals.
On April 10, 1990, an African-American teenager named Phillip Pannell was allegedly fleeing police on
foot. Pannell was brutally shot in the back and killed by Police Officer Gary Spath in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Spath and his partner claimed that Pannell had been reaching in his pocket for a gun. Witnesses maintained
that Panell had his hands raised in surrender. The day after the shooting, word spread throughout the state
of NJ. Lance Alexander, age 19 heard about this horrible occurrence and decided to set in motion his work
on the organization that would cater to the needs of males living in urban neighborhoods. Eventually, Officer
Spath would be charged and acquitted on charges of manslaughter. The case created controversy over the
neighborhoods, and the plight of boys and men living in urban communities.
Both events, along with countless others, led Lance Alexander to spearhead efforts to begin an organization that
would assist and mentor boys and men living in and growing up in communities. Mr. Alexander believes that if
he could be told that he could only be what someone else thought he should be; then there are countless other
boys and young men in worst predicaments than him, being told the same thing, hence, creating low self-esteem
and self-worth. He wanted to help change the mentality of boys and men through mentorship. It addition, he sought
to assist in improving police-community relations, more specifically police-urban male relations.
Black Brothers United, Inc. is a community-based organization that was initiated in 1982 and founded on May 19,
1991 in Montclair, New Jersey. The Founder and Chairman is Lance Alexander, a person who has dedicated much
of his life to the formation of the BBU.
