The Minority Male Initiative is a Mt. SAC initiative whose mission is to inspire and motivate students in their educational goals through collaborative study and tutoring groups, subject-based help, career exploration and more.
The Mt. SAC MMI Instagram biography states, “The Minority Male Initiative at Mt. San Antonio College aims to mentor, support and educate men of color throughout their higher education journeys.”
Mt. SAC’s MMI seeks to address problems facing men of color. In a report commissioned by the College Futures Foundations, it found that men of color have the lowest overall completion rates of post-secondary education.
Minority male students were not achieving on par with all other students. MMI states that to improve the men of color’s odds they need to reach out to students more, make connections and provide academic support.
Only 33.8% of African American, 37.4% of Hispanic or Latinos and 36.8% of Pacific Islander men completed their goals in their time frames. Men of color acquire a certificate, or degree, transferring or becoming transfer-ready in six years.
Mt. SAC’s MMI website links several of the services they provide like meetings, retreats, tutoring and counseling.
MMI hosts both a summer and winter retreat and sometimes may also be accompanied by other Mt. SAC organizations like Arise, Bridge and Aspire.
The counseling they provide covers checking graduation, academic education planning, personal problems, probation counseling and transfer advising. However, the tutoring links on the MMI website are currently not working.
Timoteo Benitez, 42, who has been with MMI for two years, said that the MMI offered him brotherhood. Because of the initiative, Benitez has had the opportunity to visit other colleges and universities.
“They created a safe place because taking college courses could get hard,” Benitez said. “You just open up as well.”
Presently, the number of MMI’s members is approximately two dozen according to Benitez.
Mt. SAC’s MMI members represent a fraction of the student body but aim to help all men of color by creating a sense of camaraderie and family, offering disadvantaged males a supportive network that extends beyond their own families.
By providing mentorship and resources, the program aims to prevent these individuals from becoming another statistic, ultimately leveling the playing field and increasing the number of minority graduates in the community.
