They Did It Anyway
South Broward Hosts One of Kind Black History Enrichment Event
March 14, 2022
On Friday, February 25, more than 350 SBHS black male students gathered in the main gymnasium to mark Black History Month. The event, entitled was meant to empower young black men to fight racial stereotypes, break out from the harsh societal circumstances they were given, and be a success anyway.
The brainchild of SBHS principal Patricia Brown, the program, known as “I Did It Anyway”, was designed to provide students with examples of successful Black men that overcame difficult life situations and succeed in business, community leadership, and education.
“The event was created to foster the concept of ‘I cannot be what I cannot see’.” said Brown. “I wanted our young Black males to be overwhelmed by all the positive Black males in our community.”
The program kicked off with the introduction of the seventy-five leaders from Broward and Miami-Dade counties who shared personal experiences about how they faced prejudice in their lives and the mindset they adopted to overcome their struggles.
The event culminated with break out sessions where each speaker met with Bulldogs students to discuss ways to successfully chase your dreams, develop a determined mentality, and become leaders in everyday life.
Guest Speaker Carlton Washington, founder of a health and wellness company, outlined to his small group what it takes to be successful. It was a riveting moment of healing and unity that spanned across generations.
“You have to be able to make mistakes and learn from them,” said Washington. “If you don’t understand where you went wrong, you’ll become blinded by constant failure and fear.”
Many SBHS students in attendance got a lot out of the mentorship that each speaker provided and South Broward senior Brian Bros was one of them.
“It was an amazing opportunity to listen to individuals that look like us share their success,” said Bros. “Their stories and community contributions will forever have an impact on my life.”
Due to the positive impact the event had on the students and community leaders, South Broward plans to have more programs like this in the future.
“It is my prayer and intention that it will be an annual event.” said Brown.
