Wednesday night in New York City at the event space 404, 180 African-American men came together to network, share insights and engage with a multigenerational panel of black men from all walks of life. The Root’s annual event, called manCODE, sponsored by Prudential, is designed to provide a safe space where men can speak openly about issues of family, business and social justice.
The panel was moderated by Kweli Washington, executive vice president of strategy and client revenue solutions at Tinypass. It featured actor-singer Rotimi; Emery Snipes, the youngest son of Eric Garner, who died last July after being put in a choke hold by police in Staten Island, N.Y.; the Rev. Anthony Trufant of Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Emmanuel Baptist Church; digital media strategist Navarrow Wright; and Prudential Vice President Benjamin Robinson.
In a 90-minute discussion, which was followed by a Q&A session, the group discussed fatherhood, racism in business, mentoring and legacy.
The Root will host other manCODE events in Atlanta, Dallas and Washington, D.C., later this year. Atlanta’s event is next up, on June 17. Details on how to sign up will be available in May.