Brothers United In Leadership Development (BUILD) is a grassroots organization with the vision that Black men are empowered leaders and mentors who make positive change in our community by instilling pride, hope, perseverance in Black men. We focus on civic engagement, leadership development, mentoring, and community partnerships throughout the greater Seattle area. Over the past seven years, BUILD has developed a strong core group of Black male leaders who are deeply connected to our community and focus on grassroots organizing. We came together to address concerns in the Black community including but not limited to the murders of Black men, limited number of Black role models/mentors for our young people, and the need to build our community (especially due to gentrification).
Over this time, we have developed strong community partnerships, provided 70 youth development trainings, hosted 25 community events, engaged 100’s of volunteers, and have over 10,000 social media followers. While our target population is Black men and youth, we also engage the overall Black community and partner with other ethnic/racial/cultural community groups.