The media and society has placed such a negative connotation to the African American community, particularly the young black men. However in a new viral video a group of black male students at Illinois’ Central High School put together “Suit & Tie in the 217″ to offer a counter-narrative for young black men.

For Black History Month, they released a video of students who ditched their normal street gear and donned suits and ties with the declaration “we are not gangsters and thugs,” “we are employees and volunteers,” “we are scholars” and “we are athletes.”

“The negative stories told daily in the media and in our culture about our young African-American men tend to ignore their successes and don’t tell the full story about how young Black men are becoming leaders within our community schools,” said Central High counselor Tiffany Gholson, who worked with the students on the effort. “In this video, our students reclaim the narrative of who they are and inspire other students to follow in their footsteps.”

Check out the inspiring clip below and be sure to like, comment share the positive energy!

[Source: NewsOne]