“What is your why, and how are you mobilizing it?”

That’s the question David Griffiths (BASc 2000) posed to attendees of a think tank, inviting them to reflect as he shared the mission behind his organization, Brothers Who Care.

After transitioning from the auto industry in Windsor/Detroit to telecom in North Carolina to financial services in Toronto, Griffiths went on to found Brothers Who Care in 2019, creating a space for Black men in corporate environments to connect and support each other.

“Throughout my experiences, I often found I was the only person in the room who looked like me,” he says. “The motivation was to start a union of brothers working in the space that could network and provide support to each other, whether that be emotional or mental.”

The next year, when COVID-19 hit and lockdowns and social distancing were in full swing, Brothers Who Care had to pivot to a virtual model, Griffiths explains. From there, the Mental Health Hour talk series was born.

“The mental health hour is a series of conversations that we do virtually or in person, and we just create spaces where people could be vulnerable, could be honest, and it’s really all about creating conversations and losing the stigma around mental health,” Griffiths says.

Griffiths discussed his ‘why’ in founding Brothers Who Care on Feb. 14 at a WE-Spark Think Tank presented in collaboration with the Black Scholars Institute. The virtual event offered an opportunity for researchers, students, health-care professionals, and community organizations to come together and find innovative solutions.

The organization developed four pillars to foster connections and cultivate philanthropic leaders. These pillars include the Mental Health Hour; the I SEE ME Club, which teaches kids in grades 4 to 12 financial literacy, investments, and seeing themselves in careers not commonly pursued in their community; the LEGUP Secure Our Wealth initiative, which empowers BIPOC individuals to break negative cycles to creating generational wealth; and I AM – Care Leadership Development program, which teaches leadership and exposes stories and images of Black men achieving personal and professional success.

“Black men are disproportionately affected by mental health issues, chronic illness, and financial instability. That connection between financial instability and health and overall well-being, some of the systemic barriers and the cultural stigma further amplify, or worsen, these challenges, leaving many without adequate support,” Griffiths explains.

He also notes that men have lower rates of seeking help for mental health concerns due to the stigma, which can in turn impact their physical health.

He stresses the importance of thinking about that interconnectedness when it comes to discussions about health and how it impacts overall well-being, which is what Brothers Who Care is trying to address.

“The goal is really to empower Black men and youth to achieve resilience and holistic health and start to break down some of these systemic barriers,” he says.

Participants in Brothers Who Care have described the experience as enlightening and transformative, providing a rare space for open dialogue and shared learning.

As the organization continues to grow, its impact now reaches beyond Canada, reaching audience in the U.S., Europe, and Africa.

To learn more about Brothers Who Care, visit https://brotherswhocare.com/.