Man-Up

As a black man in America, Ricky Spann sees the need for African American males to unite and provide leadership for the inner-city youth in America. Actions speak louder than words, and complaining about the problems in inner cities is no longer an option.

In basketball and in life, crying foul exposes our weaknesses and does not get us anywhere. It's time to determine solutions without violence and stop blaming others for the current state of affairs. Self-governance with political and economic actualization is needed to help African Americans serve the community and to facilitate more influence on the global scene. While assistance can be obtained from others, black men must do most of the heavy lifting in their own communities to defeat the enemies of any society: crime, poverty, and illiteracy.

Spann proposes a formal, organized body of African American leaders, named the Black Strategic Alliance (BSA), to promote unity and prosperity among African Americans and help them increase their contributions to society by creating jobs, training workers, preparing leaders, and securing more government positions at local, state, federal, and global levels.

Born in Detroit, Ricky Spann currently residing in Hampton, Virginia has a bachelor?s degree from Eastern Michigan University and a master?s degree from the University of Phoenix. He served in the United States Army for twenty-five years as an intelligence officer before retiring in 2005. Spann is married with two children Desmond and Rico.