Black Men Smile® founder Carlton Mackey was featured in his hometown newspaper, The Blackshear Times, for his work uplifting Black male joy. The front-page story highlighted Mackey's recent gift of Black Men Smile® merchandise to local high school football champions and chronicled the brand's evolution and activism.
The Blackshear Times writes:
Blackshear native Carlton Mackey is off doing good in the world, but he hasn’t forgotten that home is where the heart is.
Mackey, a professor and director for Ethics and the Arts Program at Emory University’s Center for Ethics, recently donated hoodies and T-shirts to members of the Bears’ state championship football team, and spoke with The Times about his organization, Black Men Smile.
The 1996 graduate of PCHS says the relationships he formed while growing up in Blackshear and the influences of his favorite teacher, Cassie Todd, are what he remembers most fondly.
“Relationships function differently in small towns, and what I had in abundance, if I didn’t have anything else, was great relationships with great people. I felt cared about and cared for,” Mackey says. “It’s priceless and I’ve carried it with me.”
Read the full article here.