Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC

Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, NC

Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC

Hey Everyone,

It's Hill Harper, and I am writing you today because I NEED YOUR HELP.
As a lot of you know, my book: Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny is available at bookstores now. The book is part memoir/part motivational tool for young men and is all about the issues surrounding the transition from "boyhood" to "manhood."

In a recent newspaper article in the New York Post, it reported that we have $500 billion dollars to spend on a “Hip Hop” lifestyle, but what investment are we making in the futures of our youths? The New York Times recently wrote a front page article entitled: ”Plight Deepens for Black Men Studies Warn”. The article went into detail regarding the dire situation that black men in the United States are facing. Many of our young men today lack mentors, role models, and suitable males in their lives that can provide answers to their questions. My book is written as a mentorship on paper, from the perspective of an "older brother" rather than that of a disciplinarian or parent. The goal is to start a movement of self-education and mentorship within our communities.

When I was initially trying to get this book published several of the publishers said the same thing: “It’s a great idea but we don’t believe men of color read, and if they do we don’t know how to reach them.” In one of my book pitch meetings with another publisher, I was told point-blank, "Hill, please don't write a book for this population, we want to do a book with you, but please not this book, you are proposing a book for a population that doesn't read."
I AM ASKING YOU TO HELP ME PROVE THEM WRONG.

As all of us know, young men are generally not camped outside of bookstores just waiting for "the next hardcover to drop." For many, this is going to be a "gifted book," much like the books that have been gifted to and inspired me such as The Purpose Driven Life.

Please pre-buy multiple copies and gift them to any young men or parents of young men you know. The book is currently available on Amazon, Click here to buy. The proceeds from the book go toward my MANifest Your Destiny Foundation, set-up to award scholarships to young men and women who want to further their education but cannot afford to.

I would love to follow this book up with a similar one, but written to the young women in our community. This is another reason that it is vital we prove them wrong. Our publisher will only get behind that book if this book sells well.
Thank you so much for all of your support.

Sincerely,
Hill Harper

P.S. Another great new book that deserves our support is The Covenant with Black America, edited by Tavis Smiley. It is fantastic, and I think the books complement each other well.

MANifest Your Destiny foundation, a non-profit youth organization established by Ivy League actor Hill Harper, is dedicated to empowering, encouraging, and inspiring underserved males to succeed. The philosophy behind the organization is to provide young men with nurturing support systems, resources, encouragement, and guidance through mentorship, scholarship and grant programs.

Feeling that underserved boys are at a severe disadvantage due to their lack of personal interaction with positive role models, founder Hill Harper felt that the core of what the MANifest Your Destiny Foundation facilitates is a mentorship program. Foundation mentors are successful men in various industries who are committed to providing underserved young men with guidance, positive role models, apprenticeships, internships, constructive outlets and the motivation to dream big and accomplish anything they set their minds to.

The MANifest Your Destiny Foundation provides financial resources and practical experience to support young men’s academic or professional field of interest. Internships and/or apprenticeships are awarded to eligible young people who have demonstrated their passions and commitment to furthering their education through academic achievement and community service. Additionally, the organization awards grants to deserving young men seeking to start their own business.

FOUNDATION CRITERIA: Candidates are selected based on their application essay, academics, extra curricular activity and community service. Selected candidate interviews will be conducted by the Board of Directors. The interviewed finalists will then be voted on by the Board of Directors and the candidate with the majority vote is awarded the scholarship.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Must be male to apply, must have a B+ or better average, must submit two letters of recommendation, application and essay by specified date.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Letters to a Young Brother Board of Directors are comprised of influential men who have proven to be pillars of the community and successful representatives of their various professions.

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington

Recently selected as one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” (2004), Harper emits the classic “guy next door” image, but also exudes a seriousness that commands roles embodying depth and intelligence rarely offered to young black actors. Harper has the opportunity to defeat the stereotypes of black males by starring in the hit CBS drama series, CSI: NY, where he portrays Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, who recently left the crime lab as a reclusive and conflicted coroner that walked away from a promising surgical career after the traumatic loss of two patients to join Gary Sinise’s character Detective Mac Taylor in the field.

Download Full Bio Here.