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Sony Music Group Grant Supports New Male Success Alliance Programs

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CSUDH alumni James Harris, MSA academic mentor, Jordan Sylvestre, former president of Associated Students, Inc., and Alex Guerrero, former MSA president.
CSUDH alumni James Harris, Jordan Sylvestre, former president of Associated Students, Inc., and Alex Guerrero, former MSA president.

(Carson, Ca.) California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) Male Success Alliance (MSA) has received funding from the Sony Music Group to help support MSA members, and to develop new programs for male students of color at partner K-12 schools in South Los Angeles and the South Bay.

With the Sony Music Group funding, 20 MSA members will receive a stipend through the MSA Scholarship Program, which requires scholars to actively participate and volunteer in its many programs and outreach efforts. The Sony donation will also allow the alliance to develop a semester-long introductory seminar focused on racial justice and equity, as well as college success and retention.

“It is an honor that the Sony Music Group has chosen CSUDH’s Male Success Alliance to receive such a generous grant,” said CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham. “With this funding, the MSA is developing crucial new programs for its members, and for boys and young men in local schools that will help them map clear pathways to higher education, and conscientiously explore the social and racial inequities that continue to afflict society. We are grateful for their support, and their understanding of the educational needs of students in the schools that CSUDH serves.”

The MSA is developing two programs for K-12 schools. One is a six-week Summer Literacy Program, in conjunction with Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools, will serve up to 50 children and youth in schools where quality academic enrichment programming is limited or non-existent. This summer, the MSA will also implement the College Pathways Program, a series of pre-college educational and inspirational workshops that can be presented at partner schools and community or faith-based organizations. The workshops are designed to inspire middle and high school youth to explore social justice and racial equity, community engagement, and college success.

The MSA was founded in 2009 in response to the nation’s high school dropout and low college degree attainment rates among young men, primarily Blacks and Latinos. The organization works to improve these graduations rates through a strong academic and social support system that promotes scholarship and intellectual curiosity, leadership, identity development, and civic engagement among its members.

MSA members have engaged more than 15,000 young men of color through its in-person, peer-to-peer presentations at member schools in the Los Angeles area.