Pedro Bryant, the chairman, president and CEO of Metro Bank of Louisville, Kentucky, will deliver the keynote address March 19 at the 22nd Eleven Black Men of Liberty County Banquet.
The banquet, which draws civic leaders, educators, mentoring groups and supporters, will begin with a reception from 6:15-6:45 p.m., followed by dinner at Club Stewart’s ballroom on Fort Stewart.
Bryant, a Hinesville native and first president of The Eleven Black Men of Liberty County, earned a Bachelor of Science in business management from Morris Brown College and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgia Southern University. He is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware, and a 2004 graduate of Leadership Louisville.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to know that the commitment made 25 years ago in Liberty County remains strong with the men who now carry the torch,” Bryant said. “Every child needs to know that they are loved and supported.”
The Eleven Black Men of Liberty County was formed as a mentoring organization that advocates spiritual, education and social development of young men. Run by volunteers, the organization has impacted the lives of approximately 100 young men who are now college graduates, college students, military service members or employed. Presently, nine middle and high school students are enrolled.
“My father was in the military, which required him to be absent at various times throughout my life,” said Tech. Sgt. Ron C. Cobb, a communications security instructor supervisor in the U.S. Air Force and member of the first group of young men in the program. “The Eleven Black Men of Liberty County did an awesome job of filling in the fatherhood gap when it was needed. I am forever thankful for all the organization has done for me.”
The theme for the banquet is “There is Liberty in Literacy: Expand Your Mind, Expand Your Life.”
“It highlights the organization’s focus on the necessity of literacy in the development of productive citizens in a rapidly changing society,” Mitchell Boston, Eleven Black Men president, said. “We support the Real Men Read initiative and other similar efforts that are a part of the curriculum of the Liberty County schools.”
Tickets are $40 each. Semiformal dress is required. Sponsorships are available.
For ticket and sponsorship information, call Boston at 912-977-6841, a member of the organization or visit the group’s Facebook page. Tickets may also be purchased at the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, 912-368-4445.