By Jordan Randles
For Bard Athletic Communications
 
Harry Johnson recently completed his sophomore season as a member of the Bard College men's basketball team. His selflessness and passion for the game led the Raptors to 11 victories, matching the most in a season in the history of the school.
 
His willingness to go the extra mile goes beyond the court, however. His record of service sheds more light on a passion of his that is greater than his passion for athletics: Creating a safe environment for young men of color to grow and support each other.
 
Growing up in New York City and Delaware, Johnson met a lot of students whose life circumstances prevented them from ever attending college. When he arrived at Bard and got a taste of a rigorous college experience, he couldn't help but think about them. He also couldn't help but wish that there had been someone there to help him make the challenging move from high school to college.
 
"The adjustment would have gone more smoothly if I had somebody to talk to about the things I was going through," Johnson said.
 

There are certain issues that black men face that other people do not, Johnson said, and there was no forum to voice these particular issues during his first semester at Bard. It was difficult.
 
So Johnson and fellow Bard sophomore Dariel Vasquez, a friend from New York City, created Brothers at Bard, to give young black men on campus a safe environment to discuss life here, or whatever else they wanted to discuss.
 
It has grown already into a two-part program. The first is to serve as a support, and the second is to go off campus to discuss social issues, listen to others talk about their struggles, and to meet successful men of color.
 
There were concerns among Bard administration that Johnson and Vasquez were starting a fraternity. And there have been students who have complained that Brothers at Bard is exclusionary.
 
"I think that the group being exclusionary is necessary for its benefit," Johnson said. " If we were having a men's talk and you had a woman in the room, the talk would be different. Men would not say some things they would say with the woman in the room."
 
Today, he says he is getting much more support than opposition and plans on having a successful year that will empower the men of color on campus, and gear the young men in the surrounding communities for personal, academic, and even athletic success in college and in life.
 
Johnson and Vasquez are planning a "Brothers at Bard Convention" this spring, inviting students from New York City and local communities in the Mid-Hudson Valley. They still feel they need to strengthen the on-campus portion of the group as well.
 
"These young men don't really have an environment or somewhere to go and talk about these things in a structured way," Johnson said. "This way, they're not just talking to their boys about it. They're actually coming here, sitting down with men who are in college, and talking about these issues … and speaking in ways to empower them to want to think about how to change these issues and make change in their own communities."
 
In terms of enhancing his own community, Johnson also co-directs Dream to Achieve, which was a program that started as a Trustee Leader-Scholar effort at Bard through men's basketball several years ago. With Bard graduate Yonah Greenstein, they mentor underprivileged youths using basketball as a way to teach life skills, such as discipline, time management, and respect for others. The program is connected to the local Hudson City School District, about 20 minutes North of the Bard campus.
 
Johnson is excelling on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. He has decided that others like him need to be given that same opportunity, and he's determined to make it happen.

It's happening.