Brother2Brother looks to expand campus impact

A University of Nebraska–Lincoln program is aiming to bring campus together through brotherhood.

Brother2Brother is a program within the university’s Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services (OASIS). While the program was started in late 2019, the group is now accelerating its development, with plans to expand into the broader campus community this year.

The group will host a virtual symposium titled “Mental Health, Money Management and Masculinity” from noon to 3 p.m. April 23 via Zoom. To learn more and register, click here.

The core mission of Brother2Brother is to connect all male and non-binary students of color at Nebraska. It functions as part brotherhood, part networking circle. The members can find solidarity with one another while joining together to amplify their voices.

Michael Sanders, a sophomore computer science major and the group’s vice president, said from his own campus experiences, he felt it was difficult for many students of color to find connections outside of their own friend groups and communities. He knew many of his fellow students of color had experiences facing the same microaggressions and obstacles as he did and wanted to find a way to bring everyone together.

“We have very similar … things that we have to deal with, things that we have to fight, things that we have to encounter throughout life,” he said.

Sanders said he hopes Brother2Brother will reach these students and help them find like-minded friends and mentors from a diverse array of backgrounds and upbringings.

“I’m a big believer in diversity and how important that is … because diversity not only takes you out of your own box in your own way of growing up, but it makes you explore yourself and open the different parts of yourself that you may not have been aware of.” he said. “Diversity allows you to find yourself — and I find that really powerful.”

Brother2Brother is recruiting new students to help broaden the group’s inclusivity, grow its leadership and plan upcoming events. Past events have included trivia nights, video game tournaments and Zoom sessions.

Tamayo Zhou, graduate student in educational administration and coordinator of Brother2Brother, said he is excited for the group’s future and invites interested students to attend the symposium to see the impact of the program firsthand.

“Join the m3 Symposium in April for fellowship, joy and empowerment,” he said. “Topics include pressing issues all college students are facing on mental health, money management and masculinity.”

For more information on Brother2Brother, contact Zhou at tamayo.x.zhou@huskers.unl.edu. To apply to join the group’s leadership team, click here.