The Black Tie Guys, an award-winning youth mentoring program, are making headlines with their comprehensive study of American government and presidential history in 2025.
Easily recognizable in their trademark black tuxedos and yellow fedoras, the young scholars have been focusing on the contributions of United States Presidents throughout the year. Their studies have already included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and John F. Kennedy.
During Spring Break, the group embarked on a four-day educational tour centered on Presidents Bush and Kennedy. The young men visited the Bush Presidential Library where they learned about his presidency, with special emphasis on his leadership during the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers. They also toured the Sixth Floor Depository in Dallas, the site from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly alone fired the fatal shots that killed President Kennedy.
In preparation for their tour, participants studied all U.S. Presidents, the Bill of Rights, and the importance of civic participation through voting.
While in Dallas, the group was welcomed by Chris Christian, Director of Code Compliance Services for Dallas, and David Etheridge, Deputy Director of the Employees’ Retirement Fund for Dallas. Both speakers commended the young men on their professional appearance and encouraged them to continue valuing being “well dressed, well spoken, well read, disciplined and well traveled.”
Christian told the youth they should be prepared to work at their dream seven days a week, at every opportunity because there are thousands of youth competing to achieve the same dream and are willing to work to make it happen.
The city officials expressed surprise at the number of honor roll and straight-A students in the group, as well as the many aspiring engineers, scientists, and researchers among them.
When Etheridge challenged those interested in engineering to demonstrate their knowledge of basic mathematics such as the Pythagorean theorem, eighth-grader Syre Jackson from Martin Luther King Elementary impressed everyone by not only explaining the theorem but also reciting the quadratic formula from memory.
Jackson was introduced as the Monroe City School District Jr. High Student of the Year.
Etheridge, a Prince Hall Mason, shared knowledge about influential Black Masonic figures including Richard Allen, Shaquille O’Neal, and Thurgood Marshall who were also Masons. He encouraged those pursuing sports careers to always develop alternative career plans.
Both Christian and Eldridge aspired athletics as youth, but found success in the business and corporate world as their plan B became their plan A.
Representing the city of Dallas, the youth were presented with gifts, encouragement, and praise for their academic achievements.
During their visit, the Black Tie Guys also toured the Golden Gate Funeral Home, described as one of America’s most successful Black-owned businesses, originally operated by John Beckwith, Jr., from Tallulah, Louisiana. Beckwith told them of his rags-to-riches rise in the field of mortuary science and encouraged each youth to work hard to achieve their dreams.
Melissa Harris, of the City of Dallas, arranged the Black Tie Guys meet and greet in Dallas.
Looking ahead, the group plans to visit the Bill Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas, Abraham Lincoln’s home and gravesite in Illinois, and the Barack Obama Presidential Library currently under construction in Chicago.
The Black Tie Guys program, formerly known as the Top Gun Leadership Academy, operates under Tab-N-Action, Inc., directed by Roosevelt and Joslyn Wright. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Affairs has recognized it as one of the top 1,000 youth programs in America.
Black Tie Guys
