The BME Challenge, which highlights the stories of black men and boys leading others in Philadelphia and Detroit, received more than 2,000 submissions as of the Friday deadline.

To all of those who shared inspirational stories of leadership, the BME Campaign thanks you for your efforts in making your communities stronger.

Now that entries are in, members of the community have 11 days to vote on the stories that they find the most inspirational. Videos will be produced for individuals who submitted the five stories with the most votes, and will be shown at BME celebration events in Detroit on Tuesday, Oct. 18 and in Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 24.

After the events, individuals who submitted stories during the first phase of the challenge will have the opportunity to submit funding proposals for projects they think would better their communities.

Winners will then receive funding and support to execute their projects and will share their progress on the BME website.

To learn more about the BME Challenge, hear from Donna Frisby-Greenwood, program director/Philadelphia, about why the BME Challenge is personal.

BME is supported by Knight Foundation and the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement.