March 14th, 2008 
Duane 
A few years ago on this site I wrote about the importance of doing a celebration for our kids similiar to that of a bar/bat mitzvah, quinceanera, etc. Well it looks like someone else had the same idea.
Will ‘Bro Mitzvah’ find roots in African American community?
By Jane Ulman, Contributing Editor
jewishjournal.com
Decked out in a black tuxedo, a brimmed hat set fashionably on his head, Douglas LeVandia Ulmer Jr., better known as DJ, walked down the aisle to the beat of two African drummers.
This was the night of his 16th birthday, and his mother, Lillie Hill, was celebrating his coming of age as an extraordinary black young adult with what she dubbed a “bro mitzvah.”
Hill knew that 16 marked a turning point in DJ’s life. And while she had looked into several African rites of passage, she believed the Jewish bar mitzvah ceremony, with its emphasis on family heritage and good deeds, gave her the best blueprint to validate her son’s dedication to family, school, community and church and to pass on her family’s values of education, worship and social outreach.
“This was a way to give him a stepping stone to build upon as he crosses into his adult life,” said Hill, who grew up as the youngest of 10 children in rural Indianola, Miss., and is a trained social worker who is currently teaching.
At the black-tie celebration, held last July at the West Palm Beach Marriott in Palm Beach, Fla., with about 45 people in attendance, DJ was embraced by his grandmother, mother and three sets of aunts and uncles from his extended family. They spoke lovingly of his hard work at Palm Beach Lakes High School, his mentoring of youngsters through the Children’s Coalition and his youth group work at SunCoast Church of Christ in Lake Worth. DJ’s father, Palm Beach County firefighter Douglas Ulmer, had died almost two years earlier.
A church elder, Lowrie Simon, presented DJ with his own Kente cloth, a colorful woven stole depicting his African and slave heritage as well as his family’s now predominant professions in education and psychology. Mayor Thomas Masters of nearby Riviera Beach gave the keynote talk, focusing on the troubled fate of many African American young men.
“It was very emotional; my family doing something so special,” DJ said. (more…)
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I ‘m not 100% on the name bro mitzvah, but hey that is an easy change. I just hope something like this really catches on.
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That is great this kid and his mother are very creative i would have never thought of anything like this ……….i believe that he will make a change in our black community…
This is Douglas Ulmer i just want to say thanks to black informant for all of the support to take the time in writing this article if anyone has any questions please contact me at Douglas ulmer@yahoo.com thank you…
Unfortunately I cannot take any credit for writing this particular article. The author’s name and representing paper is located at the top of this post. If you follow the link, I am sure you will also be able to find her contact information.
Way to go D.J. keep up the good work! I am so proud of you. You are growing into a pretty terrific young man.
Lillie, I think Bro Mitzvah is a great idea. I am always in favor of things that acknowledge and promote the many positive things that our young Afican American youths bring to the community and the world at large.
I would like to see more African American parents mark the coming of age for their teenage sons in a celebration ceremony as you did with Bro Mitzvah.
this is great can i hear more from this kid…..
I am going to do this for my son next month. Any pointers?
this is awsome this kid is a genius for thinking about it can i hear more from him
this is great america isgoing to change and its going to change fast
this is great
OMG!!! I had no idea about Dj… Dj is my best friend, even though i just met him last year. i found this and i am completely amazed!!! his mom seems like such a wonderful women, and she has rasied an amazing young man who now isnt that young anymore. its great to know that my best friend has gone through much. this seems like such an great experience, and i know that he has learned so much since then.