This past weekend, BET brought an experience like no other to Los Angeles. The BET Experience kicked off on June 5 with the WayMaker Men’s Summit (the first time in LA), the brainchild of Louis Carr, president of media sales at BET and founder of the WayMaker brand. With a legacy rooted in impact, Carr created the WayMaker platform to uplift and equip future leaders through books, conferences, mentorship, and media.
The summit is his heartfelt mission to “pay it forward and pay it back” — offering Black men a sacred space to heal, grow, and lead purposefully. Held annually during BET Weekend, the summit brings together changemakers, creatives, and entrepreneurs to celebrate identity, vulnerability, and legacy.
“We live in a time where the words masculinity and being a man are very blurred and confusing terms, and identity, and that’s the purpose of this summit,” Carr said, opening the summit up.
“We as Black men need to understand who we are and the complexity of being a man and uplifting and supporting our community as leaders, but we also need to recognize the healing and growth that has to first take place.”
The summit, split into two days with a star-studded list of speakers, including Jason Wilson, Wood Harris, Michael Cooper Jr., Kirk Franklin, Michael Jai White, Nick Cannon, and many more.
Wilson spoke about helping Black males find other ways to decompress from life before reaching their breaking point. “Sports is one of the main outlets boys turn to to express themselves and release anger, but it isn’t always the best method because most sports involve hitting things, and that’s programming their brain to release anger by hitting something,” Wilson said. “We need to teach our boys how to release emotions before they overload. I recommend meditation and prayer first because it allows moments of reflection, release, reset, and rest, which are the 4Rs I teach my students.”
Wilson emphasized that changing a person’s environment doesn’t necessarily resolve their issues; it may only help them conceal their emotions. He stated, “If someone is angry in a tough neighborhood, it doesn’t matter if you take them to Dubai—they’re still an angry person in Dubai. What our community needs for progress is inner healing.”
Michael Copper Jr., who played the main character Justin in the hit show Forever on Netflix, discussed his character and how Justin challenged him as an actor and person. “Reading the script frightened me because I’m not as vulnerable as Justin is, but I’m glad fans were able to relate to Justin, which means I reached the bar that was set for me.” Copper Jr. continued stating that life is a feeling that everybody should experience.
“At times, we try to suppress life, whether dwelling on the past or being afraid of our future. We forget to live in the moment, process the moment, and work through the highs and lows while still enjoying life. One thing I learned from Justin is to appreciate and live in the moment, and we should all strive for that.”
