Darrius Barron
Sports Editor
The African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” says very little, but carries so much meaning. In this face paced society, it may seem as if good people are hard to come by or just downright nonexistent. But Seamel Mims is dispelling that belief.
Mims is alumnus of Jackson State University and a Jacksonian who has taken the extra step to help his community by serving as mentor and basketball coach for disadvantaged youth in Jackson. Mims is leading by example and providing a positive male role model for the group of boys he mentors.
In 2006, during his freshman year at Jackson State, Mims crafted the idea of a male mentoring program called Changing Lives And Invigorating Minds that would later be known as C.L.A.I.M mentoring.
Mims allowed his love for the institution to influence the title of his mentoring program.
“As you can see, that’s part of Jackson State as well. I loved the school so much that I took part of the slogan and just put it into my own words,” said Mims.
With the Jackson State motto at that time being “Challenging minds, Changing Lives,” it is apparent that the school’s faculty and staff impacted Mims in a way that inspired him to live up to the standards of the university. The moment that Mims decided to build that metaphorical village in Jackson is the moment he became a hometown hero.
Mims is devoted to being the change he would like to see in the world. Through his mentoring, he has showed his group of boys what it is to be productive citizens, and has made it a goal for all of them to graduate from college.
“What we want to make sure, first and foremost, that they are productive citizens. So, all of our boys are going to go to college, and all of our boys are going to graduate from college because we are bringing in mentors that are either college grads, or looking to go back to college,” said Mims.
In an effort to raise awareness to the sacrifices of veterans, Mims led his group of mentees to different nursing homes so that they could sit and talk to veterans. The trip not only raised awareness, but also gave the group of children an opportunity to thank the veterans for their service and sacrifices.
Mims also led a community project with his mentees to clean up and rehabilitate an area in Jackson known as Country Club Place, located near Capitol street. Mims rented equipment to turn the area which had grown wild with weeds and trash into a landscape suitable to start a garden.
Another branch of CLAIM mentoring that Mims has made quite successful is the Young Starz basketball team.
Because basketball is an outlet that several young men gravitate to, Mims uses the sport as a way for the boys to have fun, to teach discipline, and as an aid for them to learn brotherhood.
The boys in his program give Mims credit for helping them with various parts of their basketball technique.
Taylor Milton, the 10-year-old small forward for the Young Starz says that his favorite part of the game is playing defense and shooting. Milton also says that Mims is helping him prepare for a future in the NBA.
“Coach Mims is helping me get better so that I can play for the Chicago Bulls, and get my education,” said Milton.
Some of the boys are looking to take the place of the players they love today, and to continue the legacy of their favorite team.
Maddox Singletary, the nine-year-old point guard for the Young Starz has plans to succeed Stephen Curry as the Golden State Warriors’ star point guard.
“I want to be an NBA All Star. I would like to play for the Warriors because Stephen Curry plays for them,” said Singletary.
After witnessing first-hand how tough growing up in Jackson can be, Mims decided not to add to the problem, but to be part of the solution.
Seamel Mims, coach and mentor, is a prominent example of a hometown hero that The Blue & White Flash honors in this FlashBlack spotlight. Not all heroes wear capes, and no good deed goes unnoticed.
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