Re-establishing black men as strong providers and role models for children was the theme in a public forum hosted by the Boulevard Community Club.

The forum held last week at the Bermuda Public Services Association auditorium did not draw a big crowd, but moderator Joseph Robinson changed the format into an informal discussion.

And Mr. Robinson said: "The greatest things start off with the smallest numbers.'' PLP Parliamentary candidate and property developer Rodney Smith opened the forum by explaining the difference between maturity and immaturity in black men.

Mr. Smith said maturity was responsibility, being a protector and provider, having wisdom and patience, and reasoning.

He said deadbeat dads and others could only be described as "childish'' -- regardless of age -- when they "are responsive only to their own needs''.

Mr. Smith added: "A black man takes responsibility and pays his bills. A black boy refuses to pay child support.'' He added that black men must decide if they have the souls of free men or "the souls of slaves''.

First Church of God Pastor Vernon Lambe began by telling the audience he could not separate the history of black people from a discussion about black men.

He added: "Our history happens to be one out of a journey of slavery. We were thrust into a society based around commercialism.'' Pastor Lambe got strong applause when he said the Bermuda of his youth was much different from today's.

"You did not have parents. You had a community,'' he added.

Pastor Lambe said a high proportion of black male lives lost to drugs, alcohol, and crime could only be part of a strategy to get rid of them.

And he added that, to reverse the trend, Bermudians must realise that the most important person in a young man's life was his father.

"I say that soberly,'' he said. "There is the male psyche and the female psyche.'' Without a father, Pastor Lambe said, "community parenting'' could save many young men from going off the rails.

He added that when he was young it did not matter where a young person was in Bermuda, there was someone to correct them.

Former principal and civil servant Randy Horton began his talk with a list of statistics on the local prison and school populations.

He said that of 333 inmates, 88 percent were black and the ratio of male teachers was one to 50 students.

Mr. Horton said that if Bermuda did not get more males into the education system we would continue to have problems from young people.

He added: "Unless we do something about it, who are the men that young people will look up to?'' Mr. Horton, the newly-installed director of the youth cricket programme, added he encouraged coaches Island-wide to "teach how to win and how to get along'' rather than win at all costs.

Recent law graduate Wayne Caines said foremost in his mind was the political development of Bermuda.

"This is our Country,'' he said. "Look at the foreigners in Indonesia. They didn't care about Indonesia. They packed up and left.'' He added that without harnessing young men and getting jobs for them, Bermuda faced a troubling future. "We need knowledge, education, and responsibility,'' Mr. Caines said. "We have to stop asking for hand-outs.

This is our country and we have to look out for Bermudians first.''