Another amazing story has surfaced in Detroit, Michigan. This time around Karate Instructor Shärath Jason Wilson, who makes it his goal to teach his students to push through obstacles despite pain, is at the forefront of this feel-good story from an inspiring Detroit-based initiative.

Wilson is an instructor at the Cave of Adullam, a Transformational Training Academy (CATTA) rooted in Christianity, training boys to be “comprehensive men of God.”

In a video that has been making its way around the internet, Wilson teaches his student that crying is okay. This narrative is one that isn’t often taught to young black men.

“Men are humans and it’s okay to cry, but never give up when facing adversity,” Wilson told BuzzFeed. “During these perverse times, it’s truly vital that we, the men and fathers of this generation, do not allow our boys to grow up with a false sense of masculinity like many of us did.”

The lessons don’t stop at “it’s okay to cry.” Another one of Wilson’s most powerful messages to his students is about how to survive as a black man in America.

He explains to his student that as a black man, mental strength is of utmost importance. With the school-to-prison pipeline, police brutality and more, black men are targeted for failure by systemic racism. Mental strength is one of the tools that Wilson believes will help black men persevere.

And his students, are listening with ears wide-open.

Watch the full video above!

Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our daily newsletter!

karate

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week