Black men gather to cheer on students returning to school in Detroit

Members of the Detroit City Council's Task Force on Black Male Engagement gathered Tuesday morning for the third year in a row to cheer on students returning to school.

Police officers, councilmen, businessmen and others lined the sidewalk at Redford Academy in Detroit to cheer on and high five students as they walked through the front door.

"It's important to stay engaged with all of our children. When you start looking at any statistics, our black males unfortunately have had a tough time. We want to make sure that we, as men, who have gone through many of those same situations, that we show them there is a way out and that we give back and make sure we don't just give them an idea, but we pull them with us," says Detroit councilman James Tate.

Tate co-chairs the group with fellow council member Andre L. Spivey.

The Task Force on Black Male Engagement is a network of African-American men in Detroit who are committed to strengthening their communities and changing the narrative of African American males in the City.

The TFBME was introduced in 2014.