Kyla Alexandria introduced her TikTok followers to her family’s non-profit organization inspired by her late brother, Christopher Pugh.
In a Feb. 16 video that garnered approximately 240,000 views, Kyla, a law student, presented a photo of a group of young Black men. In the latest Tales From TikTok, the cute scholar challenged her viewers to guess which ones were dead or incarcerated. She presented both scenarios before introducing the Christopher A. Pugh II Center for Men (CPC).
Kyla professed that Memphis had nearly 400 homicides in 2023, and most of them stemmed from gun violence. She then disclosed her brother died from gun violence.
She provided additional details on the organization she, her mother and her sister founded, with a video tour of the Center in the background.
“The center is designed as a safe haven for formerly incarcerated men,” Kyla explained. We offer mentoring, job services, housing, free clothing—you name it. We even have a studio for boys who like to make music.”
Kyla said the Memphis-based center also assisted boys who struggled to find the proper lifestyle by pairing them with suitable mentors and showing them other “avenues of life.”
“If you could sell drugs, you can sell medical devices,” Kyla continued explaining. “If you can’t play ball, you can be the team’s psychologist…attorney…physical therapist. And I can’t believe it’s that simple because our boys are dying from a lack of exposure.”
The center includes a training room, a giant closet organized with nice men’s clothing options and more. All of this is accessible to men for free.
Kyla invited those who would like to help keep the center running to contribute in any way they can, either by becoming a mentor or donating.
According to the CPC’s website, the organization has several programs. The first program is the Transition to Unlocked Purpose, which is designed for men ages 14 to 21 with indigent and marginalized backgrounds and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The CPC helps underprivileged and underserved men dress for success by providing interview-appropriate clothing to men striving to enter or re-enter the workforce. The Power Financial Literacy Program aims to teach young men how to make sound financial decisions, from banking relationships to credit repair. The center has cooking classes for kings who want to expand or develop their culinary talents.
The organization partnered with WKNO Ch. 10, Memphis Beatz, the M.O.B. Podcast and the Heal the Hood Foundation for the film and production program. It also partnered with the Technical Control Institute (TCI) for future certified HVAC/Commercial Refrigeration Technicians.
Pugh was in the U.S. Army as a sergeant when he died. According to Action Five News, he was killed outside a bar in Lawton, Oklahoma, after attempting to stop a fight.
