Watch: Young Black Men Throw on Their ‘Suit & Tie’ for Music Video to Help Fight Negative Stereotypes [Video]

Several young black and Hispanic men from Central High School in Champaign, Ill., got dressed up and created a music video to help fight negative stereotypes about minority men.

“Suit & Tie in the 217” was created  to tell a different story about young minority males, Tiffany Gholson, a counselor who worked with them on the project, told NewsOne.

“We are not gangsters and thugs,” scrolls a message across the screen as the exuberant youth display an array of style and taut dance moves against the backdrop of Justin Timberlake’s hit song “Suit & Tie.” Other messages read, “We are employees and volunteers,” “We are scholars,” and “We are athletes.”

“The negative stories told daily in the media and in our culture about our young African-American men tend to ignore their successes and don’t tell the full story about how young black men are becoming leaders within our community schools,” Gholson said. “In this video, our students reclaim the narrative of who they are and inspire other students to follow in their footsteps.”

The clip even got the co-sign from Mr. Suit & Tie himself, Justin Timberlake. Timberlake tweeted:

This. Is. Dope. I’m honored to be a soundtrack for this type of positivity. ????

Get into the video below!

[via The Root]