They aspire to be businessmen, artists and president of the United States.

Some want to change their communities by removing blight and closing the wealth gap between whites and minorities. Others are bound for the military, historically Black colleges or the Ivy League.

These 18-year-old Black men from across the U.S. want to make their mark. But the nation's long history of violence and oppression against African Americans suggests the odds are against them. A 2019 study by the University of Michigan, Rutgers University and Washington University found police use-of-force was the sixth-leading cause of death for young Black men.

Already, they have endured the trauma of watching video footage of other Black men, such as George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and Ahmaud Arbery, die after encounters with police or neighborhood vigilantes. Some have been marginalized by their classmates, discriminated against by adults who were supposed to protect them. Others grew up surrounded by the hardness of poverty.

And still they celebrate their culture, passions and the promise of what adulthood might bring. See the entire project here: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/06/22/these-black-teens-turning-18-tamir-rices-america/5248634002/