Some people may complain that President Obama has done nothing for the Black community. Such a generalization is patently untrue and the My Brother’s Keeper initiative has had a significant impact.
Two years ago President Obama launched MBK to “ensure that all youth, including boys and young men of color, have opportunities to improve their life outcomes and overcome barriers to success.” The impact of the program is part of the hidden legacy of direct help in the Black community that impacts all of America. The president’s actions launched a series of initiatives that have seen the realization of dreams for millennial entrepreneurs, increased educational opportunities, and increased private sector involvement in the inner city.
In the two years since President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper, there have been substantive successes. According to the White House, here are four ways that the program uplifted the Black community:
- “The MBK School Success Mentor Initiative, a partnership between the Department of education and Johns Hopkins University, will pair 250,000 6th and 9th graders with trained mentors in 30 communities that accepted the MBK Community Challenge. At full scale, when operating in grades K-12 across districts, the model aims to reach over one million students within the next 3-5 years.”
- “As part of the Administration’s Summer Opportunity Project, in February 2016 DOL launched a new $20 million grant competition that will be awarded to approximately 10 communities for innovative approaches that provide young people with summer and year-round jobs and connect them to career pathways. CNCS has committed $15 million in existing Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards over the next three years to launch Summer Opportunity AmeriCorps that will enable up to 20,000 youth to gain new skills and earn money for college.”
- “In July 2015, ED and DOJ announced the “Second Chance Pell” pilot program that will enable incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants to finance the postsecondary education and training that may be instrumental in securing employment, stability, and self-sufficiency.”
- “In May 2015, a group of private sector leaders joined together to launch the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA), a nonprofit that supports boys and young men of color. The founding Board of Directors collectively committed $80 million in in-kind and financial donations to support the organization’s mission.”
