A Movement Inspired By Trayvon Martin Unleashes the Power of Communities to Work Together to Solve Problems for Boys and Young Men of Color. - by Barack Obama

https://obama.org/mbka/eighth-anniversary/

The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance began as a call to action for the nation to address the persistent opportunity gaps boys and young men of color face and to ensure all young people can reach their full potential.

Today, the Alliance works to unleash the power of communities working together to solve problems for boys and young men of color, at a level to improve real life outcomes. We believe communities are the unit of change to realize improved life outcomes for our boys. Research shows that the collective work of community leaders, members, and public and private agencies pursuing the same goals for these young men can lead to sustainable, place-based change.

Our work is rooted in six key life milestones that research shows are especially predictive of later success, and where interventions can have the greatest impact. By focusing on these milestones, doing what works, and removing or avoiding roadblocks that hinder systems change, we are working to provide boys and young men of color the opportunity and the tools to get ahead.

We support efforts on the ground in communities, through direct funding, technical assistance and training, convenings and networking, and we’ve built a community of practice for organizations and institutions that want to see population level change for our boys and young men. We seek to change systems. We’ve made real progress and we are excited to continue the work to build safe and supportive communities.

Hi Kristof, Ten years ago today, Trayvon Martin was killed.  Trayvon wasn’t so different from me. I resembled him as a teenager, and as a young Black man, the way I was perceived was similar to the way Trayvon was perceived. Luck might have been the only thing that separated us.  Recently, I reflected on what Trayvon’s death 10 years ago meant to me as president, and as a Black man—as well as what it meant for our country. I also shared more about the movement sparked by the tragedy, which continues to press forward.

Trayvon’s death and the resulting jury decision was an expression of a longstanding sense that our country is overdue in recognizing all Americans as equal—not just in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes of each other.  I shared the frustration of millions of Americans in the wake of Trayvon's death, and I was left with a question of what my administration could do to address the systemic issues that led to this tragedy. Learn more about our response, which led to the creation of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative during my time in the White House, and see how its work continues at the Obama Foundation through the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. In addition to My Brother’s Keeper, one of the most important things that came out of this dark moment to me was the activation of an entire new generation of civil rights leaders who took grassroots organizing to a new level. By leveraging social media, building a coalition, and making their voices heard, they were able to move so many people from anguish to action.  It will take sustained engagement at multiple levels to ensure no Black life is cut short. That’s one reason we’re proud to be connecting and training the next generation of leaders through the Obama Foundation, and supporting boys and young men of color through the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.  We have a long way to go. But my hope is that we can look back on this moment and the movement that emerged in response to this tragedy as one more step in our country’s journey to come to terms with our past. It will take all of us to make that a reality. Thank you for your support of this work. –Barack