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"I said I would pick up the phone and reach out to Americans willing to help more young
men of color, facing especially tough odds, to stay on track and reach their full potential
so that America can reach its full potential." (Via The White House)
With those words Thursday, President Obama announced a $200 million initiative called
"My Brother's Keeper" — an effort aimed at supporting young minority men.
The Wall Street Journal reports the public-private effort will focus on providing "economic and
educational opportunities to disadvantaged black and Latino youth" and will create a
task force to help implement those changes.
A writer for The Grio says "My Brother's Keeper" is a two-pronged approach: Obama is ordering
federal agencies to look at ways to help young men of color while foundations and business
have also pledged their support. That's where the $200 million comes from.
Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to, and close friend of Obama, previously said improving
the lives of young men of color is a personal issue for the president. (Via The White House)
On the White House's blog, Jarrett and Broderick Johnson — assistant to Obama and cabinet
secretary — wrote "Opportunity has disproportionately lagged behind for boys and young men of color"
and listed some troubling statistics.
14% and 18% — Those are the percentages of black and Hispanic boys, respectively,
who read at proficient or above level in 4th grade.
42% — That's the percentage of black male students that have been suspended or expelled
by 9th grade, compared to 14 percent for white male students.
37% — That's how much of the prison population is made up of young black men, more than double
that group's size in the general population.
In his speech, Obama said the statistics are awful but the perceptions of young men of
color that come along with those stats are even worse.
"We've become numb to these statistics. ... We're not surprised by them, we take them as the
norm. We just assume that this is an inevitable part of American life instead of the outrage
that it is." (Via C-SPAN)
"My Brother's Keeper" isn't just an effort to change the perception of young minority
men, but also possibly a way for Obama to change how he has been perceived.
A writer for Time says Obama largely avoided race issues during his first term while concentrating
on recovering from the recession and passing the Affordable Care Act. She writes Obama
"has spent his second [term] taking a piecemeal approach to assisting minority youth."
Obama commented on issues of race following the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012: "You
know, if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." (Via ABC)
Not coincidentally, the speech was held close to the second anniversary of Martin's death.
Both the parents of Martin and the parents of Jordan Davis, another black boy who was
shot and killed in Florida, attended Thursday's announcement. (Via The White House)
According to the Wall Street Journal, "My Brother's Keeper" also has the support of
prominent figures such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Secretary
of State Colin Powell, former basketball star and entrepreneur Magic Johnson and Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel.