My Brother’s Keeper: Obama lays out ways to support men and boys of color
The Obama administration made public recommendations on how both public and private entities can participate in the White House’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative on Friday.
The initiative is meant to support men and boys of color, and includes a move that focuses on summer jobs and mentoring.
“Already we’re seeing, I think, a much greater sense of urgency this summer about putting these young people in opportunities where they can learn the basic skills that they’re going to need to get attached to the labor market,” President Obama said Friday. The former basketball star Magic Johnson and Joe Echevarria, who heads the accounting and consulting firm Deloitte, will help lead the program.
“We’ve got a huge number of kids out there who have as much talent, and more talent, than I had, but nobody is investing in them,” Mr. Obama said, adding that over the next couple of weeks, more specific programs would be announced.
The five-year initiative was announced by the president three months ago. Philanthropic and corporate leaders have pledged to invest at least $200 million in the program over the next five years, on top of the $150 million they’ve already invested.
The additional funds will be used “to figure out which programs are most successful.” Critics of the initiative say it should also focus on young minority women.
Thoughts on “My Brother’s Keeper?”
Should the initiative be expanded to include minority females?
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