In September 2014, President Obama issued a challenge to cities, towns, counties and tribes across the country to become "MBK Communities." This challenge represents a call to action for all members of our communities, and mayors in particular, as they often sit at the intersection of many of the vital forces and structural components needed to enact sustainable change through policy, programs, and partnerships.
On November 3, 2014 Mayor Priscilla Taylor accepted the President’s MBK challenge and held the Local Action Summit. The first MBK Task Force meeting was held on January 28, 2015. The meeting attendees decided to form a network of nonprofit, public and private organizations that work together to increase economic and educational opportunities for boys of color ages 13-20.
Fulfilling Our Mission
The My Brother's Keeper Network is a coalition of public and private entities that work together to improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color through internal agency policy review, education and employment opportunities. Guiding the My Brother's Keeper Network's mission are three core beliefs. Firstly, there are dedicated leaders and organizations across the county that can successfully change life outcomes for boys and young men of color, but are lacking the infrastructure, support and resources to sustain their work and scale of their impact. Secondly, long-term success will require a coordinated movement of leaders and organizations working to advance shared goals. And thirdly, boys and young men of color live within a system that was designed to discriminate based on race and the solution requires a targeted and strategic approach to address. Based on these core beliefs, MBK will undertake the following interconnected strategies:
- Mentor Recruitment
- Network Building
- Strategic Communications
- Capacity Building
In taking this step, MBK intends to play a role that is currently unfilled in the broader landscape of organizations participants engaged in seeking to advance the interest of boys and young men of color. MBK sees its role as advancing the collective efforts of organizations involved with the MBK. MBK is designed to provide coordination, resources and support to their entities that are working to achieve the MBK goals. It will complement, but not duplicate, the work performed by existing groups (including Child and Youth Symposium Workgroup and Superintendent’s Task Force) who are working towards the same goals