Statement from 11 Leading Philanthropies in Response to White House Report on Young Men of Color
Resource type: News
The Atlantic Philanthropies |
Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The California Endowment, Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kapor Center for Social Impact, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Today, the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force released a report on policies, regulations, and programs that have the potential to expand opportunity for boys and young men of color. In response, eleven of America’s leading foundations working together on a complementary private-sector initiative issued the following joint statement:
“We applaud the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force on the release of its report to President Obama.
“Boys and young men of color – like all children – should have the opportunity to achieve their greatest hopes and dreams. And it is in the nation’s best interest to remove the hurdles preventing them from reaching that potential.
“We commend the Obama Administration for continuing to take action aimed at creating a brighter future for our sons and brothers and by extension the communities in which they live. The report’s emphasis on early childhood support, improving literacy, creating greater pathways to college and career success, and reducing unnecessary involvement with the justice system are all key factors toward improving the lives of boys and young men of color.
“Building upon decades of work and investments to positively impact young men of color, our eleven foundations joined forces in February 2014 to provide a private-sector counterpart to the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. Our commitment to fundamentally improving the life trajectory of young men of color is unwavering, and it is essential to build on this momentum to improve the policies and structures that currently impede the ability of many young men to participate fully in American society.
“In the coming week we will release a summary of our own blueprint outlining how philanthropy and the private sector, in partnership with the public sector, can give more of our young men the opportunities and tools to become successful adults, improve the environments that profoundly shape their lives, and replace the barriers that stand in their way with pathways toward success. The report will also identify initial steps that our foundations are taking to fulfill this vision and highlight how young men and boys of color are already contributing to this nation. We are eager to explore the White House’s recommendations, and look forward to opportunities for partnership and alignment.
“Today’s White House report and our own forthcoming recommendations outline the initial directionand infrastructure necessary for new partners to join this work and for a broader, long term movement to flourish. This is critical progress as it will take all of us working together across communities and across all sectors of our society to truly improve life outcomes for every single child and young person in this country.
“We look forward in the weeks and months to come to further actions by both the public and private sectors to support our nation’s boys and young men of color.”
For media inquiries please contact:
Katie Butterfield, (646) 289-7660
Learn More
> Download the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force Report (PDF)
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. Atlantic is a limited life foundation that will complete grantmaking in 2016. To learn more, please visit: atlanticphilanthropies.org