Obama to unveil private-sector initiative for young African-American men
President Barack Obama will announce a new private-sector initiative on Monday aimed at sustaining his My Brother’s Keeper program beyond his time in the White House.
The effort, backed by more than $80 million in commitments to date, includes initiatives intended to help young African-American males throughout childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
The announcement will come during an event at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, where Obama will deliver remarks and participate in a roundtable discussion with young men from New York and across the United States.
“As the nation grows more diverse, businesses must evolve to address the needs of changing demographics. Labor projections suggest that by 2018, U.S. employers will need 22 million new workers with a post-secondary education — will have only 19 million available,” a fact sheet for the new alliance said. “By 2020, the majority of Americans under the age of 18 will be persons of color. As it stands, the opportunity gap among boys and young men of color is a burden to the American economy.”
Former Deloitte CEO Joe Echevarria is spearheading the effort with a leadership team that includes current and former government officials, Fortune 500 CEOs, entertainment big names and others.
Broderick Johnson will continue to lead the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force for the White House, writing that the organization will work urgently “to disseminate best practices, strengthen federal policy, and implement strategies to support communities in their efforts to expand opportunity for all youth.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/barack-obama-private-sector-plan-my-brothers-keeper-117590.html
