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Senator Convenes First-Ever Statewide Coalition Following
Efforts to Launch MBK Chapters across Ohio
Last week,
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Columbus community
leaders to help launch the first-ever statewide coalition of
the "My Brother's Keeper" (MBK) program in Columbus. My
Brother's Keeper was launched by President Obama as a
national initiative to address the opportunity gaps facing
boys and young men of color, and to ensure all young
people reach their full potential.
"All of the work by everyone here today is so
critical to making MBK a success,"
said Brown.
"We need a long-term strategy that allows all our students
to reach their full potential—not one that accepts that an
entire segment of our citizens will grow up with limited
options."
MBK Ohio will work with local chapters to
offer support and provide resources that help Ohio
communities sustain and grow their local MBK chapters.
Brown's office worked closely with The Ohio State University
and the Kirwan Institute to develop this statewide My
Brother's Keeper coalition.
"All of us have a role to play in lifting up
our youth. MBK Ohio will bring together advocates and
communities to promote action, investment, and policies that
create more opportunities for our young people,"
said Kyle Strickland of the Kirwan Institute.
MBK Ohio is aligned with President Obama's My
Brother's Keeper national initiative with the goal of
ensuring that all youth receive a quality high school
education and graduate with the skills and tools needed to
advance to postsecondary education or training.
Brown has been a champion of the My Brother's
Keeper program in Ohio, leading efforts to launch local My
Brother's Keeper initiatives in Springfield, Toledo,
Mansfield, Lorain County, the Mahoning Valley, and Stark
County. He has also
highlighted programs in Dayton, Columbus,
Akron, and Cleveland with Broderick Johnson, President
Obama's Chair of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force.
In September 2014, President Obama issued a
challenge to cities across the country to become "MBK
Communities." This challenge represents a call to action and
encourages communities to implement a coherent
cradle-to-college-and-career strategy for improving the life
outcomes of all young people to ensure that they can reach
their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they
come from, or the circumstances into which they are born.
Nearly 200 mayors, tribal leaders, and county executives
across 43 states and the District of Columbia have accepted
the MBK Community Challenge.
The six goals of the Challenge are:
• Ensuring all children enter school
cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally ready;
• Ensuring all children read at grade
level by 3rd grade;
• Ensuring all youth graduate from
high school;
• Ensuring all youth complete
post-secondary education or training;
• Ensuring all youth out of school
are employed; and
• Ensuring all youth remain safe from
violent crime.
Community leaders can lay the groundwork for
an MBK Community in four steps:
1. Accept President Obama's Challenge.
2. Convene a "Local Action Summit" to
build an MBK Community.
3. Conduct a policy review and form
recommendations for action.
4. Launch a plan of action, next steps,
and a timetable for review.
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