TODAY President Obama Launches My Brother's Keeper

Dear Members of the Institute for Black Male Achievement,   As you are surely aware by now, this is a historic day for the field of black male achievement. This afternoon at 3:25 p.m., from the White House East Room, President Barack Obama will announce the launch of My Brother’s Keeper, “a new initiative with leading foundations and businesses taking a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to building ladders of opportunity that will unlock the full potential of boys and young men of color in America.” With this announcement, the President is making a significant statement and giving us validation on our collective work to improve the life outcomes of black men and boys.    On behalf of the IBMA team, I am writing to commend you for your commitment, compassion, and courage with all you have done to make this day possible. Your tireless advocacy, teaching, organizing, research, and leadership have contributed to this special moment in America.    And while I write to commend and congratulate you, I also write to challenge you to maximize this moment. Let’s leverage this day and the launch of My Brother’s Keeper for increased mission fuel to lean into our work with greater resolve and resiliency to create pathways for success for black men and boys in America. There is so much more work to be done to fully eliminate the disparities and inequities facing our young men.    The MBK launch event will be streamed live on http://www.whitehouse.gov/my-brothers-keeper and whitehouse.gov/live at 3:25 p.m. During that time we also invite you to join IBMA @bmachievement and Cities United @CitiesUnitied for a Twitter chat to respond to the announcement and lift up the Cities Untied work that is happening in New Orleans today with mayors, youth activists, municipal leaders, and philanthropists convening with the goal to reduce violent deaths amongst black men and boys in America’s cities. The hashtags for the Twitter chat are #CitiesUnited and #mybrotherskeeper.   Thank you all for contributing your heads, hands and hearts to this historic moment! With Gratitude, Shawn Dove  Campaign Manager, Open Society Foundations Campaign for Black Male Achievement   The Institute for Black Male Achievement is a national membership network that seeks to ensure the growth, sustainability, and impact of leaders and organizations committed to improving the life outcomes of black men and boys through systemic change.