My Brother’s Keeper Alliance

For a decade, the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance has led a cross-sector national call to action focused on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where they feel valued and have clear pathways to opportunity. Learn more. 

To foster opportunities and access for boys and young men of color, we created the MBK Model Communities initiative under the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance. This initiative aims to expand the implementation of evidence-based practices and their impact across communities nationwide. As part of this initiative, the MBK Alliance has identified four model communities— Newark, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Yonkers, New York—that have demonstrated significant impact in at least one of the six MBK milestones through effective programming and initiatives that have positively shifted educational or violence reduction outcomes in their areas.

Homicides in the city of Newark were down 55 percent in 2022 as compared to 2013.

The city of Omaha has reduced homicides by 30 percent from 2011-2022.

Tulsa has ensured all elementary schools have early learning pre-K and has increased attendance for students of color by 33 percent

At 91 percent, the city of Yonkers has the highest graduation rate in the state of New York for students of color.

These MBK Model Communities were chosen from a network of hundreds, each with a proven track record of success in improving outcomes for boys and young men of color.

Through hard work and perseverance, Marquis Wright has reshaped his life with the support of My Brother's Keeper Alliance programs. 

The Newark Youth Opportunity Network (Opens in a new tab), a partner of MBK Alliance, empowers young people aged 16 to 24 with the opportunity to earn a GED and on-the-job training through community projects. For Marquis, joining the nonprofit was pivotal. He successfully completed his probation period and earned Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10 and 30 certifications.

In his free time, Marquis enjoys rehabilitating homes in his neighborhood through YouthBuild (Opens in a new tab)Newark. This initiative not only provides employment and leadership development but also equips opportunity youth with occupational skills training. Marquis' community involvement mirrors his own personal growth.

Looking forward, Marquis hopes to pursue a career in carpentry, building on the foundation of skills and resilience he has cultivated through his journey with MBK Alliance in Newark.

Summer can be a challenging time for boys and young men in our community. With school out of session, they have more time to fill. That’s why the MBK Alliance created Freedom Summer, an initiative to support local organizations that are working to provide safe and productive places where our young people can learn and have fun. 

The 2023 program cycle provided $1 million in small grants to 33 Chicago-based grantees to create alternative summer programming in South Shore, Woodlawn, and Washington Park and impact a reduction in violence, one of the key milestones that guides the Alliance’s work. With support from the Freedom Summer 2023 funds, grantees serve 3,094 youth (2,626 identified as boys and young men of color.)

The young men and their communities experienced positive impact:

46% reduction in violence in Grand Crossing

35% reduction in violence in South Shore

83% of participants expressed increased excitement about their future

97% of survey respondents felt safe when they were at a Freedom Summer 2023 program.

Take a look at the Freedom Summer 2023 Evaluation Report (Opens in a new tab), which outlines the impact of this transformative initiative.