Mbka: Eight years of impact

A Movement Inspired By Trayvon Martin Unleashes the Power of Communities to Work Together to Solve Problems for Boys and Young Men of Color

The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance acts as a solutions partner, working with communities to implement action plans and drive impact through key investments. Since 2019, the Alliance has invested over 6 million dollars in our grantee communities, helping these communities impact approximately 367,000 youth.

With the support of investment and technical assistance from MBK, Liberty Hill is seeing progress in its efforts to improve outcomes for boys and men of color, as well as decrease violence and youth incarceration. In partnership with the LA County’s Department of Probation, Liberty Hill leveraged $10 million in private funding and over $100 million in county funding with a goal of diverting 85% of young people away from prison and probation and toward vocation and youth development.

With the support of the MBK Alliance, The NACA Inspired School Network (NISN) has expanded that community of practice to include civic-minded community organizations and to center the work around boys and young men of color. NISN’s work on social emotional learning through their community-of-practice has informed the New Mexico statewide SEL framework for the public education department and led to the expansion of SEL practices across the state. The Public Education Department’s SEL Framework is the first of its kind in the state with the goal of meeting the needs of the whole child.

The Becoming A Man (BAM) program engages young men in navigating difficult circumstances by openly expressing themselves, receiving support and developing the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed. Through the MBK Impact investment, BAM expanded to serve four additional schools on Chicago’s South Side engaging more than 200 students annually. 

In two evaluations of BAM, the program cut violent-crime arrests among youth in half and boosted high school graduation rates of participants by nearly 20%. In addition, it filled and continues to fill an important need by developing essential, non academic skills in young men through mentorship, role-playing, and group exercises. 

MBK acts as a standard setter, focusing on strengthening the network of our leaders and communities and partners across the nation and promoting what works. Through technical assistance, town halls, MBK University courses, and our summits and leadership forums, the Alliance has provided over 1,000 community leaders with training and resources to strengthen their work.

The MBK Leadership Forum convened MBK Communities that are making notable progress to reduce barriers and expand opportunities for our boys and young men. This virtual gathering celebrated progress, centered racial equity as a core driver to meet MBK goals, shared best practices from communities with proven success, strengthened leadership skills, and spotlighted what works.

The MBK Leadership Forum convened MBK Communities that are making notable progress to reduce barriers and expand opportunities for our boys and young men. This virtual gathering celebrated progress, centered racial equity as a core driver to meet MBK goals, shared best practices from communities with proven success, strengthened leadership skills, and spotlighted what works.

The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance mobilizes individuals and institutions to support the efforts necessary for our young men to live safe and healthy lives. Through convenings like MBK Rising, our town hall series, partnerships with funders and corporations, and our Reimagining Policing call to action, the Alliance has raised awareness and brought focus to how we can change systems to improve life outcomes for boys and young men of color.

In February 2019, MBK Rising! brought together hundreds of young men and leaders working to break down barriers that too often leave them at a disadvantage. From our town hall conversation with President Obama and Steph Curry where young men could ask questions, to a candid conversation on the interconnectedness of race, gender, and sexual orientation, the gathering created in-person and virtual moments to celebrate progress and rally people near and far to continue the work of building a bright future for each and every one of us.

In June 2020, President Obama and MBK Alliance challenged mayors and city leaders to amplify their communities’ calls for policing reform and accountability. Over 330 communities—representing 13+ million Black people and including all of the 10 most populous U.S. cities—took our pledge to reimagine policing and redefine public safety. In March 2021, we released the  Reimagine Policing: Progress to Date report documenting the pledge’s inspiration, sharing highlights of the participating cities’ progress, and offering next steps for building on the momentum of the pledge.

Through two years of navigating through a global health pandemic, with COVID-19, and a national racism pandemic, our MBK youth, communities, and partners stepped up to support their neighbors through food drives, virtual programming, care packages, and providing devices to help with online learning. Through our COVID-19 Town Hall Series,  our Mental Health and Wellness in a Racism Pandemic Town Hall with John Lewis (Opens in a new tab), our partnerships with  Lyft and other partners, and  our increased investments in our Seed and Impact Communities, the Alliance was able to support our communities as they continued their work reduce barriers and expand opportunity for boys and young men of color and their families during this time of unparalleled uncertainty.