Durham, NC — More than 150 community leaders from a variety of disciplines came together yesterday evening to begin to collaboratively address the challenges faced by Durham’s young men of color as they attempt to make a successful life. The “My Brother’s Keeper” summit was convened by Board Chairman Michael D. Page, as a response to a promise he made in his 2014 State of the County Address to focus on helping young men and boys of color achieve better life outcomes.

Mayor Bill Bell, who participated as President Barack Obama initially announced “My Brother’s Keeper” suggested to the group that “Durham is perfectly positioned to succeed in this endeavor” as the city and the county work seamlessly to develop an action plan.

Participants viewed a short videotaped message from President Obama encouraging them to join other communities across the nation who are working on his initiative. Then featured speaker, Dr. Bryant T. Marks of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, began the session with a presentation challenging the group to rethink the learning environment as it relates to motivating and supporting successful educational outcomes for young men of color. Dr. Marks is an associate professor of Psychology and director of the Morehouse Male Initiative which works to foster affirmative personal and academic development of Black males. He has been appointed by President Obama to serve on the Advisory Board of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

Participants also engaged in three breakout sessions where they discussed Educational Attainment, Job Training and Placement, and Court Involvement with local experts. The goal of the breakout sessions was to discuss how policy changes in those areas might move the needle in a positive direction for boys and young men of color. Organizers will later assess the information that was gathered, perform further analysis and prepare a final action plan as prescribed in the My Brother’s Keeper plan over the next few months. One additional idea that resonated included the need to host a related “Youth Summit” in the coming months to hear directly from young people who will be affected by this initiative.

At the conclusion, Chairman Michael D. Page said, “This project involves the entire community and we must continue on this journey for the long haul. There are too many young people who desperately need us to keep working to make their lives better and we cannot let them down.”

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