CLEVELAND — The Urban League of Greater Cleveland held its Annual Meeting at Karamu House Thursday. During it, leaders announced the relaunch of the program My Brother's Keeper—and the launch of a sister program, Saving Our Daughters.
My Brother's Keeper, originally a program introduced by former President Barack Obama, addresses persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color and ensures all youth can reach their full potential. Saving Our Daughters, cofounded by actress Keke Palmer, was founded with the mission to support adolescent girls of color in overcoming social barriers such as bullying, mental health, and low self-esteem.
Both programs aim to provide resources for youth of color. The announcement of their implementation in Cleveland was a promise to youth in the area to focus on them.
"The relaunch of My Brother's Keeper means that we have more resources. We are more focused to be able to take the programming and experiences for our young black and brown men and boys in the community," said Kevin Clayton, chair of Urban League of Greater Cleveland. "Knowing that there's a kind of duality of what we need to provide our young ladies and young women in our community...and the launch of Saving Our Daughters gives us that same opportunity to really provide them pathways and guide ways of support."
Nathan Phillips, the manager of My Brother's Keeper in Cleveland, knows the challenges facing Cleveland's youth of color, as he's experienced many of them.
"I grew up where they live. I went through a lot in life. Lost my dad when I was like 7, 8 years old. My mother died of a heart attack in my arms at 16— had to fend for myself. Didn't have the resources in the family there to step in and lead me the right way. Some wanted to, but they just couldn't at the time," Phillips said.
For years, Phillips has been trying to help lead youth the right way, and now that comes with a new focus on his program in Cleveland.
But it also comes at a relevant time.
Earlier in the day Thursday, before the Annual Meeting, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb held a press conference where he outlined the city's summer safety plan.
Bibb was at the meeting later that evening, praising the relaunch of My Brother's Keeper and the launch of Saving Our Daughters—teaming up with them in the efforts to reduce and prevent crime in the summer months that seems to rise as the temperatures do.
"Just this afternoon, we had an update on violent crime in our city, and almost every homicide in our community is our young men of color, that's either the victim or the suspect. We can't change violence in Cleveland without having an opportunity agenda without giving hope—and that's what this work is all about," Bibb said at the meeting.
Community leaders see the importance of focusing on youth in the summer and believe programs like the two recently launched can help prevent them from taking a negative path.
"We know in the summertime, that's an opportunity for idleness to set in. So by us being able to provide programming and activities for young men and young women, it gives them one less opportunity to either be exposed to violence or be exposed to the elements that may deter their careers or their futures," Clayton said.
As these programs see support from city leaders and others in the community, the impact they can have is top of mind.
Marsha Mockabee, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, has seen the positivity that has come out of similar programs.
"We took young people onto college campuses; we took them to Historically Black Colleges. We took them to the Martin Luther King Center; we exposed them to cultural things," Mockabee said. "We saw young people go on to college and graduate and become the first in their families to be able to change the trajectory of education, of wealth building, and now they have a generational transfer in their families."
As these two programs begin implementation in Cleveland and as summer approaches, leaders hope to spread their message of support and positive direction to the city's next generation.
"I keep it 100 with them. The block is hot, and I don't want you on the block because we lose too many of them behind this violence and all of this stuff that goes on when the temperature gets hot, so we've got to keep our arms around them and get them into great things to do."
To learn more about programs through the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, CLICK HERE.
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