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Hi there, This month marks the tenth anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper (MBK)–an initiative President Obama launched in the White House after the tragic death of Trayvon Martin to address the opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color.  A decade later, the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance) works in more than 100 communities across the country to create safe and supportive spaces for our youth and help them reach their maximum potential.  It’s impossible to recap the impact–let alone all the joyful and fun moments–of MBK in just a few words, so we put together a collection of a few of our favorite memories. We hope this gives you an idea of the incredible work being done in communities across the country.  Read on to check out photos from the past ten years, then visit our website to learn more about the MBK Alliance! Follow along this month on Obama.org and on social media as we share more to honor a decade of impact. After launching MBK in 2014, President Obama hosted a group of the initiative’s mentees at the White House for workshops and discussions. One of these workshops turned into an impromptu game of HORSE at the White House basketball court!

The MBK Alliance officially became part of the Obama Foundation in 2017, launching the next chapter of the program. The Alliance is focused on achieving impact across six MBK milestones, which include achieving grade-level reading by third grade and finding employment after graduation.  In 2019, the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance hosted its first national convening, MBK Rising!, which brought together the growing network of MBK Communities, cross-sector leaders, young men of color, and the organizations working hard to help them achieve their dreams. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, President Obama and the 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 ten most populous U.S. cities—took our pledge to reimagine policing and redefine public safety. In 2022, the MBK Alliance launched Freedom Summer–a grant program designed to provide communities with tools and resources to create safe spaces for boys and young men of color. President Obama surprised participants at Guitars over Guns, one of the 2022 grant recipients, during a visit to Chicago.  2023 was filled with more exciting events and partnerships giving our young men and boys of color exposure to new careers, hobbies, and safe places to learn and grow.  As part of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Culinary Careers Accelerator at Martha’s Vineyard, eight students participated in a six-week program that immersed them in life on the Vineyard and what it takes to build a successful career in the hospitality industry.  We can’t wait to see what the next ten years of MBK brings, and we look forward to sharing more of our achievements and milestones with you. Thank you for being a part of this work.  –Michael Michael Strautmanis Executive Vice President, Civic Engagement   DONATE NOW ⓒ 2024 Obama Foundation