Horsford Attends My Brother's Keeper Initiative At White House

Press Release

Today, Representative Steven Horsford (NV-4) went to the White House to attend the launch of President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Initiative to Build Ladders of Opportunity for Boys and Young Men of Color.

"If you work hard and play by the rules, you should have the opportunity to succeed," said Congressman Horsford. "Your ability to get ahead should be determined by your ambition, not by the circumstances of your birth. I applaud the President's efforts today to help every boy and young man of color who is willing to do the hard work to get ahead. If we work together at the federal, state, and local levels, we can inspire a generation of men of color to become leaders and successful citizens that will greatly benefit the country."

President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing the My Brother's Keeper Task Force, an interagency effort, chaired by the Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson, that will help determine what public and private efforts are working and how to expand upon them, how the Federal Government's own policies and programs can better support these efforts, and how to better involve State and local officials, the private sector, and the philanthropic community in these efforts.

"Today, President Obama not only recognized that this is a national priority, but it is a priority at the heart and soul of our families and our communities," said Dr. Linda E. Young, Clark County School District School Board Trustee. "Our efforts must begin early: we must help children from preschool to early childhood, through high school and into their young professional lives. If we are going to be successful, we must demonstrate the commitment our President showed today."

The foundations supporting the My Brother's Keeper Initiative have made extensive investments, including $150 million in current spending that they have already approved or awarded. Building on that, today these foundations are announcing that over the next five years they seek to invest at least $200 million, alongside additional investments from their peers in philanthropy and the business community, to find and rapidly spread solutions that expand opportunity for these young people.

The Task Force and new private sector partnership will work to build ladders of opportunity. Both the Task Force and the partnership will take action immediately while planning for long-term success.

Horsford concluded "I look forward to working with the community in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District to form a local initiative aligned with the My Brother's Keeper Initiative to ensure our boys and young men of color get the help and support they need to succeed."

Source