State Education Department Announces Second Class of My Brother’s Keeper Fellows

The State Education Department today named the second class of My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Fellows who have been identified as leaders in their MBK communities and who will be provided with mentor relationship opportunities in government, education and business, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced. The 67 Fellows, all high school juniors, represent 22 New York State school districts who attended the Third New York State MBK Statewide Symposium held in Albany today with their mentors.

“We are committed to making sure that the voices of our children are part of the education conversation and by embracing My Brother’s Keeper, communities across the state are creating unique opportunities for boys and young men of color,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “With the MBK movement’s continued growth, we are showing more students the path to success in life, amplifying their voices and helping them to realize their full potential.”

“I am excited to see how we are building on the MBK Fellows program, more than doubling the number of Fellows in this year’s class and providing valuable leadership resources for boys and young men of color,” Commissioner Elia said. “Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie made the Fellows program possible by championing MBK and working with the Legislature and the Executive to secure funding to support boys and young men of color. We thank Speaker Heastie and his colleagues for their continued support of MBK.”

"The mission of My Brother’s Keeper is empowering, inspiring and encouraging our young people to think about how they initiate change in their community, their city and our country,” Regent Lester W. Young said. “MBK Fellows are an integral part of that larger movement, and they are called on to ensure that the next generation of New York State leaders are well prepared for civic duty and commitment to social justice values. These future leaders are seizing valuable opportunities to grow as mentors, so they can pass on what they’ve learned to the next generation.”

“We in New York realize that young men and boys of color are still lagging behind in most measures of achievement, particularly high school graduation and the completion of advanced degrees,” said Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie. “By investing in their futures through programming like that of My Brother’s Keeper we are dismantling the often-told narrative of underachievement faced by boys and men of color. The MBK Fellows initiative assists in the closing of both racial and social achievement gaps, creating opportunities for success for all individuals and all families. I would like to commend Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa for their continuous efforts to expand this important initiative.”

2019 Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in a New York City Fellows event in June, the MBK Fellows Retreat later this summer and the Obama MBK Foundation National Conference in February 2020.

Each Fellow will be partnered with a mentor from a NYSMBK Community Network partner and be given the opportunity of a fellowship with one of our partners in either a postsecondary institution or a political office. They will also be required to develop and execute a service project related to a NYSMBK initiative such as:

• Ensuring equitable access to high quality schools and programs;
• Expanding prevention, early warning and intervention services;
• Responding to structural and institutional racism;
• Engaging families and communities in a trusted and respectful way.

In addition, Fellows will serve on a statewide MBK Fellows Workgroup to provide valuable input on the development and implementation of a statewide MBK Mentoring Network.

The approved MBK Community Networks were eligible to apply to the Fellows program and consist of a partnership between the Office of the Mayor and the School District Superintendent (or the Chancellor in New York City). Additionally, for this program, each Community Network must secure a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a local postsecondary education institution, local business or community-based organization.

The 2019 MBK Fellows are:

In 2014, former President Barack Obama established the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force at the federal level. The Task Force was an interagency effort focused on closing and eliminating the opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color so that all young people have the chance to reach their full potential. With the adoption of the 2016–17 New York State budget, New York became the first state to accept the President’s challenge and enacted the My Brother’s Keeper initiative into law. The budget included a $20 million investment in support of the initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. 

In 2018, NYSED awarded more than $1.15 million in grants to five schools for the MBK Exemplary School Models and Practices program. Grant recipients partner with demographically similar Struggling or Persistently Struggling schools in another district within their region to replicate exemplary practices that demonstrate cultural and linguistic responsiveness to emphasize the needs of boys and young men of color.

Also in 2018, NYSED awarded nearly $750,000 in grants to 11 school districts for the MBK Native American Program, to increase the academic achievement and college/career readiness of Native American students, with an emphasis on boys and young men.

Since 2016, NYSED has awarded more than $18 million in grants to 45 school districts for the My Brother’s Keeper Family and Community Engagement Program. These grants support programs to increase the academic achievement and college and career readiness of boys and young men of color while fostering the development of effective relationships with families to promote the success of all students.

Since 2016, NYSED has awarded $20 million in MBK Challenge grants to 40 school districts. The MBK Challenge Grant Program is designed to encourage regions and school districts to develop and execute coherent cradle-to-career college strategies. These programs are aimed to develop and sustain effective relationships with families of boys and young men of color toward the goal of success for all students.

Also since 2016, NYSED awarded $9 million in Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC) grants to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers. NYSED awarded grants to 16 colleges and universities to help them bolster the retention of highly qualified individuals who value equity and reflect the diversity inside and outside of our classrooms, particularly in high-need schools with recurrent teacher shortages. 

Visit the Department’s My Brother’s Keeper website for details on this movement and for information on how to subscribe to the MBK Newsletter, “Changing the Narrative”.