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

The State Education Department today named the fifth 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 Betty A. Rosa announced. The 86 Fellows represent 31 New York State school districts. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative helps boys and young men of color—and all students—realize their full potential.

“My Brother’s Keeper Fellows are leaders in their communities, helping build a culture and society of opportunity where every student can be successful,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. “Beliefs and ideas are nothing without execution. MBK is removing barriers, empowering our young people to affect actionable change, and creating a generation of leaders prepared for civic duty and deeply committed to social justice.”

“These remarkable young men are the voices of our future and worthy champions of our cause,” Commissioner Rosa said. “My Brother’s Keeper is a call to action, and the Department is committed to doing what is right for all children. I thank Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and their colleagues for their continued support of New York’s MBK Program and for opening doors to success for all New Yorkers.”

“In 2016, New York led the way by becoming the first state in the nation to sign My Brother’s Keeper into law, and it is a campaign I am proud to have championed and continue to fight for,” said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “As the first African American to serve as speaker of the Assembly, I am deeply committed to changing the narrative for boys and young men of color by opening more doors and unlocking their potential. I am extremely proud of this new class of fellows, and I look forward to seeing their journey and the new opportunities that arise for them.” 

“I applaud the State Education Department’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, now in its fifth year of mentoring young men of color to become future leaders,” NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Once again, in this year’s budget, the legislature allocated $18 million in funding for My Brother’s Keeper because we believe in the power of this program. I also want to congratulate this year’s class of My Brother’s Keeper Fellows. I am thrilled to see so many promising students from my District, including those from New Rochelle, Greenburgh, White Plains and Yonkers. These young men are leaders, helping to build a culture in their communities where every student can be successful. The MBK program will give them the tools and resources they need to navigate and build a successful life, and to create a brighter future.”

Each Fellow will be matched with a mentor from a NYSMBK Community Network partner and given a fellowship opportunity. Each Fellow 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; or
• Engaging families and communities in a trusted and respectful way.

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, each Community Network must secure a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a local postsecondary education institution, local business, or community-based organization for this program.

Fellows had the opportunity to participate in a virtual induction during the 2022 MBK Symposium.

The 2022 MBK Fellows are:

John Walker

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 supporting the initiative to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color. 

The MBK Fellows Program provides leadership opportunities to rising high school seniors, with an emphasis on boys and young men of color. To date, New York State has inducted a total of 260 Fellows. Each is paired with a mentor from a New York State MBK Community Network partner and participates in a fellowship in a local government office, partnering business, or educational institute. Fellows develop service projects beneficial to the schools they attend and the communities they live in. NYSED has awarded over $1.6 million in grant funds to support this program since 2016.  

Since 2016, NYSED has awarded more than $3.3 million in grant funds to 11 school districts for the MBK Native American Program. The program’s goal is to increase the academic achievement and college/career readiness of Native American students, with an emphasis on boys and young men.  

Also, since 2016, NYSED has awarded more than $30 million in grants to school districts for the MBK 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.

NYSED has awarded $42 million in MBK Challenge Grants to school districts since 2016. The MBK Challenge Grant Program encourages regions and school districts to develop and execute coherent cradle-to-career college strategies.

More than $18.45 million in Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II) grants have been awarded to 23 colleges and universities since 2016. The TOC II statewide enrollment as of August 2021 was 647, with TOC II institutions reporting 624 graduates of the program. Eligible applicants are New York State public and independent degree-granting colleges and universities with a teacher preparation (undergraduate or graduate) program approved by NYSED.

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