MAYOR WU CELEBRATES GRADUATION OF YOUNG BLACK LEADERS INAUGURAL COHORT
Young Black Leaders Boston is designed for young Black men
and boys between the ages of 13 and 17 in Boston high schools who want to
become more civically engaged leaders in their communities.
BOSTON - Monday, May 1, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu last week
celebrated the first graduation for the Young Black Leaders Boston inaugural cohort.
This event at the City Hall Plaza Pavilion celebrated the 20 high school
student graduates who have spent the past six weeks building community with a
strong focus on developing participants’ civic organizing and movement building
capacity in communities that have been historically disenfranchised.
Young Black Leaders Boston is a new program recently
launched and led by the Office of Black Male Advancement (BMA). The program is
a core part of Black Male Advancement’s work to improve outcomes and reduce
systemic barriers to advancement for Black men and boys living in Boston.
"Our Young Black Leaders Boston program builds on our
city's foundation for wrapping around our young people and connecting them with
opportunity and support," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "These YBL
graduates show an inspiring commitment to their communities and demonstrate
what is possible when we create spaces for our young Black leaders to build
with one another. I'm thrilled to uplift their success and growth as the first high
school graduating cohort of the Young Black Leaders Boston program and look
forward to their leadership and impact across our city’s communities."
"I look forward to witnessing the continued growth of
the Young Black Leaders Boston graduates," said Frank Farrow, Executive
Director of Black Male Advancement. “It is important that we foster spaces that
will help to improve outcomes and support our young people, ensuring that they
are equipped to access resources, build with their school community and lead in
their neighborhoods. The Mayor’s Office of Black Male Advancement remains
committed to empowering Black men and boys, and helping them to thrive and
share in our City’s prosperity.”
Through the My Brother’s Keeper Boston partnership with
Boston Public Schools (BPS), Black Male Advancement focused on engaging and
supporting young Black male students in a variety of schools across the
district. The cohort participants are from various Boston Public Schools
including Boston Arts Academy, Henderson Inclusion Upper School and TechBoston
Academy.
“My Brother’s Keeper Boston is committed to creating
opportunities for the advancement of young Black men and boys in the City of
Boston,” said Jeysaun Gant, My Brother’s Keeper Boston Program Manager. “Our
partnership with BPS was intentional to ensure that we recruited local students
in communities where youth voices often go unheard. The Young Black Leaders
program was created to empower and embolden these young trailblazers to be able
to advocate for themselves and peers in their community and school setting and
that is an invaluable skill for their development.”
From March 21 through April 27, the inaugural cohort learned
a range of skills and practical experience through weekly hour-long sessions
aimed at positioning them to robustly organize their communities for social
change. Participants also met with key City of Boston officials from various
departments and members of the Black Men and Boys Commission to learn how to
effectively access crucial city services, navigate local government, foster
civic engagement within their communities and sustain advocacy related to
issues impacting Black men and boys across the city’s neighborhoods. The participants
in this cohort are from various neighborhoods in Boston including Dorchester,
Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury, and the South End.
“The Young Black Leaders program provided me with support
for improving my leadership skills. I am thankful to the Mayor’s Office of
Black Male Advancement for introducing me to this program,” said JaVaughan
Francis, Young Black Leaders cohort graduate. “I don’t often see or hear about
young black leaders or black leaders in general unless it’s President Barack
Obama or someone famous. It was an eye opening and insightful experience that
showed me that we can be more than athletes, or rappers to be young Black
leaders in our community.”
The cohort’s weekly sessions were developed and facilitated
by The Davis System LLC, which provides grassroots organizing strategy to
individuals, organizations and communities. Topics covered include but were not
limited to: civic engagement, storytelling, volunteer recruitment, gathering
community support for issues and causes, debate, group facilitation, and media
engagement.
The Mayor’s Office of Black Male Advancement works to
empower Black men & boys and to ensure they have equitable access to
opportunities in the City. BMA also focuses on policies, programs, resources,
and local and national partnerships. Additionally, the office directs and
supports the efforts of the Black Men and Boys Commission and My Brother’s
Keeper Boston.
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