Fort Wayne, Ind. – Mayor Tom Henry today announced the City of Fort Wayne has accepted President Barack Obama’s call-to-action to become a My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) community.
The MBK Community Challenge seeks to address opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.
MBK builds upon the City of Fort Wayne’s ongoing participation in the Cities United partnership, a national effort aimed at eliminating violence-related deaths of African American males.
Both initiatives demonstrate Mayor Henry’s continued commitment to making Fort Wayne as safe as possible while investing in the future of the City.
“We are honored to be part of these efforts because they enhance the prospects for achievement and success of our youth,” said Mayor Henry. “As we continue to enhance the quality of life in our community, it’s important that our youth experience that success as well, so that families in Fort Wayne become stronger and our neighborhoods become more connected.”
Last year, the City of Fort Wayne, through the Fort Wayne Commission on African American Males (Commission), was selected to participate in the National League of Cities (NLC) City Leadership to Promote Black Male Achievement initiative. Through that effort, Fort Wayne, along with 10 other cities across the country, worked to address various challenges that cause disparities between black men and boys and their peers, particularly in the areas of education, employment, family strengthening and violence prevention.
The technical assistance NLC provided the City culminated in a site visit to Fort Wayne in August. During the visit, Mayor Henry invited community leaders to provide input on several issue areas the Commission had suggested for further action.
In conjunction with the MBK and Cities United efforts, Mayor Henry has selected four focus areas to pursue: education, employment, health and youth. The Mayor’s office intends to work with a broad coalition of community leaders to create a citywide plan of action for accomplishing goals in these areas that will improve the life outcomes for all young people growing up in Fort Wayne.