| For Immediate Release |
Contact: | Dan Lavoie 510-418-1208 (cell) dan@policylink.org |
Ending the Crisis Among Men and Boys of Color
Mayor Ron Dellums and more than 100 of nation’s top advocates coming to Oakland to tackle pernicious problem
America’s young boys of color face a virtual “womb to tomb” struggle. From the moment they are conceived, they have road blocks thrown before them. Poor pre-natal care and infant nutrition. Inadequate health care. Sub-par schools. A juvenile justice system unprepared to deal with the complexities of their lives. By the time they reach high school, the cumulative impact of these challenges is often overwhelming. Many boys of color face three sad choices: a menial job, prison or an early death.
“There is a crisis engulfing millions of young men and boys of color,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of Oakland-based PolicyLink. “Too many African Americans, Latinos and Asians in the Bay Area and beyond are starting out life at a tremendous disadvantage.”
More than 100 of the Bay Area and nation’s leading social inclusion advocates for will join together at the “Men and Boys of Color in Crisis” summit Tuesday, Nov. 20 to throw a spotlight on the multi-faceted challenges facing our young men and boys – and to find some positive ways to move forward.
What: “Men and Boys of Color in Crisis: An Issue We Cannot Deny”: A provocative conversation to help understand and address issues affecting men and boys of color.
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday, November 20
Where: Youth UpRising, 8711 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
Sponsors: The Kaiser Family Foundation, The California Endowment, and PolicyLink
Attendees:
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums
Charles Ogletree, Harvard University, Executive Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
Kevin Merida, Associate Editor, The Washington Post; coordinating editor, Being a Black Man
Ruben Gonzales, Executive Director, Latino Health Collaborative; former San Bernardino County Sherriff Deputy
Sherry Hirota, CEO, Asian Health Services
Barry Krisberg, President, The National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Ryan Mack, President, Optimum Capital Management, LLC
Pastor Tony Ortiz, Founding Director, California Youth Outreach
Arnold Perkins, Former Director, Alameda County Department of Public Health
Chris Robinson, Film and Video director
Alex Sanchez, Founder and Director, Homies Unidos
Olis Simmons, Executive Director, Youth UpRising
Dr. Henrie Treadwell, Director, Community Voices; associate director of development, National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine
James Bell, Executive director, W. Haywood Burns Institute
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