Are you making a difference in the lives of young African American men through your professional and community work? If so, we want to hear from you! As workers in the public sector, Local 21 members work daily to improve the lives of all residents, including groups that have been historically disenfranchised. Not surprisingly, that commitment extends to the volunteer work many members do in the community. If you work or volunteer in a program that supports African American men, please tell us about it! We hope to profile some of the programs and our members’ work in upcoming publications.
Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson has declared 2015 the Year of the African American Male. Since the beginning of the slave trade to the Civil Right Movement to 2015 African American males in this country have faced a number of institutional and historic challenges. Historic health disparities, education, employment, and incarceration to name a few.
Throughout 2015 Supervisor Carson and a diverse group of African American leaders and community members will focus on creating opportunities for information sharing and the planning of solution-oriented activities, as well as publishing a free resource guide specifically geared toward assisting Black men in key areas.
Throughout the history of the Unites States, Black males have lived in conditions that have fostered the destruction of the Black family. Limited federal intervention and unjust public policies have contributed to losses in education, employment, lack of permanent housing, improper access to health care and isolation from a consistent family structure for hundreds of years.
2015 will focus on collective efforts to assemble all existing resources to maximize positive outcomes in the lives of all Black men.
To tell us about the program you work or volunteer in, please email Rachel Richman at rrichman@ifpte21.org
