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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO CITY, AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Cities United Mayors Respond to President Obama's 'My Brother's
Keeper' Initiative
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following
President Barack Obama's announcement today introducing the "My
Brother's Keeper" initiative, the mayors of Cities United issued the
following statement from their inaugural meeting in New Orleans, La.:
"The mayors of Cities United stand with President Obama in pledging to
do all that we can to stop the violence that kills 13 young people
under the age of 25 - the majority of them African American men and
boys - every 24 hours. Across the country, increasing numbers of local
elected leaders, entrepreneurs, foundations and corporations are
striving to stop the violence and enable young men and boys of color
to have access to education and opportunities to succeed.
"With the launch of 'My Brother's Keeper,' we are hopeful that the
federal government will join Cities United as a strong partner in
efforts to implement practical, results-driven strategies that ensure
that young African American men and boys are on equal footing with
their peers and have the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
Through Cities United, we aim to create safer and healthier
communities by investing in commonsense solutions such as increasing
job training and educational opportunities. In too many of our cities,
those opportunities are lacking, and community violence is devastating
young lives.
"As the elected leaders of our communities, we support all efforts to
bring visibility and hope to a segment of society that is plagued by
disproportionately high rates of violent crime, incarceration and
unemployment. We look forward to working with President Obama and the
My Brother's Keeper initiative to end violence among African American
men and boys and expand opportunity for all."
Cities United principals include:
-- New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu
-- Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter
-- Dr. William C. Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs
-- Clarence E. Anthony, executive director, National League of Cities
Media availability: Cities United mayors and principals will be
available for comment following President Obama's announcement.
About Cities United Cities United is a national movement to equip
mayors and local leaders with the tools, practices, skills and
resources needed to effectively eliminate the violence-related deaths
of African American men and boys. Cities United was launched in 2011
under the leadership of Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and New
Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu with support from the National League of
Cities, Casey Family Programs and the Open Society Foundations'
Campaign for Black Male Achievement. Additional support comes from the
Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Jacob and Valeria
Langeloth Foundation.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081022/NLCLOGO
SOURCE National League of Cities
-0- 02/27/2014
/CONTACT: Tom Martin, National League of Cities, 202-626-3186 / martin@nlc.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081022/NLCLOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CO: National League of Cities
ST: Louisiana
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0000 02/27/2014 22:19:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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