And later this week at the White House, Obama unveils “My Brother’s Keeper Initiative,” a national program designed to improve the quality of life for young African-American males. In addition, Obama, a father with two daughters, has an ambitious vision for the nation’s black students during his last two years in the White House: ensuring that all African-American pupils receive an education that fully gets them ready for high school graduation, college completion and productive careers in a highly competitive global job market.
After signing an executive order that created the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans in 2012, the president is dedicating new resources to enable African-American students to improve their educational achievement and prepare them for college and a range of professions after graduation.
There’s more. Last year, Obama announced a new leadership team for the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Joining the HBCU Initiative as Executive Director is Dr. George Cooper. Dr. Ivory Toldson is the new Deputy Director. Both Cooper and Toldson will work with the presidentially-appointed HBCU Board of Advisors and assist Education Secretary Arne Duncan as a liaison between the executive branch and HBCUs across the country.
The president’s bold acknowledgement of the 24 Army veterans who deserved Medals of Honor but were denied them due to racism is part of Obama’s broader effort to highlight racial injustice and cultural awareness.
I’m proud of our president. What do you think?
(Photo: U.S. Army via AP)
COMMENTARY: Obama’s Bold Decision: Honoring Vets of Color Denied Because of Racism was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
