March 19, 2014
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My Brother’s Keeper: Thank You, Mr. President
Changing lives
for the better
BY THE
R ev .
B entley
de B ardelaben
Recently, Presi
d en t O b am a a n
n o u n ce d a new
White House initiative to benefit
young men and boys of color
named “My Brother’s Keeper.”
This program is aimed to create
and expand opportunities in the
lives of these young men while
minimizing harsh realities which
often adversely affect them.
Based in part on a program
created by former New York
mayor, Michael Bloomberg, the
Obama administration hopes to
assist young men through a vari
ety ofbenchmarks, including part
nerships with local businesses
that would train and hire these
young men.
In a very candid conversation
in front of the media, Presi
dent O bam a shared- his
motives for the creation of
“My Brother’s Keeper.”
P erhaps som e o f the
reaso n s w ere p erso n al.
Some may have been political.
N evertheless, the form ation of
such a program can and will be
advantageous to the group of
young men and boys for whom
it was created. At least, that is
my hope since, I, too was such
a young black male growing up
in a hom e w ithout a father in
the urban com m unity.
As a teen ag e boy w hose
parents had recently divorced,
I was angry, confused, and
uninterested in the “new ” life
that was thrust upon my sib
lings and me. Fortunately, there
were people in that com m u
nity, such as teachers, pastors
and neighbors, who saw gifts
and possibilities w here I could
not. D espite th e ir co n stan t
push for me to not give up, the
outcom e looked bleak. I was
ready to drop out o f school,
possibly even life.
As it had been foretold, an
opportunity arose. I was of
fered a full academ ic scholar
ship through A Better Chance
to attend a private high school
in W isconsin. The m ission of
B etter C hance has been to
“ s u b s ta n tia lly in c re a se the
number o f well-educated young
people o f color who are ca
pable of assum ing positions of
responsibility and leadership in
A m erican society.”
If it w eren’t for this fortu
itous occasion provided me, as
well as the many people who
prayed for, encouraged, and
financed me, I absolutely would
not be a man “o f leadership
and responsibility” that I am
today. Thus, it is from a deeply
personal place that I com m end
this new initiative from the
W hite House.
G ro w in g up in M id d le
A m erica during the 1960s and
70s had its challenges for a
young man o f color such as
m yself. U nfortunately, grow
ing up in to d ay ’s society, with
all o f our progress since the
passage of the Civil Rights Bill
o f 1964, is still tough for young
men and boys o f color. Any
program slated to help them
achieve their hopes and dreams
is an added bonus.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. said it best, “Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere. We are caught in
an inescapable network of m u
tuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny. W hatever affects one
directly, affects all indirectly.”
President Obama understands
this as do many others. I am
grateful that he assembled a task
force to help pay forward the
many blessings afforded him.
This program may radically
change their lives (and this
nation’s) for the better. It is with
a humble heart that I say, “Thank
you, Mr. President.”
The Rev. Bentley de
Bardelaben is executive fo r
administration and communi
cations fo r the United Church
o f Christ’s Justice and Wit
ness Ministries.
Conservatives Finally Wake Up to Prison Reform
Skyrocketing
incarceration rates
not sustainable
by
J udge G reg M athis
A recent column in W ashing
ton, D.C.-based paper The Na
tional Journal describes in detail
how prison reform is becoming a
key theme among conservatives.
The Heritage Foundation, an ultra
conservative think tank funded heavily
by the Koch brothers, is now aligned
with a cause Democrats and minority
grassroots organizations have long cham
pioned.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is now a
supporter of pending legislation in the
U.S. Senate that am ends mandatory
minimum sentencing laws to give judges
more flexibility and several Republican
leaders have joined him to support simi
lar reforms.
I have consistently said that reforming
our nation’s prison system is the right
thing to do morally. In addition, research
shows that investing in comprehensive
prison reforms will save tax-payer dol
lars and improve outcomes for ex-of-
fenders.
Traditionally, Democrats have made
up the majority o f policy-makers calling
for legislation to reduce incarceration
and re-arrest rates among inner-city and
low -incom e youth. However, now -
faced with increasingly strained state
In 2008, President George W. Bush
and federal budgets — Republicans are signed the Second Chance Act into law.
starting to realize that we must change This law written by Democratic Rep.
the way our nation's prison systems are Danny Davis and Republican Sen. Rob
run.
Portman offered federal grant funding to
M andatory m inim um sen state and local government agencies and
tencing has contributed to a steep nonprofit organizations to support inno
rise in our federal prison popula vative efforts to reduce re-arrest rates
tion. More than 14 percent of and overall prison populations.
Americans are behind bars and
In my home state, the Michigan Pris
the federal prison system has oner Reentry Initiative expanded its pa
more than quadrupled since role programs and invested in transition
Mandatory minimum sentencing has
contributed to a steep rise in our federal prison
population. More than 14 percent o f Americans
are behind bars and the federal prison system
has more than quadrupled since 1980.
America has one o f the highest incar
ceration rates o f any industrialized na
tion in the world and leaders in both
parties are beginning to realize that this
trend is not sustainable. States across
the country are running programs similar
to M ichigan’s and they have witnessed
comparable results.
Some politicians have been reluctant
to support programs helping ex-offend
ers, because they want to be tough on
crime. During election cycles being "soft
on crime" is never a good thing. How
ever, the facts show that our current
policies on crime are not effective and
far too expensive.
Our public officials need to be smart
on crime and invest in programs that will
allow our prison systems to offer true
rehabilitation. This includes career de
velopment and mentoring to help ex
offenders readjust to society and avoid
being arrested again. It also includes
investment in youth violence prevention
with similar programs focused on educa
tion, job training, and mentoring.
As Republicans are beginning to real
ize, these commitments will ultimately
lead to less Americans behind bars and
long-term cost savings.
1980. First time non-violent drug offend- plans that included employment guid-
ers can often serve long-term prison ance, mentoring and counseling services
sentences with no option for parole.
for ex-offenders. Between 2005 and
At the recent Conservative Political 2011 Michigan saw 5,000 fewer ex-
Action Conference, Sen. Paul acknowl- offenders return to prison. In addition,
edged drug-related sentences “dispro- between 2002 and 2008 M ichigan’s
portionately affect African-Americans.” prison population fell by over 12 percent
Black and Latino-Americans make up and the state closed more than 20 cor-
over58 percent o f ourprison population, rectional facilities.
Judge Greg Mathis is known fo r his
despite being only 25 percent of the
Compelling research that proves in- advocacy fo r equal justice. His inspi
American population. However, the true vestment in prison reform and ex-of- rational life story o f a street youth
rallying point for many conservatives is fender reentry pays off is an attractive who rose from jail to Judge has pro
the reality that these long-term prison sell to budget conscious Republicans vided hope to millions who watch him
sentences and a growing prison popula- who were previously tone-deaf to wide- on the award-winning TV court show
tion are not helping to reduce crime.
spread dysfunction in U.S. prisons. Judge Mathis.