The summit kicked off with a day of service across Oakland, giving participants an opportunity to get to know the city and organizations on the ground doing work to break down barriers for boys and men of color and communities in the region. This was followed by the first official day of panels and plenaries, giving attendees an opportunity to attend sessions based on their area of interest, including the Elected Officials Track, Corporate, Philanthropy and CSR Track, and the Youth Track.

In partnership with the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, CFBMoC supported a California Policy track session. We were honored to be surrounded by local and state leaders and advocates in this policy focused briefing. The day featured panels on education systems and equity with Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Superintendent Tony Thurmond, exploring how community power can contribute to dismantling the school to prison pipeline, what it truly means to have an opportunity to learn and how to not only keep kids in school, but support their development to thrive. Among other conversations, we also heard from George Galvis of CURYJ, Cat Brooks of Justice Teams Network, Lateefah Simon of Akonadi Foundation and Raj Jayadev of Silicon Valley Debug, on what it would look like to disinvest from mass incarceration and policing, and instead flood our communities with education and jobs. When it comes to incarceration, Galvis said, “ it’s “not about creating more human cages, but getting rid of youth incarceration if we are really talking about transformation”.

The day wrapped up with a keynote panel discussion between President Barack Obama and Steph Curry, who were joined on stage by 20 boys and men of color from around the country. The conversation touched on the unique role that boys and men of color can play in shaping their communities, changing the false and negative culture and narrative that so often surrounds youth of color and how these individuals can be leaders in their own right.

The third and final day wrapped up with additional workshops and breakout sessions aimed to equip attendees with tools and knowledge that they can take back to their communities and put into action. These included Grassroots Organizing, Trauma and Healing Solutions and Pathways to Opportunity – Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity. To conclude the summit, we heard from Oakland native Ryan Coogler, actor Michael B. Jordan and activists Rashad Robinson on the importance of narrative power.

MBK Rising! was truly an inspiring gathering and celebration for, by and about boys and men of color. It was a chance to reflect on where this movement has come from, celebrate its wins and walk away with the knowledge that we must continue to put the voice and power of our youth at the center of everything we do. We are grateful to the Obama Foundation and the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance for bringing us all together and for the hundreds of leaders and youth from around the state and country to rise up as one. Take a look back at MBK Rising! with a recap of the summit, including photos, videos and highlights here and follow the conversation at #MBKRising.