Broderick Johnson 
recounts formation of 
Obama’s community 
outreach initiatives

By CAITLIN REEDY

Daily Staff Reporter

University 
alum 
Broderick 

Johnson, White House cabinet 
secretary 
and 
chair 
of 
the 

administration’s 
My 
Brother’s 

Keeper task force, delivered a 
lecture about his experiences 
in the White House at the Ford 
School of Public Policy Monday 
afternoon. 

Johnson — who received his 

law degree from the University — 
joined President Barack Obama’s 
administration in 2013.

During his address, Johnson 

spoke of his experiences working 
closely with Obama and his 
leadership in My Brother’s Keeper, 

a program created by Obama that 
aims to address the persistent 
opportunity gaps faced by young 
men of color.

Johnson himself grew up in 

lower-class areas of Baltimore, 
he told the crowd. He said the 
foundation 
for 
the 
program 

was prompted by the death of 
Travyvon Martin, a Black teen, in 
2012.

“The president spoke about 

anger and angst after the death of 
Trayvon Martin,” Johnson said. 
“He and I talked about what we 
could do to use the power of the 
presidency to go big on this and do 
something significant.”

Six 
guidelines 
drive 
the 

program: preparing young boys 
for school, ensuring they have 
the ability to read by grade three, 
making sure boys graduate from 
high school in preparation for 
college, ensuring they complete 
postsecondary 
education, 

entering the workforce and, most 
importantly, giving the population 

targeted second chances.

“Boys and young men of 

color are more likely to live in 
concentrated 
poverty, 
attend 

poorly funded schools,” Johnson 
said. “They too often receive harsh 
punishments and are least likely 
to be given a second chance … 
we can’t have millions of young 
people missing from this society.”

Johnson also spoke about the 

extension of My Brother’s Keeper 
into the private sector. Through 
the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, 
the program also corresponds 
with the NBA. Their program, the 
“In Real Life Campaign,” aims to 
connect every child who wants a 
mentor with a player and to share 
some of the backgrounds of NBA 
players.

Johnson said more than 200 

communities have pledged to be 
My Brother’s Keeper communities 
to combat current statistics on 
educational 
achievement 
for 

young men of color. Last year, 
Johnson said, 4,000 three- and 

four-year-olds were suspended 
from preschool. He also noted 
that young Black men, who 
comprise 6 percent of the 

population, account for more than 
half of all homicides in the nation.

“(My 
Brother’s 
Keeper) 
is 

about disrupting the status quo, 
where everyone has a fair shot and 
everyone is in the game,” Johnson 
said. “While social transformation 
is complex and measured over 
decades, I can personally see that 
we are getting closer and closer 
every day, but we still have a lot of 
work to do.”

Beyond his talk on My Brother’s 

Keeper, Johnson also discussed 
his work as cabinet secretary and 
relationship with Obama. Despite 
nearing the end of his term, 
Johnson said the administration 
has plans to continue its work.

He 
touched 
on 
several 

memorable moments he shared 
with 
the 
Obamas: 
crossing 

the bridge in Selma, and many 
briefings in the Oval Office.

“Working in the White House 

is the hardest job I have ever 
had,” Johnson said. “As cabinet 
secretary, we have surreal and 
unexpected 
challenges 
with 

a Congress that has a lot of 
challenges within itself. It’s been 
my distinct honor to get to know 
the president as a friend. He is 
quite an amazing human being. It’s 
hard but incredibly rewarding.”

2-News

2 — Tuesday, February 2, 2016
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

THREE THINGS YOU 
SHOULD KNOW TODAY

The Michigan men’s 
basketball 
team 

returns home for a 

two-game stretch against 
ranked teams: No. 22 Indiana 
on Tuesday and then No. 10 
Michigan State on Saturday. 
>> SEE SPORTS ON 7 

2

CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES

Defense 
lecture

WHAT: Ralph 
Vartabedian, national 
correspondent for the 
Los Angeles Times, will 
examine the nation’s 
weapons plan.
WHO: Gerald R. Ford 
Presidential Library
WHEN: Today from 7:30 
p.m. to 9 p.m. 
WHERE: Gerald Ford 
Library 

Inuit musical 
performance

WHAT: Tanya Tagaq 
will perform ancient Inuit 
music, accompanying a 
screening of “Nanook of 
the North,” a 1922 film.
WHO: University 
Musical Society
WHEN: Today from 
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
WHERE: Lydia 
Mendelssohn Theatre

San 
Francisco 
Police 

Department officials will 
launch an investigation 
following the December 

death of an unarmed Black 
man in December, the Los 
Angeles Times reported. A 
video of the shooting has 
sparked protests nationwide.

1

Noon lecture 
series 

WHAT: Jeffrey Moser, 
assistant professor of art 
history at Brown University, 
will lecture on the Zhenghe 
era bronze cauldron owned 
by Emporer Huizong in 1116.
WHO: Lieberthal-Rogel 
Center for Chinese Studies
WHEN: Today from 12 p.m. 
to 1 p.m. 
WHERE: School of Social 
Work, Room 1636

Seven cases of the 
Zika 
virus 
have 

been 
confirmed 

in 
Houston, 
ABC 

reported. 
Officials 
say 

the virus, which is linked 
to birth deformities, has 
been found in patients 
who 
have 
traveled 

to 
Latin 
countries. 

3

Open swing 
class

WHAT: A social swing 
dance workshop with 
warm-up, basic lessons 
throughout and free dancing 
at the end. No experience or 
partner required to attend.
WHO: Mswing
WHEN: Today at 
9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan 
League, Henderson Room

Movie 
screening

WHAT: Take a break from 
homework with a movie 
screening of “Groundhog 
Day.”
WHO: Center for Campus 
Involvement
WHEN: Today from 7 
p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan 
Union, Kuenzel Room 

Flint water 
crisis debate

WHAT: Students are 
invited to debate whether 
the people of Michigan 
should recall Gov. Rick 
Snyder over the ongoing 
Flint water crisis.
WHO: Michigan Political 
Union
 WHEN: Today from 7 p.m. 
to 8:30 p.m. 
WHERE: Michigan Union

Prayer meeting 
series 

WHAT: A weekly prayer 
meeting will take place 
along with a talk on wisdom 
by Joseph Matthias.
WHO: University 
Christian Outreach 
WHEN: Today from 
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 
WHERE: Campus Chapel

TUESDAY:

Tables and Tents

THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk

FRIDAY:

Photos of the Week

WEDNESDAY:

In Other Ivory Towers

MONDAY:

This Week in History

TABLES AND TENTS 

Fundraisers for Flint, Honduras

CLAIRE ABDO/Daily

Art & Design freshman Nate Rieger browses albums at 
Encore Records on East Liberty Street on Monday. 

OFF THE RECORD

The Michigan Daily is 

introducing a new rotating 
item, Tents and Tables, that 
seeks to highlight campus 
activities on the Diag and near 
the posting wall in Angell Hall. 

Student organizations 

tabled at Angell Hall and the 
basement of the Union to 
raise funds for the Flint water 
crisis and Students Helping 
Honduras.

The National Council 

of Negro Women at the 
University collected water 
bottles, wipes and money 
for relief in Flint, where 
contaminated water pipes 
have corroded, allowing lead 
into the city’s water supply.

To provide an alternative 

for the contaminated water 
in the city, the NCNW will 
donate its collections to Live 

United’s Flint Water Fund. 
LSA juniors Micah Griggs 
and Asia Paige said NCNW 
wanted to contribute because 
of connections to the majority 
Black population in Flint.

“We just think that 

since Flint is a heavily Black 
population and since they are 
being affected by this crisis 
and we’re a Black collegiate 
organization, we just thought 
it was in our duty to fundraise 
and help our neighboring 
city,” Griggs said.

As for the entire 

organization, Paige said the 
NCNW also raises funds to 
sponsor future events hosted 
by the organization, such as 
the HIV/AIDS Monologue 
last December, by conducting 
bubble tea and Panera 
fundraisers. She said NCNW 
hopes to add a capstone event 

to their fundraising efforts.

“We’re trying to hold an 

event that showcases Black 
culture and Black talent,” Page 
said. “It’s called ‘Black En 
Vogue.’”

Students Helping 

Honduras, a student 
organization at the University 
that sends members to build 
schools in Honduras to end 
gang violence and poverty 
through youth empowerment 
and education also manned 
tables at Angell Hall Monday 
to raise funds.

The group sold packets of 

Puppy Chow to complement 
their other, larger fundraising 
efforts in April and February.

LSA freshman Veronica 

Orellana said the Angell Hall 
area can be a hit or a miss 
when it comes to collecting 
funds.

Faculty 
music recital

WHAT: Kathryn 
Votapek will perform 
Brahms Sonatas 
on the violin with 
a guest pianist.
WHO: School of Music, 
Theatre & Dance
WHEN: Today at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Stamps 
Auditorium

 RYAN MCLOUGHlIN/Dailly

Broderick Johnson, White House cabinet secretary, discusses his experiences as the chair of the My Brother’s Keeper 
Task Force as a part of the Policy Talks series in the Ford School of Public Policy on Monday. 

dean 
for 
undergraduate 

education, said the goal of the 
strategic plan was to find realistic 
ways to implement the goals of 
students regarding the climate 
on campus.

“We did want to come up 

with a way to help students 
build their own capacity to think 
about how you move from a good 
idea to something that might 
become a part of a strategic 
plan at something like a major 
university,” Dillard said.

Dillard said she thought the 

talk went well, but she was 
disappointed by the low turnout.

“I 
think 
students 
aren’t 

connecting to this process and it’s 
really tough to figure out how to 
get them to connect,” Dillard said.

Amanda Alexander, assistant 

professor in the Afroamerican 
and African Studies Department, 
discussed a variety of initiatives 
in the current draft of the plan, 
such as the Ban the Box initiative, 
which would remove questions 
about an individual’s criminal 
record from applications for 
admission 
the 
University. 

Another initiative in the draft 
plan calls for disarming campus 
police officers.

Alexander 
said 
her 
goal 

in pushing to include these 
initiatives is to help embrace 
potential 
students 
at 
the 

University and foster a greater 
sense of community.

“Whether it’s mental health, 

whether it’s being undocumented, 
whether it’s having a criminal 
record, there are all of these 
points of stigma and silence and 
shame that students don’t have 
here,” she said.

Matthew 
Countryman, 

associate professor of history 
and American culture, presented 
on the ways affirmative action 
and University policies impacted 
minority enrollment.

Affirmative action has been 

banned 
at 
Michigan 
public 

colleges since the passage of 
a statewide ballot proposal in 
2006. In that year, Black students 
comprised 7.2 percent of the 
overall campus population. In 
2015, Black students make up 
4.82 percent.

Countryman discussed how 

last year there was an increase 
in underrepresented minorities 
in the incoming class, which he 
says could be due to less early 
applicants being accepted than in 
years past. Countryman said this 
change implies the University 
could make adjustments to the 
admissions process that might 
lead to more diversity.

“It’s shocking to me that a 

slight tweak in the process could 
produce this shift when we were 
told for 10 years that there was 
nothing the University could do,” 
Countryman said.

Faculty 
members 
also 

discussed 
how 
the 
language 

of plan itself may contribute to 
an insufficient conversation on 
issues of inclusion. Ruby Tapia, 
associate professor of women’s 
studies and English, said diversity 
may no longer be the optimal 
word for campaigns such as this 
due to it being overused, which 
she termed “diversity fatigue.”

“People feel like we don’t need 

to talk about these issues because 
we’ve 
already 
talked 
about 

them,” Tapia said.

Tapia 
recommended 
the 

word 
justice, 
which 
several 

participants 
said 
elicits 
a 

better sense of action. She also 
commended the inclusion of the 
word equity in the plan’s name.

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White House cabinet secretary 
stresses inspiring Black youth

