TALK OF GREENWOOD
Dr. Jerry Goodwin
BerThaddaeus Bailey (r) is the managing director for My Brother’s Keeper in Tulsa. Photo Provided
My Brother’s Keeper Alliance highlights its accomplishments over its 11-year history. MBK is an affliate of ImpactTulsa.
Since being named an MBK Model Community in 2023, MBK Tulsa has been focused on driving real change and measurable outcomes for boys and young men of color. Its achievements over the last nearly decade have been the following:
Early Education: Pre-K enrollment rose from 68% to 72%, moving toward our 77% goal by 2029
Safer Communities: MBK Tulsa and the City of Tulsa secured a $2 million federal grant to reduce gun violence, homicides, and recidivism
Young Leaders Rising: MBK Tulsa doubled its impact, engaging 16 young men in MBK Youth All Stars (YAS) and over 120 young men in our MBK Sports. Ninety percent are on track to graduate, and 82 percent are completing career plans.
MBK Sports: Working with students at Monroe Middle School, Central Junior/High School, and McLain High School, MBK Sports helped its students to achieve 18% higher attendance than their peers, earn grades a half-grade level higher, participate in service projects and leadership activities, and experience new opportunities from career exposure to stepping onto the OKC Thunder court.
Former President Barack Obama and the Obama Foundation are sponsors of MBK programming. The mission of the local affiliate of MBK is to convene and support proximate youth, caregivers, and cross-sector organizations to implement a data-based approach to create systems change, focused on improving outcomes alongside boys and young men of color.
“At MBK Tulsa, we’re committed to building on this legacy every day. From becoming a Model Community to expanding MBK Youth All Stars and the MBK Sports initiatives and launching solutions that open doors for our young men, our work is about more than programs but also about creating real opportunities. Whether on the field, in the classroom, or in the community, we are making sure Tulsa’s boys have the support, mentorship, and resources they need to lead, learn, and thrive,” said Bailey.
For more information, visit https://impacttulsa.org/my-brothers-keeper/
MBK-Tulsa
My Brother’s Keeper addresses persistent opportunity gaps facing boys and young men of color to ensure all youth can reach their full potential. This nationwide, non-partisan effort was launched in 2014 by President Obama, and the work continues as the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation. The MBK Alliance focuses on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color where they feel valued and have clear pathways to opportunity.
Impact Tulsa
Impact Tulsa is a collective impact organization that turns data into systemic change by convening community sectors through the shared vision that all children in Tulsa receive every opportunity to succeed, from cradle to career. For more information, visit https://impacttulsa.org/
