No clue as to why they said, "Male"?
CBMA is excited to announce our 2015 – 2016 BMA Innovators!
As part of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement's official re-launch activities focused on building a beloved community for Black men and boys, CBMA's Social Innovation Accelerator launched its 2015-2016 application process for the next cohort of Black Male Achievement (BMA) Innovators earlier this year.
"BMA Innovators are experienced leaders whose organizations demonstrate powerful results in improving the life outcomes of Black men and boys, and who pursue high performance, are positioned to spread their results, and have the passion to increase their local and national leadership and catalyze systemic change."
Chosen from 116 applicants from all over the country, there was a rigorous three-phase application process to select the 2015-2016 BMA Innovators. Selections were informed by an external selection committee, made up of 71 issue experts and BMA leaders from philanthropy, nonprofits, academia, and faith-based organizations, business, grassroots/community-based organizations, media, and fraternities/sororities.
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THE BMA INNOVATORS: NATIONAL
The National BMA Innovators are leaders whose program models demonstrate improved outcomes for Black men and boys and have started to spread their work at the national level.
Ron Walker, Executive Director, Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color
"The mission of the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC) is to connect, inspire, support and strengthen school leaders dedicated to the social, emotional and academic development of boys and young men of color."
About the Coalition of School Educating Boys of Color: COSEBOC is the only national education organization of practitioners solely focused on promoting the educational success of boys and young men of color. COSEBOC works with all schools – pre-K to 12th grade; public, charter and private; coed and single gender. COSEBOC connects research, policy and practice and is a learning community for school leaders. COSEBOC's growing menu of programs and services are rooted in CBMA’s Standards and Promising Practices for Educating Boys and Young Men of Color, a framework for what a school should offer and do if it intends for its male students of color to succeed.
To learn more: http://www.coseboc.org/
Christopher Chatmon, Executive Director, OUSD Office of African American Male Achievement
"The Office of African American Male Achievement stops the epidemic failure of African American male students".
About the Office of African American Male Achievement, OUSD: The Office ofAfrican American Male Achievement (AAMA) is an ambitious project designed to dramatically improve academic and ultimately life outcomes for Black male students in Oakland, while spreading its impact beyond OUSD. AAMA is leading the school district by analyzing the patterns and processes that are producing systemic inequities. OUSD’s theory of action, Targeted Universalism, ascertains that by transforming the system to support successful outcomes for OUSD’s lowest performing subgroup, OUSD will create a district that improves academic and social-emotional outcomes for all of its students.
To learn more: http://www.ousd.org/domain/78
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THE BMA INNOVATORS: DETROIT
The Detroit BMA Innovators are leaders whose program models demonstrated improved outcomes for Black men and boys locally in the areas of education, health, family, and work.
Donele Wilkins, CEO, The Green Door Initiative
"The Green Door Initiative (GDI) works to ensure that every person is environmentally literate, and capable of practicing and promoting sustainability as a lifestyle."
About The Green Door Initiative: GDI works to ensure that every person is environmentally literate and capable of practicing and promoting a sustainable lifestyle. They use workforce development to operate a comprehensive jobs training program designed to prepare residents for the green economy. GDI strives to improve environmental health through engaging in effective Community-Based Participatory Research practices that apply proven intervention strategies to reach optimum health goals in vulnerable communities. They provide environmental awareness and education projects through workshops, seminars, and educational forums. Further, GDI assists in building capacity of citizens to engage fully in land use development activities, as well as actively work towards transforming neighborhoods utilizing smart growth strategies and reforming public policy. They work to develop leadership in young people to ensure a healthy transition for the next generation of environmental stewardship, and provide training programs for citizens to ensure their full participation in all decisions impacting a healthy and environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
To learn more: http://greendoorinitiative.org/
Sharlonda M. Buckman, CEO, Detroit Parent Network
"Detroit Parent Network is a premier parent organization that transforms parents to make Detroit a better place to raise and educate children."
About Detroit Parent Network: Detroit Parent Network works to improve parent involvement in education by offering workshops, practical tools, written materials and leadership development, all designed to build a constituency of powerful parents for change. Detroit Parent Network works with any parent or primary caregiver of a school-age child (ages 4-17) who lives in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park. Parents who are committed to our organization and who want to promote effective parenting become members of our organization. By being a membership organization, Detroit Parent Network is responsive to parents' interests and needs. We invite parents to be a part of the organization.
To learn more: http://www.detroitparentnetwork.org/
Malik Yakini, Executive Director, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
"DBCFSN works to build self-reliance, food security and justice in Detroit's Black community by influencing public policy, engaging in urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating, encouraging cooperative buying and directing youth towards careers in food-related fields."
About The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network: DBCFSN was formed in February 2006 to address food insecurity in Detroit’s Black community, and to organize members of that community to play a more active leadership role in the local food security movement. DBCFSN observed that many of the key players in the local urban agriculture movement were young whites who, while well-intentioned, never-the-less exerted a degree of control inordinate to their numbers in Detroit’s population. Many of those individuals moved to Detroit from other places specifically to engage in agricultural or other food security work. It is their view that the most effective movements grow organically from the people whom they are designed to serve. Representatives of Detroit’s majority African-American population must be in the leadership of efforts to foster food justice and food security in Detroit. While DBCFSN’s specific focus is on Detroit’s African-American community, they realize that improved policy and an improved localized food system is a benefit to all Detroit residents.
To learn more: http://detroitblackfoodsecurity.org/
Frank McGhee, Program Director, Neighborhood Service Organization
"The Neighborhood Service Organization is changing lives through innovative human services that harness the power of choice."
About the Neighborhood Service Organization: NSO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit human services agency serving their most vulnerable neighbors. NSO has been supporting the community for 60 years with innovative services. Some of their services are location-based, serving neighbors who ask for help. Other services focus on outreach, traveling out into the community, reaching people wherever they are. Still other services are offered statewide through help lines and a network of professionals.
To learn more: http://www.nso-mi.org/index.php
Jason Wilson, Founder/CEO, The Yunion
"The Yunion’s mission is to counter negative cultural influences that misdirect the lives of youth by raising awareness and strengthening families through innovative prevention programming, education, parental engagement, mentoring and counseling."
About the Yunion, Inc.: In 2002, Jason Wilson started the Yunion as a record label to produce music and cultivate a culture that countered the potentially deadly influence of Hip-Hop culture. However the Yunion’s mission soon changed when Wilson realized that after the music stopped, the negative pressures continued for the population of youth the Yunion desired to reach. In 2005, Wilson pursued establishing the Yunion as a 501c3 non-profit organization in order to gain access to funding needed to expand its services. In 2007, they were awarded their first Federal grant for mentoring through the U.S. Department of Education. To date, the Yunion has reached over 8,500 Metro Detroit youth through relevant and innovative prevention programming, engaging workshops, assemblies and conferences. They have collaborated with over three dozen schools, community organizations and churches in empowering Detroit’s youth and families.
To learn more: http://theyunion.org/
