Federal Insider: Obama's legacy, My Brother's Keeper will be an important pillar

The program is designed to get the public and private sector focused on work “to enhance the life outcomes of boys and young men of color,” said Broderick Johnson, chairman of the My Brother’s Keeper inter-agency Task Force.

Dozens of programs were represented during Monday’s event to celebrate their success, network and learn from each other.

Devon Watson was there, representing the 2017 class at Urban Prep, a South Side Chicago school affiliated with My Brother’s Keeper.

One of the main things Watson gets out of Urban Prep is “the sense of brotherhood and support,” and, he added, the feeling of safety.

Cameron Barnes is a 2010 Urban Prep graduate. In addition to academics, it showed him “how to grow up and be a man,” he said. “I didn’t have a father figure growing up.”

Watson and Barnes traveled to the White House to show off Urban Prep and help promote My Brother’s Keeper. Obama’s Presidential Memorandum creating the inter-agency effort in 2014 said it is designed “to improve measurably the expected educational and life outcomes for and address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color.”

“Measurably” is a key word here. Monday’s program, including speeches and panel discussions in the morning, highlighted the vital role data and metrics play in evaluating the programs.

My Brother’s Keeper is different from many do-good programs, because Obama insisted on the use of evidenced-based evaluation, said Johnson, who also has the titles of assistant to the president and Cabinet secretary.

The programs affiliated with My Brother’s Keeper include:

Obama told the Banneker students he will continue to be involved in programs like these “because we all have a part to play in making sure every single child has every single opportunity to achieve his or her dreams.”