Mayor Turner celebrated MBK Houston’s Next Chapter and Successes

On October 11, the Houston Health Department and Mayor Sylvester Turner held an event for My Brother’s Keeper Houston, where they highlighted all the great achievements made since its inception and discussed the next chapter of the initiative, under the leadership of its new director, Chazz Bailey.

The event began with remarks from HHD Director Stephen L. Williams, who shared how proud he is that MBKH is under the health department and restated his dedication to tackling the health and disparity issues faced by young men of color in Houston.

“The Houston Health Department is proud to serve as the backbone for this great initiative and lead the charge in mapping a successful path for young men of color,” said Williams.

MBKH, an initiative of the Houston Health Department, focuses on boys and young men of color, leveraging the expertise of educational institutions, nonprofits, and other partners to combine strategies and programs to increase opportunities and close disparity gaps that exist in Houston communities. Since 2014, the program has started various initiatives to prepare young men of color to be academically successful, attend college, or join the workforce and, among other goals, mend the relationship between law enforcement and young men of color.

“This is a call to action again,” Turner said. “It’s not about activities but it is about transforming lives for the better. We have a lot of growing left to do. It is about reaching men, women, and meeting these young boys and young girls where they are and letting them know their lives can be different.”

MBKH has been busy implementing different programs that target various factors in the lives of boys and young men of color in Houston. More than 36,000 students were reached through the Houston Basics Education Campaign. Thousands of students were involved in academic programs that strived to increase their chances of completing their primary education and offer them in-depth support. MBKH received a million-dollar grant for young men of color headed to college or entering the workforce and 23 students earned scholarships to attend college through the program. Over 100 youths were on-boarded through the Houston Hire Youth Project and at least 200 were interviewed for other city departments. Over 600 students were served under the MBK Law and Community program and a majority of those surveyed indicated they were willing to build trust with the police.

Turner has been a strong cheerleader of MBKH during his time as mayor, citing the potential it holds to change lives when it is working at full strength. Now that MBKH has Bailey as a new leader, Turner vows to continue to help with the initiative even after his term as mayor ends.

“This is the relaunch, and the mayor is all in,” he said. “Over the next three months, this program will receive the mayor’s intensive intervention.”

Bailey, a Georgia native, says he understands the struggles young men of color face growing up, and how access to positive environments can shape the trajectory of their lives. Because of this, Bailey says MBKH’s next chapter will be dedicated to its six milestones that can provide stability, success and life-changing tools for young men of color to lead productive lives.

The six milestones are:

• Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn
• Reading at grade level by third grade
• Graduating from high school ready for college and career
• Completing post-secondary education or training
• Successfully entering the workforce
• Keeping kids on track and giving them second chances

“We will make our vision of providing access to opportunities, support, hope and lasting positive change for young men of color a reality,” Bailey said. “MBK Houston looks forward to the future, as we begin a new chapter.”

If you would like to get involved with My Brother’s Keeper Houston and play a part in helping the initiative reach its milestone goals, please visit houstonhealth.org for more information or email chazz.bailey@houstontx.gov.