NYTimes | In
the aftermath of racially charged unrest in places like Baltimore,
Ferguson, Mo., and New York, Mr. Obama came to the Bronx on Monday for
the announcement of a new nonprofit organization that is being spun off
from his White House initiative called My Brother’s Keeper. Staked by
more than $80 million in commitments from corporations and other donors,
the new group, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, will in effect provide the
nucleus for Mr. Obama’s post-presidency, which will begin in January
2017.
“This
will remain a mission for me and for Michelle not just for the rest of
my presidency but for the rest of my life,” Mr. Obama said. “And the
reason is simple,” he added. Referring to some of the youths he had just
met, he said: “We see ourselves in these young men. I grew up without a
dad. I grew up lost sometimes and adrift, not having a sense of a clear
path. The only difference between me and a lot of other young men in
this neighborhood and all across the country is that I grew up in an
environment that was a little more forgiving.”
Organizers
said the new alliance already had financial pledges from companies like
American Express, Deloitte, Discovery Communications and News
Corporation. The money will be used to help companies address obstacles
facing young black and Hispanic men, provide grants to programs for
disadvantaged youths, and help communities aid their populations.
Joe
Echevarria, a former chief executive of Deloitte, the accounting and
consulting firm, will lead the alliance, and among those on its
leadership team or advisory group are executives at PepsiCo, News
Corporation, Sprint, BET and Prudential Group Insurance; former
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New
Jersey; former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.; the music star John
Legend; the retired athletes Alonzo Mourning, Jerome Bettis and
Shaquille O’Neal; and the mayors of Indianapolis, Sacramento and
Philadelphia.
The
alliance, while nominally independent of the White House, may face some
of the same questions confronting former Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton as she begins another presidential campaign. Some of
those donating to the alliance may have interests in government action,
and skeptics may wonder whether they are trying to curry favor with the
president by contributing.
“The
Obama administration will have no role in deciding how donations are
screened and what criteria they’ll set at the alliance for donor
policies, because it’s an entirely separate entity,” Josh Earnest, the
White House press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One
en route to New York. But he added, “I’m confident that the members of
the board are well aware of the president’s commitment to transparency.”
