Mr. L-Mani S. Viney, a teacher of Social Studies and Program Coordinator of the 50 Strong Peer to Peer mentoring program at Piscataway High School was appointed to the My Brother’s Keeper national steering committee by the Obama Foundation during their inaugural MBK Rising! Conference in Oakland, California. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was first created by President Obama in 2014 to address the educational, social and emotional challenges faced by boys and men of color.
The national steering committee was comprised of some of the nation’s top thought and organizational leaders working with boys and men of color, including organizations such as the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, Color of Change, National CARES Mentoring and MENTOR to name a few. Their role was to provide advisement on the structure and programming of this major conference for the Foundation.
The event was an invitation only conference attended by 1,000 leaders and young people from across the country. Along with being placed on the steering committee, Mr. Viney spoke on two panels which focused on creating and sustaining asset-based frameworks and narratives on how organizations and educational systems should work with and view boys and men of color.
Though the conference has ended, Mr. Viney will continue to serve in an advisement role to the Executive Director of the My Brother’s Keeper program within the Obama Foundation on matters concerning education and boys and men of color.
