Sacramento program inspired by Barack Obama provides stipend to young men after 15-week course
Trayzell White spent much of this summer giving back to a program that helped him find his own way in Sacramento.
He recently participated in the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Sacramento Youth Fellowship Remix and Creative Academy playing an “older brother” role to the youth for the past 15 weeks.
The program brings together 15 young men of color between the ages 16 to 24 to teach values and the different interpretations of their heritage, while also addressing health, education, employment and justice inequities and disparities.
White, 24, graduated from the MBK Youth Fellowship Cohort as the Class of 2022 alongside 14 other young people.
They all received a free Dell computer, a tailored shirt from Nordstrom and a $1,000 stipend for their participation, dedication and hard work throughout the summer.
White said the program made him reassess the standards he previously set for himself. He learend he wanted to inspire change in others. He has aspirations of being an author and motivational speaker.
“I wanted to fight for change in everything,” said White. “How people are looked at, how we think about people, how we think about each other, how we think about ourselves.”
The fellowship was inspired by the My Brother’s Keeper memorandum signed by for President Barack Obama in 2014 to call attention to opportunity gaps that boys and men of color face.
MBK Sacramento looks to improve the educational, health, social and economic outcomes for local boys and men of color.
The Sacramento extension is a program initiative of the Center at Sierra Health Foundation and was developed by program coordinator, Ray Green.
Green said his ultimate goal is to improve life outcomes for young men of color.
“I found that most needed more than just a 15-week program,” said Green. “They needed brotherhood, leadership, civic engagement and workforce development.”
Tarrell Smith, a sophomore student at Grant Union High School, found brotherhood in the program. His fellow participants became second-family to him.
He and a couple of his friends were recommended to the program by their teachers.
Smith said the opportunity was informative and gave him a better understanding of history and ways he could change his community.
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“We’re pushing to be more active because people don’t listen to the younger generation because of technology,” said Smith. “But I feel we can use that to push our voices more out there.”
Smith dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer and “beating Elon Musk to the moon.”
One of the fellowship graduates, Chase Thomas recommended the program because the environment, he says, is something that young people should want to be a part of.
Through the program, Thomas started to figure out what it was that he wanted to accomplish in his life. He hopes to attend the program again next year.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you won’t get to experience, honestly it’s such a great experience,” said Thomas. “I’m glad I made that decision, it was fun, really fun.”
For more information about MBK Sacramento visit their website www.shfcenter.org and select My Brother’s Keeper Sacramento under the ‘Programs’ column or follow them on Instagram, @mbk_sacramento.
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 5:25 AM.
