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President Intros Initiative, My Brother's Keeper

Aired February 27, 2014 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, bottom of the hour, I'm Brooke Baldwin.

A live look inside the White House, this is the East Room. This is a jam-packed East Room, if I may, a major event about to begin to help improve the lives of young men of color.

It's called My Brother's Keeper and President Obama launched the initiative, and he is working with public and private partners to, quote, "help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential."

So, Don Lemon is in the room there. And, Don, wow, let's begin with -- tell me who is in the audience. And I also know you spent some time with some of these young men.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There a lot of folks in the audience here. It's really like sort of a who's who. Anyone, any lawmaker of color is here and otherwise.

And, also, I have to point out, just over my left shoulder here, Trayvon Martin's family sitting in the second row, and then right next to them, Jordan Davis' family, both the mothers and dads of both those teens who were killed in Florida, and, of course, "stand-your-ground" law used in the defense of the person who killed them.

The president -- we're getting a warning here to take our seats. The president is going to come out in just a short time.

But some of the young men that you talked about, I spoke with them yesterday, here at the White House. And the president visited them in Chicago where they're part of a Chicago mentoring program, a wildly successful program.

And the president wants to take what is successful in Chicago and other cities around the country, he wants to make that an initiative that they embrace and that they give millions of dollars to.

But it is, as you said in the introduction to me, it is private money and given by organizations, also given by philanthropists from around the country.

Colin Powell is here. I see the mayor -- former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is here. The head of the Urban League is here, as well. I saw Rahm Emanuel, who's the former chief of staff, now the mayor of Chicago, here.

And this is important for mayors around the country, especially in big cities, because that's where many issues -- that's where young black men face many issues. In some big cities, eighty percent of the black men in those cities have criminal records.

BALDWIN: OK.

LEMON: And there was a study that was given just not long ago that says a black child -- black boy born today had a one-in-three chance of spending some time in prison in his life.

So that's what the president is trying to correct as we get ready for the president here. You see all the people here getting ready, Brooke, and we're going to be here for initiative.

BALDWIN: We are waiting for that. Yeah, we will take it, live, My Brother's Keeper.

Don Lemon, do me a favor and just stand by. I want to bring in one other voice here, Boyce Watkins. He is the author of "The Eight Principles of Black Male Empowerment." He is a professor at Syracuse University.

So, Boyce, welcome to you. Listen, I know that you endorsed Barack Obama, many, many moons ago.

But when it comes to this initiative which we are about to see, you say this is too little, too late. Why?

BOYCE WATKINS, PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: I did some soul- searching. I talked to people who have advocated for black males for their entire lives, people like Father Michael Flagler in Chicago.

I also talked to political scientist Michael (inaudible), and our conclusion is that we have to figure out if this is real. And the proof is in the potato salad.

When you decide you want to advocate for black males, which should not be charity. Remember, there are people out here in the community doing this work all the time who are trying to get resources.

Right there in Chicago, I live on the same street as the president. I see Father Flagler out there with the gang bangers, with the guys that are really struggling.

And every time I see him, he says, The brothers need jobs, the brothers need help.

So when we reach out to Rahm Emanuel, right there in Chicago, Obama's ally, are they also reaching back and offering the support that these people need?

I think that's the kind of proof people have to look for. I wouldn't say this is a good program or a bad one. I would say that the evidence will speak for itself. BALDWIN: I was reading a couple of the notes that you gave my producer, one of which I would love to have you just recount to all of us.

It was an analogy involving rent. Do you know what I'm talking about?

WATKINS: Yes.

BALDWIN: Explain that to us.

WATKINS: It's almost -- when you go back six years ago, and you remember when April Ryan asked the president, she said, look, black unemployment is almost at depression levels.

In certain cities, black-male unemployment is as high as 30, 40, 50 percent, which would be unacceptable in any other community. Are you going to do anything about this, about this deep inequality that exists in America?

And back then he said something that I think was an incredible mistake. He said the rising tide will lift all boats, which really is a racialized version of trickle-down economics, which says, if I help all of America, it's going to help black America too.

Years later, and, again, I'm a finance professor so I follow Wall Street closely, Wall Street is shooting through the roof. White unemployment has gotten better. Black unemployment has really improved. And black males are still in the basement.

So I think that now when you come back and you have this initiative years later, it's almost like someone not paying the rent for two years and then showing up with a check for 50 bucks, and saying, Why are you complaining? I'm giving you money. Get off my back.

There is a lot that happened before this transaction that needs to be taken into consideration.

BALDWIN: Boyce, stand by. We are looking, again, at live pictures. I just saw Magic Johnson coming in. I believe that is Ahmad Rashad with him, said hello to Charlie Rangel.

Don Lemon, let me just bring you back in here as you're standing by in the East Room, if you can still hear me.

Can you just explain to me what we are about to see as part of this program?

LEMON: Quite honestly I think what you are going to see here -- this is history, because Boyce Watkins is right. The president has received a lot of criticism, and, of course, as any president would.

But he's really between a rock and a hard place, especially when it comes to dealing with these issues.

And the difference is with this, everyone is going what's the difference? Why is this -- the president is going to make this his initiative for his entire life, he says, after he leaves the White House.

So, once he leaves the White House, it will be similar to what the Clinton Global Initiative is and how President Clinton, former President Clinton handles AIDS.

So he can take the politics out of this once he is out of office. He can take money from major corporations and donations and try to help young black men around the country.

Something he does as president, he may get criticized, because, as he said, he is the president of the entire country, not just black America -

UNIDENTFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen -

LEMON: -- so -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the president -

LEMON: -- there's the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- of the United States.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All right, everybody have a seat.

CHRISTIAN CHAMPAGNE, STUDENT: Good afternoon.

OBAMA: Good afternoon.

CHAMPAGNE: My name's Christian Champagne. I'm 18. I'm a senior at Hyde Park Academy. I have been a youth guidance at Hyde Park for two years.

I lived with my mother and I lived with my older sister who is in college. I enjoy working as a referee for a high school basketball games, but not as much as I love baseball.

I'm an avid baseball player, a huge fan of the Chicago White Sox.

OBAMA: That's right.

CHAMPAGNE: My neighborhood is tough. It isn't always safe. Just recently I was robbed while walking home from school.

With those challenges they have not stopped me from wanting to have a better and safer place to live and work.

They improvise a safe circle where men can learn the skills they need to stay on track.

And we work on development, integrity, accountability and self determination, positive anger expression and visionary goal setting and respect for women.

We support each other, but we also challenge each other to live up to these values at school, home, and the community. Last February, President Obama joined our group. He came into our circle was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Most people don't get to meet him, and if they do, it's just a hand shake. He sat down with us and shared his story. To my surprise, he was just like me, growing up without a father, sometimes not too concerned with school.

I have always done a decent student, but I struggle with believing in myself. I have been challenged to see a brighter future for myself and meeting with the president has helped me to see incredible potential in all of us.

The experience and the trip to the White House in June for Father's Day inspired me to see my future as only limit by my own vision of it. I stopped being nonchalant and started caring about my grades and the difference between an A and B.

started demanding more out of I myself. I know excellence is possible and I need to strive for that. Although sports are important to me, I focus on my GPA and I will get it back to a 3.8.

(APPLAUSE)

I had aspirations to go to law school to become a prosecutor for the city of Chicago. My dream school is New York University.

Being there and meeting the president opened up new doors for me and gave me a new outlook on life. It gave me more ambition and drive to accomplish my dreams.

Meeting the president and having him tell me that my life now is not different from the way his was made me realize I have potential too. Through his eyes I have been able to see that potential in me and everyone in this room.

Ladies and gentlemen, I now have the honor of introducing you to the president of the United States.

OBAMA: All right. Thank you. Everybody please have a seat.

Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the White House, and thank you, Christian, for that outstanding introduction. And thank you for cheering for the White Sox which is the right thing to do.

Like your parents and your teachers, I could not be prouder of you and the other young men who are here today, but just so that you are clear, you are only excused for a day of school.

I assume you have your assignments with you so you can catch up, perhaps even on the flight back.

As Christian mentioned, I first met Christian about a year ago. I visited the Hyde Park Academy in Chicago only about a mile from my house. Christian was part of this program called "Becoming a Man." It was a program that the mayor introduced me to and it helps young men who show potential and may have gotten in trouble to stay on the right path.

They got help with school work and learned life skills, like how to deal with life's challenges and how to manage frustrations in a constructively way and how to set goals for themselves.

It works. One study found, among young men who participated, arrests for violent crimes dropped 44 percent, and they were more likely to graduate from high school.

So, as Christian mentioned, during my visit in the circle, I sat down in the circle and we went around, led by their counselor and guys talked about their lives and stories.

They talked about what they were struggling with and how they were trying to do the right thing and they didn't always do the right thing.

When it was my turn, I explained to them when I was their age, I was a lot like them. I didn't have a dad in the house. I was angry about it, even though I didn't necessarily realized at the time.

I made bad choices. I got high without always thinking about the harm it could do. I didn't always take school as seriously as I should have. I made excuses. Sometimes, I sold myself short.

I remember when I was saying this, Christian, you may remember this. After I was finished, the guy sitting next to me said , Are you talking about you? I said, Yes.

And the point was I could see myself in these young men. The only difference is that I grew up in an environment that was a little bit more forgiving, so when I made a mistake, the consequences were not as severe.

I had people who encouraged me and not just my mom and grandparents, but teachers and community leaders. They pushed me to work hard and study hard and make the most of myself.

If I didn't listen, they said it again. If I didn't listen, they said it a third time, and they would give me second chances and third chances. They never gave up on me, so I didn't give up on myself.

I told these young men my story then, and I repeat it now because I firmly believe that every child deserves the same chances that I had.

That's why we are here today, to do what we can in this year of action to give more young Americans the support they need to make good choices, to be resilient and overcome obstacles, achieve their dreams.

This is an issue of national importance. This is as important as any issue that I work on. It's an issue that goes to the very heart of why I ran for president, because if America stands for anything, it stands for the idea of opportunity for everybody. No matter who you are or where you came from or the circumstances into which you are born, if you work hard, if you take responsibility, you can make it. That's the core idea.

That's the idea behind everything that I will do this year and for the rest of my presidency, because at a time when the economy is growing, we have to make sure that every American shares in that growth, not just a few.

That means guaranteeing every child in America has access to a world- class education. It means creating more jobs and empowering more workers with the skills they need to do those jobs.

It means making sure hard work pays off with wages you can live on and savings you can retire on and health care that you can count on. It means building more ladders of opportunity and the middle class for anyone who is willing to work hard to climb it.

Those are national issues. They have an impact on everybody. The problem of stagnant wages and economic insecurity and stalled mobility are issues that affect all demographic groups across the country.

My administration's policies from early-childhood education to job training to minimum wages are designed to give a hand up to everybody, every child, every American willing to work hard and take responsibility for their own success.

That's the larger agenda. The plain fact is there are some Americans who in the aggregate are consistently doing worse in our society, groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unique, groups who have seen fewer opportunities that have spanned generations.

And by almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century, in this country, are boys and young men of color.

Now, to say this is not to deny the enormous strides we've made in closing the gaps that have mired our history for so long. My presence is a testimony to that.

Across the businesses, military, communities in every state, we see extraordinary examples of African-American and Latino men who are standing tall and leading and building businesses and making our country stronger.

Some of those role models who have defied the odds are here with us today. You know, the Magic Johnsons or the Colin Powells -- who are doing extraordinary things -- the Anthony Foxxes.

Anthony and I were talking yesterday about how both of us never knew our dads, and shared that sense of both how hard that had been, but also how that had driven us to succeed in many ways.

So those are examples of extraordinary achievement. We all know that. We don't need to stereotype that there is no dysfunction out there. But 50 years after Dr. King talked about his dream for America's children, the stubborn fact is that the life chances, the average black or brown child in this country, lags behind by almost every measure and is worse for boys and young men.

If you're African-American, there's about one-in-two chance you grow up without a father in your house. Too, if you're Latino, you have about one-in-four chance.

We know boys who grow up without a father are more likely to be poor and as a black student you are less likely to read as proficient in the fourth grade.

By the time you reach high school, you are far more likely to have been suspended or expelled. There's a higher chance you end up in the criminal justice system. And a far higher chance that you are the victim of a violent crime.

Fewer black and Latino men participate in the labor force, compared to young white men. And all of this translates into higher unemployment rates and poverty rates as adults.

And the worst part is, we've become numb to these statistics. We're not surprised by them. We take them as the norm. We just assume this is an inevitable part of American life, instead of the outrage that it is. That's how we think about it.

(APPLAUSE)

It's like a cultural backdrop force in movies, television. We just assume, of course it's going to be like that. But these statistics should break our hearts, and they should compel us to act.

You know, Michelle and I are blessed with two beautiful daughters. We don't have a son, but I know if I had a son, on the day he was born, I would have felt everything that I felt with Malia and Sasha, the awe, the gratitude, overwhelming responsibility to do everything in my power to protect that amazing new life from this big world out there.

And I want my son to feel a sense of boundless possibility. I want him to have independence and confidence. I want him to have empathy and compassion.

I want him to have a sense of diligence and compassion for himself, the tools that he would need to succeed.

I don't have a son, but as parents, that's what we should want, not just for our children but for all children.

(APPLAUSE)

And I believe the continuing struggles of so many boys and young men, the fact that too many of them are falling by the wayside, dropping out, unemployed, involved in negative behavior, going to jail, being profiled, this is a moral issue for our country.

It's also an economic issue for our country. After all, these boys are a growing segment of our population. They are our future workforce.

When generation after generation they lag behind, our economy suffers. Our family structure suffers. Our civic life suffers. Cycles of hopelessness breeds violence and mistrust, and our country's a little less than what we know it can be.

So, we need to change the statistics, not just for the sake of the young men and boys but for the sake of America's future.

And that's why, in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin verdict, with all of the emotions and controversy that it sparked, I spoke about the need to bolster and reinforce our young men and give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them.

And I'm grateful that Trayvon's parents, Sybrina and Tracy, are here with us today, along with Jordan Davis' parents, Lucy and Ron.

(APPLAUSE)

In my State of the Union address last month, I said I'd pick up the phone and reach out to Americans willing to help young men of color so America can reach its full potential.

And that's what today is all about. After months of conversation with a wide range of people, we've pulled together private philanthropies and businesses, mayors, state and local leaders, faith leaders, nonprofits, all who are committed to creating more pathways to success, and we're committed to building on what works. And we call it My Brother's Keeper.

Just to be clear, My Brother's Keeper is not some new, big government program. In my State of the Union address, I outlined the work that needs to be done for broad base economic growth, the manufacturing hubs, infrastructure spending.

I've been talking about what we feed to do to expand economic activity for everybody. And in the absence of some of those macroeconomic policies that create more good jobs and restore security, it's going to be hard for everyone to make progress.

And for the last four years, we've been working through initiatives like "promise zones," from lack of transportation to schools that are inflicted, and we'll continue to promote these efforts in rural and urban schools.

Those are programs that we think are good for all Americans and we're going to keep on pushing for them.

But what we're talking about here today with My Brother's Keeper is a more focused effort on boys and young men of color who are having a particularly tough time.

And in this effort, government cannot play the only or even the primary role. We can help give every child access to quality preschool and help them start learning from an early age, but we can't replace the power of a parent who's reading to that child.

We can reform our criminal justice system to ensure that it's not infected with bias.

But nothing keeps a young man out of trouble like a father who takes an active role in his son's life.

(APPLAUSE)

In other words, broadening the horizons for our young men, giving them the tools that they need to succeed will require a sustained effort from all of us.

Parents will have to parent and turn off the television and help with homework.

Teachers will need to do their part to make sure our kids don't fall behind and that we're setting high expectations for those children and not giving up on them --

BALDWIN: The initiative, again, it's My Brother's Keeper. This is what the president's been outlining here in a very crowded room here in the East Room of the White House.

And as he said, this is as important as any other issue, any other initiative he has worked on thus far in the Oval Office.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. We'll see you back here tomorrow.

In the meantime, "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.