Obama speaks on violence and masculinity at My Brother’s Keeper gathering in Oakland

By Jeneé Darden

Published February 21, 2019 at 5:33 PM PST

1 of 2

President Barack Obama and Stephen Curry participate in an interactive town hall during MBK Rising!, in Oakland, CA on February 19, 2019.

Courtesy of The Obama Foundation

2 of 2

Ivan Garcia (third from left) with other My Brother's Keepers attendees from around the country.

Jeneé Darden / KALW

Former President Obama along with celebrities, leaders and hundreds of young men from around the country traveled to Oakland for the My Brother’s Keeper gathering. The organization’s purpose is to help support and mentor young men of color and reduce youth violence. President Obama launched My Brother’s Keeper in 2014.

"We had to be able to say to them: You matter. We care about you. We believe in you." - President Barack Obama

Tags

Crosscurrents Oakland youth

Jeneé Darden

Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.

See stories by Jeneé Darden