Innovation and Impact Forum for Black Male Achievement

Paula Williams Madison, Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, declares that black males must take pride in their family, heritage, and community. According to Madison, the insistence that "shame not be brought upon our families", is the key to societal enfranchisement.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City explains why it is imperative that society focus on innovative programs that actually address the issues that impact males of color. 

Philanthropist George Soros highlights one of the most alarming trends that disproportionately affects black males: an unfair criminal justice system.

Susan L. Taylor, founder and CEO of the National CARES Mentoring Movement, champions Mad Dads, a mentoring organization that combats gang violence and drug use among youth.

Melanie Hartzog, Family Services Coordinator for the Young Men's Initiative in New York City, briefly describes the initiative's goals and procedures.

Dr. Lawrence T. McGill, Vice President of Research at the Foundation Center, explains how the center identifies grants that benefit black boys and young men.

Harold Dean Trulear, Director of the Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project, preaches the importance of freeing the incarcerated from stigma. “We can no longer afford to demonize African-American males in general, and the incarcerated in particular,” he says.

Shawn Dove, manager of the Open Society Foundation's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, calls for closing the "belief gap" in black male achievement.

Sociologist Pedro Noguera argues that “there are no easy answers” when it comes to helping black boys succeed in school. Rather than relying on simple, trendy changes such as separating the genders or privileging kinesthetic learning, Noguera advocates for holistic and leadership-based solutions.

Black Male Achievement Fellow Khalil Fuller touts the program that he founded, NBA Math Hoops. The basketball-themed classroom game, he says, has raised students' math scores by up to 51 percent.

Trabian Shorters, Vice President of Communities at the Knight Foundation, argues that most people focus on negative statistics regarding black men, rather than the positives. "You're armed with all the data about what's wrong with the person across from you, and you're empty-handed about the truth about the assets that they bring," he says.

Stephen DeBerry, founder and Chief Investment Officer of Bronze Investments, points out that organizations that rely on philanthropic funding are only benefiting from five percent of the $600 billion pool of foundation endowment capital available.

Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of PolicyLink, describes the true infrastructure required to sustain a movement. Starting with the anchor of information, Blackwell reminds the audience of the importance of the scaffolding of community and the motor of a unifying narrative.

John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. from the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities describes the attributes of a Martin Luther King Drum Major for Service in awarding the distinction to Ron Crawford.

John W. Rogers, CEO of Ariel Investments, discusses the Black Corporate Directors' Conference, which he co-founded 11 years ago. He defines the conference's main goal as exploring how to effectively address the civil rights agenda in the board room.

Echoing Green President Cheryl Dorsey explains why social entrepreneurship matters. "This blurring of sectoral boundaries is the new normal," she argues.