Nearly eleven years ago, the nation watched as President Obama emotionally expressed, “Trayvon Martin could have been me.” His national address on the murder of Trayvon Martin would be the beginning of his unwavering mission to create something that would positively shift the lives of boys and young men of color.

Soon thereafter, with the support of private philanthropies and businesses, mayors, state and local leaders, faith leaders, nonprofits and more, President Obama was on the precipice of starting what we know today as the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, a national call to action focused on building safe and supportive communities for boys and young men of color.