For the last decade, Project MALES and the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color have been engaged in an action agenda working to remove barriers of opportunity for male students of color, especially for African American and Latino males in our educational systems. Our coalition of school leaders, educators, practitioners, and community-based organizations are committed to dismantling the historical and inherent racism and white supremacy that has resulted in long-standing social and racial inequalities within our communities and our schools. Our research has found that the most effective way to do this is to work hand in hand with school districts, community colleges, and universities to advance equitable educational outcomes for male students of color at the local, regional, state, and national levels.
In light of our mission to serve males of color, we strongly condemn the senseless, violent, and tragic murders of George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Marquez Arbery (and countless others before). Their deaths and the tragic deaths of our African American sisters like Breonna Taylor, and members of our transgender community are sobering reminders of the systemic racism that persists within our social and justice systems. We grieve for Black and African American communities who have lost many at the hands of law enforcement officers and rogue vigilantes, which is part of a long history of racial injustice in our country.* Beyond grieving, we remain committed to addressing this work through our programs and Male Summit, an annual event where we engage our male students of color in courageous and critical dialogue with law enforcement officers about the need for trust-building with each other.
Project MALES and the Consortium are committed to work that heals and builds our local Black and Brown communities, especially are young males of color. We strongly believe that we must leverage our collective knowledge and educate and empower these communities, families, educational leaders, and community leaders with the following resources for meaningful and systemic change:
Project MALES & Texas Education Consortium-related resources
- Enroll and learn about current MOC issues via the monthly Consortium Webinar Series
- Read recent Research Briefs on MOC by our Project MALES Faculty/Research Affiliates
- Learn about Project MALES Research Digests about educational outcomes of African American and Latino males
Recommended External Resources
- Explore the New Era of Public Safety Tool Kit (recommended by President Barack Obama, founder of My Brother’s Keeper)
- Learn about additional resources focused on MOC at Obama.org resources website
Potential Donation Opportunities
- Support a national organization focused on MOC My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance
- Support the brother of a Project MALES mentor who was shot in the head at a Austin protest: Brad Levi Ayala GoFundMe
*Note: We amended our statement to more acutely focus on centering the lives of African American and Black communities. While Black and Brown communities do share common struggles, this moment demands that we listen to, engage with, and center our actions on the racist violent actions that have cost the lives of our Black and African American community members. Black Lives Matter.
