Somewhere in your community stands an "Under Construction" sign. What does the sign mean to the drivers and pedestrians who cross that spot every day? Probably not a whole lot, except as a warning that they should keep a safe distance from the site.
For those doing the hard work on the other side of that sign, "Under Construction" describes a totally different reality. The project has probably asked more of its construction crew and its supervisors than anyone would guess. Even before the sign was staked into the ground, there was exhaustive groundwork—visioning, surveying, designing, and planning. Only a few blueprints now guide the team forward. The workers need tremendous patience and the faith that all will unfold according to plan.
The boys and men of color who appear in the following pages—and the hundreds of others whom the organizations serve—are, like all of us, "under construction," meaning they are continually receiving guidance and support to realize their potential. But they are not the only "works in progress." The organizations serving them are also under construction—growing their leadership, crafting new strategies, and rethinking their understanding of masculinity in an emerging field.
This field contains countless stories that ought to be shared; this book features 12, each set in a different American community and centered on an organization working to remove obstacles and improve life outcomes for boys and men of color. The accounts here help shed light on innovative program models and strategies for improving the institutions and systems that have the most direct impact on this population.
In the spirit of forging that single destiny, this is an invitation to hear the stories behind the sign—to stop at the work site, meet the construction crew, read their accounts of heartbreak and resolve, and learn how their coordinated plans are yielding better outcomes for boys and men of color.
This publication is part of a larger multimedia exhibit of the same name, commissioned by Frontline Solutions between April 2013 and February 2015. A team of filmmakers, photographers, writers, and nonprofit experts worked closely to produce multilayered portraits of 12 organizations that show the impact the programs are having and will continue to have on boys and men of color.
For several years now, Frontline has had the opportunity to partner with many organizations working in a broad field dedicated to boys and men of color. Along the way we've seen that a critical gap often stands between theory and practice, between an extensive vision for expanding opportunities for boys and men of color and, at the community level, the implementation of that vision through thoughtful engagement. We believed the field could achieve greater impact only when the vision and the concrete steps toward realizing that vision become more accessible for all the major actors—for leaders in government and philanthropy as well as for people in the social service sector. This collection of 12 organizations is a positive sign that that gap is closing as awareness and understanding grows about boys and men of color.
Essentially, Under Construction is a nuanced response to an oft-asked question: "So what does this work look like?" A key partner behind this project is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Its $16-million Forward Promise initiative lifts up a diverse set of community-based programs that represent the vast body of work on behalf of boys and men of color. Most of the organizations featured here are Forward Promise grantees that are aligned with the initiative's mission to "vastly expand the potential for boys and young men of color to grow up healthy, obtain a good education, and find meaningful employment."
Forward Promise and like-minded initiatives are valuable not just in their support and implementation of effective programs, but also in leading the conversation about boys and men of color, and in pointing out how America itself is "under construction." The recent brutal and tragic killings of young men and young women of color by police have been a harsh reminder of society's habitual disregard for the lives of people of color. Collective consciousness of racism, mass incarceration, and all forms of structural inequity suffuses the work of the organizations that appear here, and several of the organizations interweave policy advocacy with direct services as part of their comprehensive strategy for people and communities of color, who encompass young and old; African-American, Asian Pacific Islander, Latino, and Native; incarcerated and in schools; women and girls; and boys and men of color.
Grit and hard work are not enough to fulfill the mission. Achieving racial equity ultimately demands a new approach. According to bell hooks, it requires "a new paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures." To help illustrate that big-vision awareness of systems change and its practical components, we've accompanied each profile with program impact models, along with interviews with leaders who share their organizational vision in their own words.
Taking the perspective that we are all "under construction" helps us assume collective responsibility and concern for all, including boys and men of color. And with that awareness, we can grasp the risk of not taking action or getting involved in this work. To quote RWJF, "what is at stake for America is the possibility of losing an entire generation of productive men who will fall short of their potential, live less healthy lives and fail to build and strengthen their communities."
As you proceed through these profiles, seeing and feeling the impact of the different programs, imagine the broader transformations that could happen, not just in the places featured in these pages but across the country and over generations. Better futures are in reach for every one of those sons, brothers, and fathers, along with the families and communities who want and need those men to thrive.
