Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Mosses mayor Walter S. Hill has been appointed to serve on the African American Mayors National Association Task Force for President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative.

Hill’s appointment was well received as he expressed his gratitude in accepting the position.   

“I am overwhelmed by this appointment and I am humbled in heart and soul in accepting this task,” Hill said.

“And I am appreciative to the board officers, members, the chairman of My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, Chairman Mayor Steve Benjamin,  the president of AAMA, the Honorable William Bell, the president and the entire White House staff for this opportunity to serve.” 

Obama’s  initiative, My Brother’s Keeper, was launched to help every boy and young man of color who is willing to do the hard work to get ahead. 

Across the country, communities are adopting approaches to help put boys and young men on the path to success who might’ve otherwise lacked opportunities to do so.   President Obama wants to build on that work. 

“We can learn from communities that are partnering with local businesses and foundations to connect these boys and young men to mentoring, support networks, and skills they need to find a good job or to go to college and work their way up into the middle class,” Hill said.

Obama signed a presidential memorandum that established the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, which is an interagency effort chaired by Secretary Broderick Johnson, assistant to the president and the cabinet, that will help determine what public and private efforts are working and how to expand upon them, how the federal government’s own policies and programs can better support these efforts, and how to better involve state and local officials, the private sector, and the philanthropic communities in these efforts. 

“I am delighted to join our president in this initiative,” Hill continued. 

“I recognize without a doubt the significant importance of such an initiative which will provide a hand-up and not a hand-out to boys and young men of color who far too often give up and give in and as a result too many become victims of violent crimes and whose lives end so tragically.  I believe that the goals and objectives of this initiative will be a steering wheel of hope and change for opportunities that many of our boys and young men of color could not even imagine. 

“I am committed with my heart, prayers and leadership to fulfilling my duties and responsibilities as a member of this task force and will do my very best in service so help me God.”

The Task Force will convene on multiple conference calls with White House officials and  will oversee any programming related to the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative.