Public-private initiatives in the city of Buffalo, like Promise Neighborhoods and Say Yes to Education, are drawing national attention. Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, will discuss those programs at a White House panel today.
The panel is part of President Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative. Perez-Bode Dedecker says she's been called to "speak on philanthropy's role in advancing opportunities for boys and young men of color in America's cities."
She says young men face many challenges in Buffalo. The most glaring problem can be found in schools.
"The Buffalo public school system currently is graduating 48 percent of young black men and 42 percent of young Latino men," she said, noting that the situation is showing signs of improving.
"Just a couple of years ago those numbers were closer to 25 percent."