The city of Wilmington will take part in President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge beginning next week
Alexandra Coppadge, a spokesperson for the city, says it’s a call to action for different leaders throughout the city.
The goal, she says, is to create, "a cohesive and connected pathway and strategy to improve the life outcomes of all young people, but especially young men and boys of color."
The challenge focuses on six milestones that range from making sure kids are reading on grade level by age 9 to ensuring that prisoners have access to education.
Coppadge says the issue hits home for the Mayor. Williams grew up in the projects and witnessed the school to prison pipeline firsthand.
"This is an effort to bridge that gap and ensure that we no longer have young people falling through the cracks," she says.
The challenge will kick off with a summit on the evening of July 29th at Howard High School. The event will be open to the public.
Coppadge says that the summit is an opportunity to hear directly from the community about what their needs are, and that the Williams administration will use that dialogue to forge a path forward.