The community is invited to “My Brother’s Keeper” panel discussion on April 12 from 10-11:15 a.m. in the 600 Building, Room 6-127. Sponsored by the Students of Color Alliance, the event is free.

The discussion will be moderated by longtime Connecticut educator Les Saunders, lecturer of Counselor Education & Family Therapy at Central Connecticut State University. The panelists will discuss how they have benefited informally or formally from mentoring, and the ways in which they mentor young men of color. Panelists include Thomas J. Clarke, II, council president for the city of Hartford and special initiatives coordinator for U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy;  Philip G. Kane, Jr., vice president of U.S. Bank N.A. and vice chairman of the Legacy Foundation; Connecticut Senator Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, deputy senate democrat president pro tempore and vice principal of Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts; Kirk Peters, Ed.D., dean of student affairs Tunxis; Andre Santiago, senior program director of youth programs at Leadership Greater Hartford; and Darwin Shaw, teacher and sports coach at New Britain High School, and co-author of the book “Becoming Coach Shaw: How I Learned to Run My Own Race.

There will be time for a brief question and answer session after the discussion.

In 2014, President Barack Obama began the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to address the barriers to success faced by young men of color in the United States. A wide range of initiatives and programs designed to put men and boys of color “on the right track,” My Brother’s Keeper aims to break down barriers for these young men and boys and open doors of opportunity to ultimately help them achieve their goals. A young man of color is far more likely to pursue educational and economic opportunities when such behavior is modeled in his familial and/or cultural community. Now known as My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, the national non-profit organization remains dedicated to its founding principles.

For more information on the panel discussion, contact Kerry L. Beckford, faculty advisor for the Students of Color Alliance, 860.773.1654.